YOMG - Glen Waverley

Melbourne Glutton and I were fortunate to win YOMG's 12K instagram competition. This meant we both scored a meal on the house. This music to our ears. Melbourne Glutton is one of my favourite people to share a meal with. Just like me, she takes photos for her blog, so she is every bit my perfect dining partner, especially for places I want to blog about.

We got a burger each, fries and opted for froyo over milkshake. So we could try more variety, we got different burgers and fries.

MG got the Muffler. This was a pretty monster burger with beef patty, fried chicken, double cheese, bacon onion fries, pickles, bbq sauce and mayo. The chicken was crisp, the patty was juicy and well seasoned. The cheese, pickle and sauces finished it off nicely to balance out the meatiness.

I got the Kingsway. This was double beef, double cheese, secret sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion and ketchup. It's like a cheese burger but double the good stuff. The patties are not for the faint hearted so I recommend this for a hungry stomach.

With fries I didn't go too crazy and got the American. Fries topped with cheese sauce, ketchup, bacon and mustard. All the classic in a single dish of fries.

MG got the Shang-Fry. This is definitely different from the classical fries topping, it had pulled pork, toasted sesame, basil mayo, crispy shallots, chilli and spring onion. This was pretty much a meal in itself. There was a generous amount of pork on top, the basil mayo cut through the meatiness and the chilli was a nice kick.

As for froyo, MG and I both gravitated toward coconut. We both went a bit crazy when it came to toppings. The froyo was soft, creamy and not overly sweet.

Overall 17/20 I'm not far from YOMG and it is now one of my regular places to visit whenever I want a burger for a cheat meal.

Mick Adams

So what does one do when they are hungry at 9.30pm on a Friday night? Well... in my case I look for a burger to eat. Given a person should only have so many calories a day, I like to make sure I consume all mine wisely. My favorite way is generally with a good gourmet burger. So this time, it meant that I pay Mick Adam's Burger Bar a visit.

Located on Portman Street in Oakleigh, this is a the located burger shop for the ones who live nearby and lucky for them, it's gourmet. The shop layout has that raw, rustic fit-out, which makes a good casual catch up spot with friends.

The menu is armed with a lot of choice. D and I decided on a burger each with a bowl of chips to share. D went with the Petey Sweetie, which had a beef patty, beetroot, fried egg, bacon, caramelized onion, lettuce, jalapeno mayo, emmantal swiss cheese and tomato relish. This is pretty much the burger with the lot. The patty was perfectly medium rare.  It would have been good if they stabbed the burger with a skewer to keep the burger together while it was being eaten. It was juicy and all the components were done just right. It was the cheat day burger that D was after.

I picked the Cheeky Charlie. This had deep fried soft shelled crab, coriander, pickled cucumber, chilli jam, onion, radish and finished off with aioli. This is one for the soft shell crab lover. I enjoyed the lighter flavours (compared to a typical beef burger) and it was a good change to the beef I typically choose. D wasn't a fan of it as it didn't hit the 'burger spot' for him but I think it's a good burger to pick if you are hungry but don't feel like something very meaty. The chilli jam did a good job of cutting through the oiliness of the crab.

For the chips we picked the Truffle Parmesan flavour. I am a big fan of truffle, so I would never say no to truffle. They were thin cut shoe string fries. It was generous in cheese shavings and the truffle scent was full bodied. The only let down was the chips came to us cold. I think it might have been due to the fact, we got there late and one of the last patrons in the shop. Given the chips were priced at $13 (almost as much as a burger), this was the biggest let down in the meal

Overall 16.5/20 Great local burger shop. Good selection on the menu. D and I enjoyed the burgers but was disappointed with the chips. It is definitely a good addition to the Oakleigh food scene. Is it the best burgers in Melbourne? No it's not, but I would duck in again if I was in the area.

 

8bit burger

So I finally hit up 8 bit burger with the usual burger gang after months of talking about it. Miss P and Bear recently helped Mario paint the house while I was away in the States, so as a thank you I saw it was only fitting that I fed them burgers. 8 bit is located in Droop street Footscray, it has been a popular local burger joint for awhile now.

It was a Saturday when we visited, we got there around 7pm and there was already a line out the door, but lucky for us, most people were buying take away so it wasn't a long wait to get a table. As usual, we went all out when it came to ordering.

When it came to ordering I go straight down to business. I ordered the Instagram famous Double Dragon, this came with a double beef patty, double cheese, double bacon, pickles, mustard, lettuce and 8 bit sauce. This was one massive burger, and I probably didn't need double of everything but YOLO (and I guess the same theory goes for a lethal heart attack hahaha). The patties were cooked to a perfect tender state with just enough juiciness but also a good bite. The cheese and bacon gave it that extra fatty goodness.

Mario decided to be very sensilble and got the 8 bit with cheese. This is their version of a classic cheeseburger; it came with the usual beef, cheese, tomato, lettuce, onions, pickles, mustard and 8 bit sauce. If you can't decide when you visit, this is a fail proof choice. The fillings were in perfect ratios and the taste was what you expect in a well made cheeseburger. We all agreed that Mario's safe choice was the best choice of the night.

Bear picked the Altered Beast. This was beef, bacon, cheese, bbq sauce, lettuce, 8 bit sauce and onion combo. It was similar to the Double Dragon, except with less bacon and beef and substituted the mustard with bbq sauce. This packed a very intense flavour, the 8 bit sauce with the BBQ sauce together with the flavours in the patty, it was burger flavour galore. Only down side was, this burger got very messy towards the end. Think there was a bit too much sauce in it. Otherwise it was lip smacking good.

Miss P loves her mushroom burgers, so there was no way she could pass up the 1 up mushroom burger. It came with a big crumbed Portobello mushroom and all the usual burger fillings (tomato, cheese, onion, 8 bit sauce and lettuces). That juicy mushroom, is actually a good substitute for those who aren't feeling very meaty.

Who goes to a burger place and not order fries? To my disappointment, there was no potato gems left, so we got 2 lots of fries to share.

First one was the chilli cheese fries. This came loaded with chill beef, cheese sauce, jalapenos and spring onions. Don't let the name scare you, this was not spicy at all. The beef only had the smallest kick and the jalapenos were quite mild.

Second fries was the cheese and bacon fries. The beer battered potato goodness came covered in bacon and cheese sauce. Good for my weight and diet? NO. But did it taste good? HELL YEAH! I don't think the spring onions were really required but Mario seemed to enjoy them.

We each got a milkshake to wash it all down. Since there was 4 of us and 4 milk shakes on the menu, we tried them all. The salted caramel was thick, dense and just the right amount of saltiness. The strawberry cheesecake was more on the sweeter side; it had a good cheesiness through the shake to balance out the sweetness in the strawberry syrup. The chocolate bar is perfect for those wanting the classic chocolate milky taste. The intensity of the chocolate coincide well with a burger, but if you have it alone, you might want a stronger chocolate hit, to me it was perfect alongside a burger. Lastly was the peanut butter shake. I don't know when but in my mind I consider this a classic flavour now. I love the nutty, saltiness mixed with sweetness. I liked all the milkshakes and when asked, we all had a different favourite. If I was alone and had to narrow it down to one, I would pick the salted caramel.

Overall 16.5/20 it was a bit of a drive for us to get there but it was worth it. I can appreciate and understand why there is a line at the door. It was a more 'oily, greasy' burger but it never claimed to be healthy and otherwise. The burger offering is nothing that no one else hasn't tried to put together before, but it is well executed and that's all that matters to me at the end of the day.

Shake Shack

What is a girl to do when she is alone on Valentine's Day in a city that reminds you about this holiday at every corner you turn to. Well she goes shopping, gets herself a manicure and line up for a burger from Shake Shack.

Shake Shack is renowned for it's famous burgers, I visited the branch on 8th Avenue in the theatre district. I got there around 6pm and the line was out the door. In the blistering cold weather and the snow coming down fast outside, people lined up and like all those other people, I wanted my burger so I joined the queue. Lucky the queue was moving fast and within 25 minutes I was placing my order.

I got the single shack burger, this was the classic cheeseburger. With a soft bun and medium cooked angus patty with cheese perfectly melted on top. I can understand why this place is so famous. The shack sauce along with the tomato and lettuce just tied everything beautifully together. The best part, was this burger wasn't huge so I could eat a second one if I wanted to or just get other things as well.

The cheesy fries caught my eyes as soon as I saw it on the menu. We don't get this on the menu often in Australia, so there was no debating in my mind. The chips were crinkle cut and cooked just right, the sauce was a creamy thick cheddar sauce. It was nice but I had to have a few chips dunked in ketchup along the way to help break down the creamy and cheesiness.

Finally, I decided to skip the drink and went straight for dessert. I got  pretzel the concrete, which is what they call an ice custard. It was a chocolate custard with pretzel pieces, chocolate bites, mashmellow and peanut butter sauce. It is all your textbook naughties all mixed together in a cup and it was heaven in every spoon I ate. The flavour compliment each other well. All those toppings can be very rich, but that was combated with an ice cream that wasn't too rich but more creamy to bring the element together.

Since the first visit was so good, I decided to make another visit to try out more of the menu. 

This time I got Smoke Shack which had a patty with cheese melted on top, bacon, cherry peppers and shack sauce. The bacon was crispy with a smoky taste to it. Complimented with the sauce and a bit of a kick in the peppers, it was a nice twist to the classic.

This time round, instead of fries I got the ShackMeister dog. This was a dog stacked with cheddar sauce and shallots. I couldn't help myself and added ketchup but it really didn't need the ketchup. This was the perfect snack size for anyone who was feeling peckish. The dog itself was not too heavy and the simplicity of this made it something you can happily eat more than one of.

Since it was my second visit, I decided to be more creative and make my own concrete. I put the chocolate custard with fudge sauce, cheesecake and doughnuts. I got lots of doughnuts and cheesecake in it. Can't say i did a bad job in designing my own, but I did like the predesigned pretzel one more. It had the salty and sweet that mine didn't.

Overall 17/20 I really enjoyed my visit, as you can tell I liked it so much I went twice. The burgers are the right size. If you are starving get 2, if you are just a bit hungry get 1. It was the right level of guilt with the bite and the taste made it a very rewarding experience.

 

Sushi Burger aka J Cafe

Located on Exhibition St, J Cafe is one of those places that has been around for ages. J Cafe was one of the first places to offer sushi burger and is well known for it. On a particular Friday with my usual burger friends Mario, Bear and Miss Pika, we decided it was more a sushi burger day than a beef patty burger day.

Bear decided to go with the bento sushi burger combo. For the sushi burger he picked hamburg which was a beef and pork patty and tonkotsu as a main. The patty was nice and juicy together with the big piece of green and mayo, it was a perfect size treat. The tonkotsu was done with a well crumbled exterior. He got the spicy salmon sushi burger

Miss P decided she wanted 2 sushi burgers and nothing else. She got the spicy raw salmon and the croquette sushi burger. Both sushi burgers hit the spot, the rice was soft and the seaweed held it together nicely. There might have been a bit too much sauce, but it's more a personal preference.

Mario also got the bento and he got his with the soft shell crab burger. His sushi burger was my favourite out of the whole table, I love how the deep fried soft shell crab gave the burger that crunchy and bite.

I was having a 'guilty, fat day' so I got the chirashi salmon bowl. This came with generous amounts of salmon with a drizzle of terriyaki sauce and kewpi mayo. Not bad value, considering how much was in the bowl.

Overall 14/20 this is the original sushi burger in Melbourne, some say it's not quite Mos Burger, but I actually like it more than Mos burger. If you don't want a sushi burger there are other choices too.

Grand Trailer Park Taverna

I was fortunate enough to be invited to try out the burgers at Grand Trailer Park Taverna, and they were nice enough to let me bring 3 friends along, so Bear, Miss P and Mario staked their spot with great pride. The three of them actually came without me when it first opened (because I ended up stuck at work on a Friday) so they knew what to expect.

Grand Trailer Park is actually created by the people behind Dandenong Pavilion (if you have read my other post before, you will know that I have a secret love affair with the burgers there behind Mario's back) and Pawn &  Co. So I was expecting nothing less than amazing burgers.

When I saw the place I was actually quite surprised because in my mind I had pictured it being outdoors and full of fake grass; it was actually located upstairs on the corner of Exhibition St and Bourke St. We got there at 7 and the place was packed and buzzing, there was an outdoor section but we opted for the indoor section near the bar so I could watch burgers come out of the kitchen. We were greeted by Brooke who was friendly and explained our menu to us. Despite how busy the place was, she ensured we were looked after well all night.

Now to the important part, the food! I eyed the McDowell on the menu and was very tempted to get that but was convinced by Miss P I should get the Francis Underwood like her because last time when they came the boys had burger envy. So I took her advice and decided tonight was the night I tried something else. The Francis Underwood came with a beef patty, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, burger sauce, mustard and the hero filling of a potato mac and cheese croquette. The combination worked really well. It was a very big burger but all the fillings each played a part. The patty was juicy and the croquette was that thing you didn't need but glad you got. Miss P was right, it was a damn good burger.

Bear got the Ivan Drago. I asked the guys behind the counter and this is actually the least popular burger. This came as a surprise and you'll see why in a moment. Ivan Drago came with a beef patty, cheddar cheese, bacon, beetroot, black Russian tomato and tsar burger sauce on a brioche bun. This burger has everything you want in a good burger, it has CRISPY BACON and it tastes like heaven on the lips and nowhere near as oily as I expected it to be. The beetroot gave the sweetness to cut through the meat mass in the burger. So if you go, I suggest you don't rule out Ivan Drago, as soon as you skim pass it.

Mario got the Atomic which had a beef patty, cheddar cheese, chilli cheese kransky, bacon, bbq sauce and truffle mayo. If you love truffle, you can't go past this burger; the creamy, potent truffle mayo is going to win over any truffle lover. The cheesiness from the cheddar and the kransky then a kick of truffle mayo..... best burger of the night!

Besides burgers, we each got a spiked milkshake. This is as the name suggests.... an alcoholic milkshake. Miss P and I got the Kinder Surprise which was a nutella milkshake laced with frangelico and baileys topped with a big kinder surprise on top. This was a fun and delicious shake. Chocolatey enough to be indulgent but not to the point it's too rich.

Mario got the Peanut Butter and jelly which was a strawberry, peanut butter milkshake with rum. This was very sweet, as you would expect it to be.

Bear's one was the most interesting one, he got the salted caramel with maple bacon. This was the strongest out of all the shakes, the only one where the alcohol tasted strong, but I didn't mind it and quite enjoyed it, especially with a bite of the maple bacon.

What is a burger meal without chips? We got 2 large chips to share (which we couldn't finish) and it came with some of the burger sauces. The hand cut chips were well seasoned and with the truffle mayo it was a delight.

Even though we were all very full, I was determined to fit dessert in as well. I really wanted the Bananarama but sadly had no space for it and the other 3 refused to share it with me in their food coma state, so I had to get the smallest dessert on the menu which was the wizz fizz ice cream. These were actually perfect in their bite size form. 3 cones of vanilla ice cream topped with sherbet. I would have liked more sherbet on the ice cream but I was too full to care at that point and the dessert hit the spot for me. I got my ice cream fix and wasn't struggling to finish it.

Overall 17.5/20 I loved my experience here. The burgers were constructed with care, and quality ingredients in the filling. My only criticism is they don't offer kid size burgers and maybe another vegetarian option. If I was starving I would come here but if I wasn't feeling a bit peckish and wanted a burger, I might have reservations. I don't think they should change anything now, but I see potential for that menu to be expanded for a second vegetarian option and a smaller size burger for small eaters/dieters/kids.