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.