Burger Theory

Adelaideans are so lucky – you guys are going through a serious burger craze, and you get fun places like Burger Theory! Firstly a food truck, now a bricks-and-mortar store (sound familiar?), Burger Theory is everything that a burger place should be; no frills, fresh-cooked and full of energy. We both ordered the Pearl’s Cheeseburger ($11) and shared a side of fries ($4). Yes, at first glance the burgers look small, but good things come in small packages! Firstly, let me say that these are rock-star patties – utterly delicious and perfectly cooked, this is everything that a self-respecting burger patty should aspire to be. Burger Theory has also won my heart by targeting my ultimate weakness. Pickles. You guys, there are a LOT of pickles on this burger. Not just a couple of shredded bits, or two lonely slices, but a whole base covered in thick sliced pickle goodness. This is obviously amped up to “winner” by the ketchup and mustard sauce combo. The fries were excellent too, crisp outside and soft inside, I didn’t think they needed sauce and we devoured them pretty quickly. So heart-eyes emoji all around, basically. #cometocanberra?

Burger Theory, 8-10 Union Street, Adelaide SA, http://www.burgertheory.com/

Beef & Barley

My last visit to Beef & Barley was just after they had opened, so when I popped by for a solo dinner, I was excited to see that the menu had evolved and grown. Unable to resist the lure of a beef burger with chorizo, I ordered the Atomic Boss ($18.50), with fried onion, smoked mozzarella, pickles, tomato relish, rocket and a choice of house BBQ or ‘fire’ sauce (I went for BBQ). All burgers come with a side of sweet coleslaw and beer-battered chips, and I was delighted to see that they’ve wound back the sugar on the chips, compared to my last visit. The slaw was crunchy and covered in a creamy (thousand island?) dressing, which helped cut through the richness of the burger. Whilst not the most glamorous thing to eat, the burger was utterly delicious – I LOVED the combination of a good quality, perfectly cooked patty, plus the really smoky, spicy hit of the chorizo. This wasn’t supermarket-grade chorizo, and its quality smokiness really worked well with the house BBQ sauce. I couldn’t finish all my chips, but they were crisp and tasty and, really, I enjoyed this meal. A lot.

Beef & Barley, Corner of Eyre Street and Kingston Waterfront, Kingston ACT, http://www.beefandbarley.com.au

 

Two-Bit Villains

Hey you guys, have you heard about Two-Bit Villains? I am probably a bit slow to catch on, but this soda bar & diner (est. in 2011) is secreted away in the upper balcony of the Adelaide Arcade – and it’s vegan! I was fascinated to try one of their ‘beef’ (soy) burgers and see how it measures up, so on the waitress’s recommendation I ordered the Baron, with the soy patty, lettuce, tomato, cheese and smokey BBQ sauce – plus I added pickles ($12, plus 50c for the pickles). The burger came with fries, and let me tell you, the herbed seasoning they use is actually amazing! When I asked what was in it, I was told it’s the chef’s special, so they’re not giving up any secrets! First bite of the burger is all about the BBQ sauce – yes, it is smokey and has that rich, savoury-sweet thing that a good BBQ sauce should have going on. Yum. The soy patty was delicious, and I’m not just saying that. I really enjoyed the lighter texture, which matched well with the fluffy bun. All the ingredients were fresh and the portion was perfect for lunch, not to mention the friendly service. A lovely experience all around.

Two-Bit Villains, Adelaide Arcade Balcony Level, Rundle Mall Adelaide SA, http://two-bitvillains.com/

Blacksmith

I’d been past Blacksmith on a previous visit to Surry Hills and put it on my to visit list – I managed to stop by recently for an early lunch. The space is definitely true to the theme, with assorted ironwork and more rivets than you can poke a stick at. The menu has some exciting options, but, being me, I decided to try the wagyu beef burger ($22), plus a side of sweet potato chips to share ($8). The burger came out on a large platter with a smattering of chips and a small dish of aioli. The burger was piled up so high, and when I squished it down, a whole lot of creamy mayonnaise oozed out – definitely not in the ‘elegant to eat’ burger category. But that mayonnaise was worth saving from the platter, as it was utterly delicious! The patty was a bit diappointing – there were small bits of gristle and the outside wasn’t charred or crisp at all, as I had expected for the price – but the mayo certainly brought the level up a notch. The sweet potato chips were probably the highlight and were generously portioned, to the point where we needed a takeaway bag. I’ll be back to try some of their fun-sounding brunch items.

Blacksmith, 116 Chalmers Street, Surry Hills, NSW, no website

Portrait Cafe

I was so impressed by the variety at the Portrait Cafe that I really struggled to pick only one things for lunch – gourmet pie? Beetroot risotto? African stew? They have it all! I ended up going for something more classic – a Cuban sandwich ($15) with grilled ham, pork belly, sweet potato, gruyere, onions, pickles, aioli and mustard. Yeah, that’s quite a lot of delicious things packed into one sandwich. Luckily they all went together perfectly – pork is a perfect meat to pair with slightly sweet things, so the soft sweet potato and the sweet burger bun complemented the double pork hit perfectly. The pork belly had so much flavour and the saltiness from the ham was amazing. I’m also a bit aioli fan, so really this was a winner on all fronts. I hadn’t realised it also came with chips, which were nicely cooked (perhaps a tad soft for my taste) and generously heaped onto the plate. This was a great value, delicious lunch, and whilst I couldn’t finish all of it, I’d definitely come back to try some of their more exotic offerings.

Portrait Cafe, National Portrait Gallery, King Edward Terrace, Parkes ACT, http://www.portrait.gov.au/content/cafe-and-shop

Honkytonks

I hadn’t really considered Honkytonks as a dinner venue, but after catching up with a friend there for drinks, we weren’t really ready to move elsewhere. With the recent introduction of table service and an extensive Mexican-themed menu, I was pleasantly surprised by the impressive-looking chimichangas and hot-dogs being brought out. As I am wont to do, I ordered the burger. The Pablo Sanchez burger ($16.50), to be precise. I was lured mostly by the call of the jalapenos and chipotle sauce giving a Mexican twist to the traditional beef burger. The food came out fairly quickly, and my burger was served in a plastic basket with a huge portion of fries alongside. The burger looked great and on first bite, I got a lovely hit of jalapeno heat and spicy chipotle suace – just what I wanted. The patty wasn’t anything to write home about, but it was still slightly pink in the middle as patties should be, so points for that. The fries were thin, crispy and moreish, served with a small dish of tomato sauce that helped cool down the spice from the burger. For the price, it doesn’t really have a scratch on Grease Monkey, but still a good mid-range burger in Civic on a night out.

Honkytonks, 17 Garema Place, Canberra ACT, drinkhonkytonks.com.au

Everybody Loves Ramen

I don’t know how I feel about this post. I was super excited to try the burgers from Everybody Loves Ramen – they look beautiful and having lived in Japan, I had high expectations. I chose the Yuzu Burger ($14), given a) yuzu is one of my favourite Japanese flavours and b) the patty is made of my all time favourite Japanese food – okonomiyaki. Now, perhaps these facts set the bar a bit high, so I was really surprised when I bit into my burger and discovered that a) the yuzu glaze was actually yuzu icing, making a sweet layer on half of the bun and b) the ‘okonomiyaki’ was a tiny food-court style patty. Whilst disappointed, I did eat the filling – the bun was just too weird a combination of sweet and savoury for me – the classic kewpie mayonnaise and tonkatsu sauce combination always work delightfully, bringing the okonomiyaki up a notch. I did enjoy the random popcorn hiding beneath my burger, but to be honest I probably wouldn’t order this again – it was trying to be too much all at once, so wasn’t great at any one thing.

Everybody Loves Ramen, at the Night Noodle Markets, Reconciliation Place, until 13 March 2016, no website.