The Fish & Burger Co. - Doncaster East

The Fish & Burger Co. is one of the best burger joints in this city and really probably should've been the first review for this blog. Instead it has taken us until the 19th post to finally sit down and critique Melbourne's finest food.

I had the Mac Daddy, which I have eyed off on many occasions without actually ordering it, opting for other burgers such as the Ol' School Cheese, Hey Hombre and the Double Chilli Cheese (all fantastic options). The Mac Daddy's selling point as a burger is that along with all the regular ingredients (beef, cheddar, onions, pickles, lettuce and secret sauce), it also packs a mac and cheese croquette. As a fan of all things pasta and cheese, I loved it, but as a lactose-intolerant individual, I also very much hated it. Intestinal discomfort aside, the Mac Daddy does have a couple of minor flaws. I don't feel that pickles belong with mac and cheese as the flavours don't compliment each other. Less of them would be nice (or just scrap them all together). The other issue I have with the Mac Daddy is that the secret sauce is so low-key that you can't taste it (maybe it's so secret that it actually doesn't exist). I will say the beef at The Fish & Burger Co. is amazing, but that's obviously not exclusive to the Mac Daddy.

Chloe had The Secret, which strongly resembles the Big Mac at the Golden Arches. With two beef patties, two slices of cheese, a middle bun, lettuce, pickles, onion and secret sauce, it certainly provides a good feed. Chloe liked it, noting the strength of flavour the pickles offer, but lamenting the lack of sauce, lack of seasoning on the patties, relative lack of cheese and the buns disintegrating in her hands. I do agree that it does need a touch more flavour. Perhaps The Fish & Burger Co. need to pinch a bit of Big Mac Sauce to liven their burger up.

The loaded fries here are something else. I had the Cheese and Bacon Fries while Chloe had the Chilli Cheese Fries. The Chilli Cheese Fries are the better of the two, but damn, the Cheese and Bacon Fries are hot, crispy and come with plenty of sauce. I think we're both partial to a good mix of chilli and cheese which is why Chloe's fries trumped mine.

Head-to-Head
The Mac Daddy wins by a nose.

Pricing
The Mac Daddy weights in at $15.90 while The Secret comes in at $16.90. A bit more on the expensive side, the cheapest burger here is $12. The Chilli Cheese Fries are $11.50 and the Cheese and Bacon Fries are $12.

Ambience
Feels like a spacious restaurant with attentive and friendly wait staff.

Dietary Requirements
Whether you are pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free, The Fish & Burger Co. has you covered.

Address
1001 Doncaster Road, Doncaster East.

The Last Bite
The best burgers and fries in Melbourne.




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