Burgies of Melby

After an impromptu outing at Bundoora Park, Chloe and I got hungry and went searching for food. We found a burger joint just across the road in the new Polaris development, which has unfortunately taken over the old Larundel Mental Asylum and turned the derelict buildings into allegedly stylish apartments and shops (although the main building is still a crumbling mass of graffiti). With my ghost-hunting days behind me (the police apprehended me and a mate here a few years ago), I settled in for a burger with Chloe, thoughts of apparitions and asbestos far from my mind. Usually I'd comprehensively list the ingredients here, copying it straight from a menu I found on the internet. Flippin Burgers offers no such luxury so I'm going to go off the photo I took of the burgers and my faulty memory to describe what we ate. I'll start with the Chick Me Out, which is a very tasty burger that comprises of fried buttermilk chicken, slaw, cheese, pickles and mayo. Chloe ordered this o...

I was shouted a feed by Chloe's sister, Madi, at Demazzi Stone Grill in Essendon for my 23rd birthday. This restaurant has been on our list of places to go for burgers for a while now, so our visit was a little overdue. I came in with big expectations, having followed Demazzi Stone Grill on Instagram for a while and being told that this place offers the best burgers in Melbourne. Some of these expectations were met, others were exceeded, and some were left a little lacking. I had the Mack Burger. It packs double beef, double cheese, lettuce, pickles and mack sauce. I've written a lot about soft buns and soft patties, but this burger takes out the title for the softest I've ever eaten. It's like the proverbial hot knife through butter. The incredible softness means there's a complete lack of crispiness and crunch. It's an interesting trade-off, especially when crispiness and crunch evoke feelings of eating something fresh. This could be due to a lack of i...

Ah, Epping. One can say many things about this sprawling industrial suburb, both good and bad. Today I'll focus on one of the good things, and that is Laurie Dee's, located at Pacific Epping (or Epping Plaza, depending on who you are) just outside the cinemas. Good old Laurie Dee's is a little different to what we usually hit up when we're hungry for a burgy. There's no murals, or vegan and gluten-free options. The burgies don't have hipster names and onion rings aren't on the menu. There's not even that many burgies on offer, with just four to choose from. On top of that, they call out your order through a speaker system, which you can even hear from the toilets. One gets the feeling that this restaurant was selling burgies before they became cool. I had the Laurie Dee Double, which packs two freshly minced beef patties, grilled onions, melted cheddar, Special D Sauce, tomato, lettuce, diced pickles and green relish. The patties here aren't ...

Straight Six opened in Templestowe recently, adding another dining venue to the crowded Templestowe Village. I've been following this restaurant for a while on Instagram and I'm glad they've opened a store closer to home, saving us a trip all the way to Flemington. The Phar Lap - with its wagyu beef patty, American cheddar, Straight Six sauce, house pickles, blanched onions, lettuce, and tomato - tastes much like an 8bit With Cheese. That looks like lazy writing, but that's what it tastes like. If you blindfolded me and served up an 8bit With Cheese next to a Phar Lap, my guess would be as good as the toss of a coin. You could say both restaurants have nailed down their basic burgies. The Makybe Diva, which boasts a southern fried chicken fillet, American cheddar, slaw, chipotle aioli and, smokey barbecue sauce, is very good. The slaw isn't stuffed into the burgy to the point of overflowing, as can be the case with chicken burgies. The aioli and barbecue sauce m...

We got a little hungry on our way to see some 2008-style scene-teen tunes by Escape the Fate, so we stopped by one of my favourite restaurants, 8bit. It's safely ensconced in my top three burgy joints in this city and I highly recommend it to anyone who fancies a burgy from time to time. The Swanston Street restaurant is fairly accessible by bus, train and tram, so there's no excuses for not going. The flagship store, however, is in Footscray, where the line snakes out the door and down the street. I had the 8bit With Cheese, which is the first item on the menu. It packs all the usual suspects as ingredients, such as: beef tomato lettuce red onion pickles cheese mustard ketchup 8bit sauce The mustard is the headline act in this burgy. It receives strong support from the onion and 8bit sauce. The patty was a little pink on the inside, and the buns were soft. This isn't some charred, grisly burger. I loved it. Madi had the Double Dragon, which includes: ...

It's been a while, folks. Chloe and I have been bogged down with work and uni. Unfortunately we haven't had the time to try anything new until now, when Chloe suggested we try out a cheeky little joint called Mad Patties. I was more than happy to oblige, especially since one of the lads from Crust had actually suggested Mad Patties to me many months back. Mad Patties is a little joint with a handful of stools inside and a few tables outside. Its size and simplicity is endearing. It's a classic burgy joint that doesn't reek of hipsters or assault your eyes with some big American theme (although there are several vegan options). The focus is on big, juicy burgers and good service, which is how a burgy joint should be. I had the Panko Tango, which boasts panko crumbed chicken, cheese, pickles, bacon, lettuce and sweet mayo. The panko breadcrumbs are thick and crunchy, adding genuine bite and texture to the burgy. The pickles are juicy and generous, and are cut into cri...

I've been kicking it at La Trobe every Tuesday this semester with Chloe. We've been studying, talking to the local Marxists, going for walks and most importantly, eating burgies. We've been smashing them down on campus, buying them from Nuts-About-Tella, a little dessert and burgy joint that I believe only opened in the Agora within the last year. I didn't think the Agora could get any better food-wise, but it has. If only Deakin had a food court with more than two restaurants. Not that Deakin doesn't have other things going for it. Anyway, this a blog about burgies, not universities. Chloe, Zammo and I all ordered the Graduation Combo, which includes a Graduation burgy, small chips and a can of drink for just $10. This isn't a bad deal, especially when you compare it to the price of burgies elsewhere. The Graduation packs a beef patty, American cheddar, tomato & mustard sauce, and special burger sauce. This burgy goes all right, even if it looks like the ...