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Brrrrrr….. Carls Jnr

December 2, 2018 by John Borgaire Leave a Comment

Carls Junior opened recently at Knox and I was actually there opening weekend, however the line and wait was too long and unfortunately, I didn’t have the time. Since then, I’ve been waiting to visit again, and luckily found myself there for lunch a few weeks ago. There was still a wait, but not like the opening weekend.

I ordered the “Original Thickburger” which came with 100% Angus beef patty, melted American Cheese, tomatoes, red onions, pickles, lettuce, mustard, mayo and ketchup. I was super hungry too, so I doubled the patty and cheese for good measure, plus I added some bacon too.

The place was not exactly packed, and the wait was still over half an hour, which felt like a lifetime given how hungry I was feeling. Finally, my meal arrived and I couldn’t wait to get stuck into it. I must admit, for a “thick burger” the patties were pretty thin and it was not the most attractive looking burger but I have learnt not to judge a burger by it’s cover, so to speak.

First bite and what hit me the most was…… how bloody cold it was. Now, I’ve had a lot of burgers in my time and understand if they are ‘cool’ sometimes, which can also make for good hoovering, but this was legitimately cold. I couldn’t believe I waited so long for a cold burger?! I didn’t say anything either because I was afraid it’d take another half an hour and my stomach would not have survived without food for that much longer. I decided to persevere and work my way through it.

The burger was all over the place. Certainly not made with love. Ingredients were uneven, like the 2 thick slices of tomato that hadn’t been separated and were hanging out one side of the burger or the one leaf of lettuce shoved onto the opposite side. It was like the bun was on one side of the kitchen and the ingredients had been flung onto it from across the room, wrapped tightly and pushed out without a care in the world. Sorry, I meant to say, it also probably sat there for 20 minutes before being delivered.

Luckily, the flavour of the meat was sensational, which for me, started to gain back some ground, but it was too late. The temperature was too disappointing, so overall, not a great experience. Chips on the side were ok (also cold) and free soft drink refills are a good thing.

Apparently, Carls Jnr are kind of a big deal in the U.S. – not sure why?! And they openly display a sign saying “Best Burgers in Australia” – really?? Maybe it was just a case of new store jitters or a one off bad day. Either way, they are a long way form the best in Australia and it’ll be a while before I find out again.

What do you think of Carls Jnr?
Overall Burger Rating
Split Decision – 6.2/10

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Location: Carl’s Jnr, Westfield Knox, 435 Burwood Highway, Wantirna South VIC 3152

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Rocket out of here!

November 6, 2018 by John Borgaire Leave a Comment

On holidays recently in Palm Cove and walking along the main street, I saw a chalk board sign on the footpath that read “Big Ben burger – can you eat it all?”. This, of course, grabbed my attention, so I made the effort to return a few days later for lunch as I needed to know what this was all about. The place was on Williams Esplanade in Palm Cove and called “Underground”. Café styled place with a varied menu of burgers, pasta and sandwiches.

Whilst I wanted to give the “Big Ben” a crack, it was a double beef burger and preferred to play it safe by trying a regular burger first. Plus, with the likelihood of swimming later that afternoon, I did not want to increase the risk of sinking to the bottom with all that additional meat inside me. Therefore, I ordered the aptly named, “Classic Burger” which came with house wagyu beef patty, cheese lettuce, tomato and underground tomato relish. I also added bacon to give it a little something extra too.

The patty tasted good – well cooked and full of flavour. Adding bacon was a good move too. Unfortunately, the thick, dry bun, was tasteless and took over the whole experience. Not to mention, the burger had rocket lettuce. I hate rocket lettuce! I’ve often said it’s like having weeds from the garden in your burger and this was no exception. I think I might start a petition to ban it. Burgers should only have iceberg, cos or butter lettuce.

Anyway, suffice to say, the burger was not the greatest of all time, and the $20+ price tag did not help either. Chips on the side were spot on – crispy and lightly salted. And after scooping out all the cream, the chocolate shake was really good.

When you are on holidays, you often take a risk on places to eat, and unfortunately, this place fell short of my expectations.

What’s your favourite type of lettuce in a burger – iceberg, butter, cos or rocket?
Overall Burger Rating
Throw in the Towel – 4.8/10

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Location: Underground Palm Cove, 95/97 Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove QLD 4879

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Houst-bun, we have a problem!

October 30, 2018 by John Borgaire Leave a Comment

When you are on holidays, searching for a good burger can be tricky, especially when there does not appear to be any straight shooting, traditional burger joints around. So you take your chances on the local cafes and pubs and hope for the best, which is exactly what happened to me when I took a break up north for some sun in Palm Cove.

I found myself at “Apres Beach Bar & Grill”, which is a casual pub styled place across the road from the beach. I ordered the “Aussie Aussie Aussie” Burger which came with housemade beef patty, fried egg, bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, caramelised onion, housemade rattle dressing and it was another “hold the beetroot” moment!!

This burger looked good on arrival, with a thick piece of meat and cheese oozing everywhere. The meat tasted pretty good too. It definitely had a nice, home made flavour to it, which I really enjoyed. The cheese, bacon and egg were tasty too. I’m not sure I liked the cucumber very much though and the rattle dressing wasn’t great either. The biggest problem was the bun. The first bite I took and it ripped to pieces. It got worse with each bite too, making it a very difficult and messy feast. Not to mention that it was simply tasteless and dry. Ugh!

Fat beer battered chips on the side were ok, and washed down with a few Pure Blondes on tap.

Overall, whilst the patty was really good, it was over shadowed by the bun, cucumber and dressing, making it an average burger experience (at best). Great pub atmosphere though, and the hand made pizza’s being made looked delightful, which is what I would go for next time!

What do you think of cucumber on a burger?
Overall Burger Rating
Light Weight – 5.1/10

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Location: Apres Beach Bar & Grill, 119 Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove QLD 4879

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9-10: Contender (for best burger of all!)
8-8.9 : KO - Knock Out
7-7.9 : TKO - Technical Knock Out
6-6.9 : Split Decision
5-5.9 : Light Weight
<= 4.9 : Throw in the Towel

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