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Power up the Hayne Train!

Another weekend, and another need for some burger delightfulness!! This time, I finally got to go to Burgerlove in Fitzroy Street, St Kilda. I have previously enjoyed “The Boss” and “The Paralyzer” at Café 51, so was keen to have another one of their marvellous creations. Burgerlove is well located, with a fair few tables and chairs for you to eat in and enjoy too!

This time, I ordered “The Hayne Burger” which came with 2 beef patties, crispy southern fried chicken, bacon, triple American cheddar, ketchup and American mustard. I was also determined to add a little something extra too, and wanted to add a “Mac Bomb” which is a cheese stuffed, Mac n cheese patty, battered and deep fried! Now, who wouldn’t want that in their burger?? However, when I ordered, I was told “sorry man, no Mac bombs tonight!”. Ummmmm what the….?? No Mac bombs?? What’s that about?? I was less than impressed, and I had to improvise….. so I said, “Throw in a power cake instead then.” A “power cake” is a triple battered, triple fried potato cake!

As I waited, I checked out the surrounding décor and enjoyed seeing all the various creations fly out of the kitchen, and get delivered to the other tables. Finally it was my turn. It looked good, but on closer inspection, there was no power cake?! I called the waitress over, who said “yeah, they forgot it. It’s coming now.” I was confused. If you knew that why wouldn’t you tell me?! I handed the burger back and said, “I’d like it in the burger please”. I waited another minute, and it came back. With the power cake in a tray next to the burger?!  Ummmmm that’s not right?! I asked again for it to be inserted into the burger, and finally it came back right! I know it may have been mixed up because it was probably busy, but it’s suppose to be busy isn’t it?!

Anyway, turns out that it was totally worth the stuffing around because this burger tasted great. Their burgers have one of the best beef and fried chicken combinations going around! The power cake turned out to be a smart decision too – it was so good and complimented the other ingredients perfectly! You could taste it enough without it being too heavy or overpowering. Bacon was good, and there was just the right amount of sauce too. Best of all, the bun was spot on – soft, tasty and it held up for the entire journey!

Chips on the side were average (and cold), and the chocolate milkshake was nothing special, just plain chocolate milk. I prefer a thick shake instead. However, this visit was all about the burger for me, and I was not disappointed! If you haven’t already worked it out, this place does great burgers and you can try out so many different options, so get in there and step up to the adventurous burger plate and take a swing, you will not regret it! My next visit might be to try out their “MILF” burger or if I’m feeling game, maybe “the Hulk”?!

What do you think of Burgerlove?
KO – Knock Out – 8.3/10

Location: Burgerlove, 11a / 60 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda VIC 3182

The sequel!

Two weeks since my last burger, and I was ready to bite the leg off a chair!! Hopefully it would be while I was waiting in a burger place for a feed of course!! This time I went back to “Beer Deluxe” in Federation Square. The last time I was there, the experience was not the greatest of all time, and to their credit, when they saw the review, they contacted me, told me they must have had an off night, and invited me back for a free burger and beer to find out! So, in the interests of complete transparency, and as detailed in TGBC disclaimer, whilst this experience was at no cost, “an honest opinion will always be provided”.

The lunchtime crowd had arrived and the place was packed. I decided to try and keep things the same, so I ordered “the lot burger” again, which came with beef patty, BLT, cheese, egg, onion, mayo and deluxe sauce. This time I threw in a second patty too for good measure! I was really looking forward to this burger, and it finally arrived!! Despite being a little lop sided, it look really good. Sauce, cheese and egg oozing everywhere too! The temperature was better this time around, which was a good start!! And just like last time, the meat was really good. The other ingredients were fresh and tasty too.

The only problem was the bun! It was not soft enough and had no give in it at all! It was too dry to withstand the second patty and copious amounts of sauce running all over the place. It tore to shreds with every bite! The bun foundation (bottom) completely disappeared before finishing, so I had to improvise and use the lettuce leaf as a quasi bun!! I think I started to understand what a bun-less burger experience was like, and let’s just say, you won’t ever see me having a burger in a bowl!!

Fat, curled chips on the side were OK, but I’m not a fan of the curly chip to start with, so I’m a tough critic! Washed down with an Alpha Queen beer this time, which was nice, as it had a subtle, fruity after taste to it too.

Overall, the burger was definitely an improvement on last time, and it would be heaps better with an improved bun too. Anyway, I really appreciated being invited back. It was like sales and marketing 101 – bravo, Beer Deluxe!

Where is the best burger bun?
Split Decision – 6.1/10

Location: Beer Deluxe, Federation Square, Flinder Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

Is it MSDE?

Got out for lunch recently to beat the winter blues and wanted to stuff myself full of some burger goodness. I wanted to go to a place where I had enjoyed a burger before, so I headed to 8bit in Swanston Street. This was still new for me, as I had only tried the burger at their Footscray store. This place was packed and almost standing room only, which was a good sign and I was fortunate enough to grab a seat.

This time, I wanted to order something different to last time, and (for a change) straight from the menu too – the way it was supposed to be enjoyed. I ended up ordering the well named, “Altered Beast” which came with beef, bacon, cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, 8bit sauce and BBQ sauce. As I waited, I thought about how much I enjoyed the 8bit burger last time and my mouth was watering!

Finally it arrived. Standing up in it’s own little cardboard box. It looked good. I couldn’t wait to get stuck into it. The bun was as soft and fresh as I remembered, and the flavour combinations hit me early and tasted great too! Then, as I was eating I couldn’t help but think how the patty was so thin. And how it kind of got lost in the sauces and bacon. I wished I had have thrown in an extra patty or some chicken to give me that carnivorous craving I desired. Maybe I have become too accustomed to having a larger sized burger and this smaller burg just didn’t spin my wheels?! Who knows?!

Chips on the side might have been ok if they were hot, in fact even if they were warm! Drink of choice was a chocolate milkshake, which was unfortunately below average. It was kinda “funky” tasting and I couldn’t work out why. All I knew was it wasn’t great.

So overall, it was “OK”! The burger was pretty tasty and you would probably be satisfied, but unfortunately, this time it just didn’t hit the same high standard that had been set by my first 8bit experience. Maybe it has fallen victim to what I like to call the “multiple store dilution effect” or MSDE. This is where a single store starts out producing a high quality burger, and due to the success of the store, they decide to expand and open more stores, however this can also dilute the quality of their product. This problem can also be referred to as “Police Academy Syndrome”, ie the first one is good but then despite getting worse, they keep making more of them anyway! Sometimes, just like the Blues Brothers, you don’t need to make a sequel! Lol

Anyway, regardless of the situation, the burgers at 8bit are still tasty enough to make the effort to get in there and find out for yourself.

What do you think of 8bit?
TKO – Technical Knock Out – 7.8/10

Location: 8Bit, 231 Swanston Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

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