Burgers - the craze sweeping the world. Long gone are the dirty McDonalds, Hungry Jacks and KFC burgers (although each with their merits I suppose) and in with as gourmet and expensive as they get.
My USA trip in 2011 with a single savoury bite of In-&-Out and the more fancy Ahi Tuna Burger at Gott's Roadside Cafe (which inspired me to make my own version) started off my recent fascination. Melbourne's best seems to be Andrew's (dirty) or Huxtaburger (slightly less dirty).
I still can't go past the London burger revolution over the past few years. MEATliquor (cookbook coming soon!) really brought out the grease and grime deliciousness that created the first "dining" burger experience that influenced me. Once it became available without waiting in Covent Garden, there was never an opportunity not to grab one when passing by. From there things exploded - the old chains of Byron and to a lesser extent GBK, the (average to me) Lucky Chip near Broadway Market, the great reputations I didn't get to try of Patty & Bun and Dirty Burger and Honest Burgers, the really expensive overly attempted fanciness of Bar Boulud, and finally my probably favourite in the end - the Icelandic inspired Tommi's. Finally the dominant reputation of Shake Shack (Covent Garden and Dubai airport) which I can safely say should be avoided, unless there are no other reasonable options. That's a lot of burgers tried in 2-3 years.
Canberra's own is Brodburger (not Broadburger - although someone can clarify if it has some kind of Nordic pronunciation), another foodvan turned permanent setup in much the same vein. Having managed to try most of them over the past 6 months, I am happy to approve the Brodburger, the Broddeluxe (although a bit huge - a double Brodburger essentially), Brodveg (which is probably their most unique burger as compared to the field) and to a lesser extent the Brodlamb and Brodbattered Fin (upmarket Fillet-o-Fish).
The burgers are large, the beef is cooked to default as medium-rare (I prefer rare, but there's no issue here), the buns and ingredients are fresh. It doesn't have the same dirtiness as the greasy London trend that leaves you feeling queasily guilty and satisfied and in need of wetwipes, and the seated area is clearly somewhere where you are there for food first, and socialising/drinks second.
It's very recommended to try and add to the list of burger comparators - I'm surprised there isn't more competition at the moment. MEATliquor - it's time to expand.
