The Federation Burger @ Charlie & Co: Seasoned Angus beef pattie with tomato relish,
tomatoes, lettuce, aged cheddar, fried egg, bacon, sautéed onion and aioli
Panu and I are on the hunt for (in our very humble opinion) the best burger in Sydney. We like our burgers. I’m not sure if it’s the casualness of it all, the simple yet satisfying combination of good beef on a good bun with good sauce… but there’s something about burgers that we just love, and well, we want to find one which truly steals our hearts here in Sydney.
But we’re yet to find one (and recommendations are most welcome).
It’s not that we haven’t been trying. There’s been Moo Burgers, and remember how that turned out? I had to go home and ice my mouth with salted peanut gelato. I know, boo hoo.
We’ve made a list and are strategically ticking them off one at a time. Strategically how? Totally going by which shop name I think sounds cool I know, it’s a science.
A couple of weeks ago we dropped by Grill’d in Darlinghurst for lunch and I had the Simply Grill’d:
Simply Grill’d burger @ Grill’d
Grilled 100% lean beef, salad, relish & herbed mayo
It was fine… a little dry maybe, but didn’t rock my socks at all. Maybe it’s because Grill’d markets themselves as serving “healthy burgers” with patties which are “super low in fat”. Hm. If you ask me, burgers will never be the healthiest of things, chock full of cheese and sauce and what-not, so why not just embrace it?
Grill’d
314 Victoria Street
Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010
(02) 9331 6562
website
There’s also been Burgerfuel just up the road in Newtown. Here’s the Third Pounder with Cheese:
Third Pounder with Cheese @ Burgerfuel
1/3 pound ground beef, melted cheddar, bread & butter pickles, dijon mustard, relish, aioli
I actually thought this burger wasn’t bad. Soft buns, simple and oozy innards. That’s pretty much what makes a good burger, right? But for some reason Panu wasn’t all too impressed. I can’t remember why and nor does he, so maybe it needs a revisit, at least to try their kumara (sweet potato) fries!
Burgerfuel
172 King Street
Newtown, NSW, 2042
(02) 9519 4700
website
Aaaand, on Friday night we had burgers at Charlie & Co. I really wanted to try this one, mainly because… I really like the name “Charlie & Co”. Told you it was a science.
We tried both the Wagyu & Co burger (below) and the Federation burger (top):
The Wagyu & Co Burger @ Charlie & Co
Wagyu burger with beetroot relish, pickled gherkin, lettuce, aged cheddar and aioli
Ok, I really liked the burgers at Charlie & Co, but what annoyed me was that they didn’t have a simple cheese burger on the menu. Much like judging a good pizza restaurant by their simple margherita pizzas, a burger joint has to be judged on its cheese burger, but the simpliest burger on the menu is a double cheese & bacon.
Regardless, I still liked the burgers although the Federation is a little humongous and there’s simply no graceful way to eat it.
Oh, if you go, please do yourself a huge favour and order the parmensan and truffle fries. Holy mother of double cooked fries.
parmesan & truffle fries @ Charlie & Co
Charlie & Co
Level 5, Westfield Sydney
Cnr Market & Castlereigh St, NSW, 2000
(02) 8072 7777
website
So this is where we’re at, people. We still have a fairly extended list of burger joints to check out, including Rockpool Bar, Burger Man, The Counter, Ben Bry Burgers, Burger Joint and Four In Hand. But I’m genuinely worried that we’re not going to find a burger that knocks us off our feet. We’re a little spoiled from such burger-awesomeness as NYC’s Shake Shack and London’s Meateasy (now Meat Liquor) that it’s gonna take quite a little patty and bun to blitz those memories…
… but I am definitely still hopeful, ready and willing!