Chur chooses the brioche bun and the slight sweetness goes well with the various mayos and sauces. The Chur Beast looked like it might be too much for two hands to handle but it stayed in one piece, just! No one likes a disintegrated burger.

I found the chicken burger light on the meat so I was glad I added some cheeky cheese and a bit of bacon. I did like the zingy dressing on the slaw and that it wasn't mayo heavy.

The chips were overly seasoned with chilli salt - someone had obviously been liberal with the shaker.

Chur Burger is a decent choice if you're in the area and need your stomach filling up. Thanks for filling us up Chur!

Aimless meadering around the neighbourhood on a gorgeous, sunny evening that also happened to be Australia Day found us outside Bedford Street. Having driven and walked by so many times with plans to visit, we seized the day and took a table in the bright and airy dining room along with a small number of fellow diners.

The waitress was friendly and welcoming, explained that the chicken fried steak was not chicken but a choice of pork or steak which completely confused me but we hung on! Steve ordered the said confusing chicken dish in pork and I had the quarter chicken. We chose sides of mac and cheese and fried broccoli and share the fried chicken tenders which was actually chicken,

All protein came out looking similar but in just different shapes. All on the orange side of the colour chart with a dusting of paprika. The chicken that was actually pork was a very thing schnitzel that came with a mustard sauce on the aside. The quarter chicken had a jug of tasty gravy that went great with the specialty potatoes that are like squashed roasties. 

I liked the mac and cheese and felt it had good flavour. The quarter chicken was quite small but juicy and tasty enough. The chicken tenders were meaty. I think the schnitzel was too much coating and not enough meat.

Everything was decent enough if not memorable. Not dying to return but nothing to stop me from a repeat visit. The dessert pies on the bar counter looked pretty impressive too.

Friday night feels in a BBQ joint...The run up was a little fraught; long day at work, no parking to be found but we made it and it was worth it.

The hospitality is warm, and so is the temperature in the room so be prepared especially when gorging on trays of meat. The whole eating business can get a bit hot but that's what the drinks are for right?

I dined with my friend Viv and boy did we go for it:

• Chopped brisket, chilli cheese fries with jalapenos and sour cream
• Rangers Valley Black Onyx brisket
• Oak smoked chook
• Hot smoked Berkshire Pork belly
• Apple, kohlrabi and coriander slaw with sherry mustard vinaigrette
• Jalapeno cornbread with maple butter

The food comes out presented on large trays feasting style and it's all about digging in. The chilli cheese fries are delicious and unmissable. The maple butter on the cornbread really makes it elavating it from boring cornbread to lipsmacking deliciousness. The slaw was fresh and light which we welcomed but we found the dressing a little sweet and could do with a squeeze of lemon or something with a bit of an acidic tang.

In terms of meat; we really enjoyed the brisket which was tender with slivers of tasty fat running through it keeping it juicy. The roast chook was bigger than I thought comprising of thigh and drumstick and I liked the crispy skin and succulent meat. The pork belly had nice flavour and it was denser than I was expecting but the thick layer of fat that hadn't rendered down wasn't too appetising.

And with all that we were stuffed and needed a walk round the block before dissolving into the sofa in a food coma! The desserts sounded amazing but we just couldn't do it.

Out of the BBQ joints I've been to I have to say Bluebonnet takes the blue ribbon. The meat was so much tastier and better executed and the sides were delicious. I loved seeing what came out to the larger tables; platters and trays heavily laden. The sausage looked particularly good. Such a great place for large groups who want a good feed. But even as a small group of two we enjoyed some variety and certainly some great flavours. I'm looking forward to round 2!

Four of us ended up in Monterey's late on a Saturday night. I was surprised it was so quiet but that's good news for us as it meant we scored a great corner table for our second dinner. Yes, you read that correctly. Whilst the food we had immediately before was pretty tasty at another restaurant close by there just wasn't enough so we felt the need to call in for a lobster roll.

Shared dishes of ceviche, mac and cheese and then either a lobster roll or po boy went down a storm as did the accompanying two bottles of wine. Service was friendly even though we got the wrong wine first time round and when the right one it wasn't quite cold enough but it was all managed and we got our cold wine.

I had the Maine lobster roll which is with butter and chives. I think it could have done with being a bit more buttery and the bread roll was a touch dry but not terribly so. The lobster was deliciously sweet though. Thoroughly enjoyed the ceviche and the mac and cheese too.

Well, who would have thought that Doncaster East, that little South Eastern suburb would be the home of a much hyped, much photographed burger joint?

Smartly decked out in black and accents of red including a neon sign, it's welcoming, feels like a reliable upmarket chain and with that comes that reassuring nuance of good hygiene standards. There's a family friendly feel and I have to admit it reminds me of a good Nando's outlet. That's meant to be a positive by the way. Nothing wrong with a good Nando's!

The menu has something for everyone - burgers, fish, salads, milkshakes...large and small appetites catered for plus a wide choice of beers and ciders. You can take your time to peruse the menu and then order up at the counter - see I told you it was like Nando's.

My friend and I both opted for the Hey Hombre lured in by the call of bacon and spicy jalapenos. We shared the smallest serve of fries and some onion rings.

The order arrives - two towers of burger madness and golden fried accompaniments. We are able to squish the burgers down and cut them in half to make them more manageable and away we go.

I enjoy the spice and balance of meat patty and other things but end up picking the tomato out as unnecessary. The bread is soft and I would describe it as half brioche as it's not as sweet as full brioche. I like it though. The meat patty could have done with being a touch juicier or just slightly rarer but the plus side to a drier patty is that it doesn't all fall apart in the hands. I am able to demolish it all using my hands and don't have to resort to cutlery which is a win and a crucial burger performance test.

The chips are crunchy and don't feel greasy. The serve for one is more than enough for the two of us, onion rings or no rings. I chose the regular fries over chunky chips which apparently come with herb salt. Onion rings are decent. I think I'd like more onion so maybe slightly thicker or less batter but again like the fries, there's minimal oily residue.

This monster meal definitely is a stomach filler, belly buster but not uncomfortably so. I think when it comes to food like this, bloatedness usually equates to poor quality and too much grease so although we feel totally indulgent it doesn't come with that unpleasant stretched stomach, need to lie down and never eat again feeling.

Doncaster East is a bit of a way to go for me even for a good burger but I'd recommend it if you're local to the area. I've heard the fried fish isn't so great so burgers all the way!

We hung out with Hank on Saturday afternoon with a bunch of friends for a birthday celebration. It's a good place for casual coming and going and people ordered food and drink as and when they wanted to. It's very self service; order at the bar, pick up food at the counter, help yourself to cutlery and condiments...

It's a fun environment; there's the smell of smoky BBQ in the air and the feel of good cheer. Steve and I shared a selection of food:

• Texan beef brisket
• Carolina chopped pork
• Kansas City pork ribs
• Pork sausage link
• Hot buffalo wings
• Macaroni cheese
• Home fries
• Brisket gravy

It all came on plastic tray ready for us to roll our sleeves up and dig in. The meat came in 100g serves at $10.50 each and there were 3 wings. Sides are $9 and big enough for 2 to share. The waitress implied that we might need more meat in spite of all that! And she wanted us to buy the special mash and gravy and she said it was amazingly good. Turns out there's a competition to see who could sell the most so I was kind of glad I didn't order it. I'm sure it would have been tasty but couldn't help but feel we were being sold to.

I enjoyed the wings and the brisket was tender and smoky. Steve found the chopped pork dry; I thought it was bland. Pork ribs was flavoursome but the meat had to be gnawed off the bone as it wasn't fall off the bone tender. Sausage was ok; the outer skin was tough. Macaroni cheese was a success and a pretty generous serve made all the more apparent after the tiny version I'd had on Thursday night at MeatMaiden. Highlight was the brisket gravy which is a thick white herby sauce with chunks of smoky brisket served in a tin beaker. Totally satisfyingly savoury with the fries.

Hank is a little exxy for a casual self service place but it's pretty tasty and a fun place to spend an afternoon. I'm open to an ongoing friendship with Hank.

I popped into Mile End after a barre class as I've been curious ever since reading about this last year. I'm a bagel lover; to me it's like a savoury doughnut and I'm all for that. Steve is less of a fan. Now my suspicion is that Steve hasn't had a good bagel. He also doesn't like smoked salmon so he feels there's nothing there for him hence I decided to go it alone as I'd likely not convince him to come along anyway although I knew deep in my heart, he'd find something to like!

I knew Mile End was opposite the Spanish shop but I still had to stop and look around before spying it across the road. The lack of signage was the problem.

Upon entering I liked the white walls, high ceillings and industrious work going on in the back. The rack of bagels was enticing and I had to take a few moments to decide what to order. I wanted to try so much - salt beef, maple bacon, bacon and egg...

I ended up going traditional and ordered:

• Smoked salmon, dill and caper cream cheese, tomato and red onion - #2
• BLAT - #9

And a takeaway coffee which I supped whilst I waited. The space allowed for peaceful waiting rather than uncomfortable crammedness that can happen in Melbourne. I enjoyed the calm and the server was friendly and personable. I enjoyed watching the activity of bagel making. The coffee grew on me. At first it was bit too roasted for me but then it turned a corner and I really liked it.

I took my goodies home. I went for sesame bagels for us both because poppy seeds get in my teeth. I loved the toastiness of the sesame and the golden sheen of the bagel. The dill and caper cream cheese with the onion and smoked salmon and tomato was delicious. I could taste every element and then altogether it was just sublimely yummy. The bagel itself was a perfect balance of doughy chewiness and lightness.

And what about Steve's verdict. As suspected, he loved it. And it changed his mind about bagels. We both agreed we could eat another one immediately after the first. But at $31 for the two bagels and a coffee it's not a budget option. Although a way to make it cheaper would be to just buy plain bagels and make them up at home but where's the Sunday pleasure in that?

Loved the bagels and the coffee...this is why I love to live in Fitzroy!

We took a table out on the street and deliberated over the kebab menu. I went to place our order inside at the very clearly labelled order kiosk:

• A-rab - Lamb, smoked hummus, leaves and pickled bits
• East Coast - Maple glazed pulled pork, crackling, peanut butter hummus, leaves and pickled bits
• Hot crinkle chips and harissa mayo
• Corn dogg - Turkish sausage corn dogg with smoked mustard mayo

All that food came plus two soft drinks came to less than $50 so it's in line with gourmet fast food prices.

Food arrived quickly and we dug in. There were three corn doggs (not sure why it's spelt with a double gg) per serve and that was generous and we couldn't get into the third. Pretty tasty with crispy outer, soft mash encasing a salty, spicy sausage.

The main stars are obviously the kebabs and they were hefty in size. I had the pulled pork and enjoyed the sweetness of the meat and the tang of the pickles. Pretty messy eating! The pita was soft and pillowy. I couldn't taste the garlic yoghurt or spicy sauce much and it was just shy of being well seasoned.

Steve's lamb one was better. Big chunks of tasty lamb that was juicy and meaty. The chips were crunchy and I liked the spicy seasoning on them. The two mayos we had weren't that exciting and a small part of me might have just preferred ketchup!

In summary, nice enough and worth a try but we both personally have a preference to Jimmy Grants offerings. Sorry Biggie! We just feel Jimmy wins out by a whisker in terms of flavour and the friendliness of the wait staff.

How to have a good birthday lunch? Birthday burger of course! Duh!

Stef and I left the office at 11:30am which was a deliberate queue avoidance strategy which worked superbly. 

We were guided to a table for two and it was good to see that small groups were asked to take the smaller tables leaving the bigger booths for the larger parties - efficiency!

​Burgers didn't take long and as we waited we let the anticipation build up!

The burger bun was soft and brioche like but not overly buttery or sweet. The patty was juicy and meaty with no stomach hardening denseness. Burger sauce, cheese all tasty so definitely a good burger. 

The mac and cheese croquette was unctuous with sillky strands of cheese sauce and slippery tubes of macaroni coated with a crispy, golden crumb. Again like the meat patty, not heavy on the stomach although it did leave very greasy hands.

Tater tots with cheese sauce executed well so the tots were still crispy. A lot of the melted cheese was at the bottom of the tub though and it did congeal the tots making them a little harder to eat. Wouldn't stop me though!

Free icecream (peanut butter) was given out to all customers too and I noticed we received a mega serve! Maybe the birthday candle did it. I really couldn't eat all of it but it was good. Not overly rich.

Yep I would say Royal Stacks stacks up and is definitely burger royalty. Can't wait to grace the red carpet again.
​

We didn't intend on visiting or dining at the Tramway Hotel but the neighbouring establishment we were drinking in shut their kitchen and we needed a Sunday late afternoon feed. Our friends, Shern and Jon had been before but a long time ago so expectations were fuzzy. Upon entering there was a positive buzzy vibe. The place has soul and a lot more character than where we had been which was a bit non descript and bland.

We were won over by the descriptions of burgers and chicken wings and fries so settled in for the afternoon at a free table in the corner.

So our feast for four was as follows:



BACON CHEESEBURGER - Char grilled brisket pattie w/ chopped onions, rocket, Kewpie mayo, tasty cheese, pickles, ball park mustard, in-house maple smoked bacon in a brioche bun
BASKET OF CHICKEN WINGS - we had two of these babies which meant 8 wings and shoestring fries
POUTINE - Fries with mushroom gravy and cheese curds
BBQ COUNTRY BRISKET SANDWICH - Inhouse smoked brisket w/ caramelised onions,
pickled beetroot, buttermilk sauce on a rustic sandwich roll (unpictured)
HAND CUT CHIPS – LARGE BOWL w/ soy aioli
MAC & CHEESE w/ chipotle, three cheese macaroni topped with pumpkin floss

The boys wanted a burger / sandwich as well as wings and Shern and I thought we would be ok on just wings. Food arrived quickly and I had already helped myself to an array of condiments including sriracha. I do love a good condiment selection!

So I find with American style food that I always look forward to it but it often disappoints. But overall this was good stuff. I took a large bite of Steve's burger and it was exactly how a good burger should be - meaty, beefy, juicy, contrasting textures of pattie, salad and bread, some creamy cheesiness and a cleansing tang of pickle. It also stayed together and didn't fall apart so credit for construction!

The chicken wings were also a hit. Giant sized with a sweet and sticky glaze but not overly sauced or flavoured, we all loved getting down and dirty with these.

Feelings on the poutine were a little mixed across the table. Jon doesn't do mushrooms and the gravy had hints of canned mushroom soup but this didn't seem to put him off. The texture of the sauce was a bit grainy for my taste and Shern found it a bit weird. I'm not sure cheese curds are the same as melted shredded mozzarella which is more what the cheese was like. I liked it generally but found the last few bits left went a bit overly soggy and salty - minor quibbles in the grand scheme of things but we're glad that the chicken wings came with un-poutined shoestring fries to dilute some of the richness of the gravy soaked ones and provide some less soggy options.

Macaroni cheese was well liked by us all. We all commented on the secret stealth spice hit of the chipotle that comes out of nowhere and the pumpkin bits on the top added a bit of welcome sweetness.

Jon commented his brisket sandwich wasn't quite as good as the burger in both construction stakes and it was a touch over beetrooted. The hand cut fries were a good chunky contrast to the shoe string fries. More roast potato than chip but we don't discriminate and welcome both roast potato and fries to our tummies!

There was a ranch dressing that came with the chicken wings which was very runny. That added to the mess we made as it dripped but flavour wise it was fresh and the notes of herbaceous dill running through it cut through some of the richness of the fried food.

It's quite a hip place this Tramway Hotel from bartender to clientele. It's a bit like when Steve tells people,"We live in Fitzroy. It's where all the cool kids are...and us!" And we love being part of Fitzroy even if we don't quite fit in. In the same way, we were comfortable in the Tramway even when everyone else there seemed to wear tighter jeans and have a lot more facial hairy! Like we don't discriminate between potato, they certainly didn't make us feel unwelcome and as a venue for a Sunday feed that isn't a roast, it's definitely a good option.