Objectively, shouldn’t we look at burgers and say, “what the f— is that?”
They’re not sexy, they’re a hunk of meat—or veggie patty— stuffed between two squished bits of bread with stuff oozing out the side, maybe some green or red stuff.
It sounds pretty weird right? But for some reason Melbourne is absolutely obsessed with them. Any time Urban List posts content about burgers we’re met with some napkin-needing suggestions from truly engaged burger-holics around our fair city.
But we wanted to really find out what constitutes a good burger, so we asked the masterminds behind some of our faves. It turns out that there’s a bit of a theme—a secret ingredient if you will—to all of the burgers we know and love.
“We all grew up on a fish and chip shop burger. A burger has been a big part of Australian takeaway,” Guy Mainwarring, co-owner of Royale in Brighton tells us.
They’ve been serving up “a true homage to the American burger” on the corner of Church and St Andrews streets in Brighton for the past 10 years.
Their signature is an interpretation of the mythical Royale With Cheese, a la Pulp Fiction. The whopping burger is a two-hander, choc to the brim with sauce and lettuce that pairs perfectly with their medium-cut fries and a shake.
“There’s no skimping on the size of the patty or the size of the bun or the amount of cheese or the amount of sauce. That’s our niche,” he says.
“If you don’t have a good product to start with, it doesn’t matter how much sauce or how much you add to it, it’s not right.”
It’s a theme echoed by Maison Bâtard’s executive chef Adam Sanderson. The latest French-leaning endeavour from the brain of juggernaut restaurateur Chris Lucas (Chin Chin, Grill Americano, Society, etc.).
They’re serving up their own take on a cheeseburger in their airy terrace over Bourke Street, and the succulent and tidy creation can be eaten with one hand, sans drips.
“That one-handed idea, it being well-balanced so there’s nothing slopping out the side so it’s not dripping and falling apart,” Sanderson says. “The trick was to get a real golden crispiness on the burger patty and balance it with a milk bun rather than a brioche bun to keep it super light.”
Sanderson hints at the burger being reminiscent of a burger you’ve had before—a recognisable flavour profile that comes through in the sauce, their take on a remoulade.
“That’s my kind of vibe with food. The dish looks very simplistic but you get a bit of a surprise—and full flavour and produce driven," he says.
Newcomer to Melbourne’s scene Lisa Chikarovski, owner of Mr Charlie’s says their vegan take on Macca’s makes the burger accessible to everyone.
“We’ve really tried to replicate tastes that bring you back to your childhood. It comes across in our food and it comes across in our branding,” she says.
Along with being vegan Mr Charlie’s is also gluten and nut-free.
“I had a lady come in … she’s vegetarian and coeliac and she said it was the first cheeseburger she had eaten in 30 years. That’s the sort of thing that keeps me going.”
For her though, tapping into those fond memories is what brings her, and her customers, joy.
“Burgers are one of the food items that really bring back a sense of nostalgia for people,” she says, “My greatest memory of a burger is going up to the milk bar near our house when we were on holidays and you’d get the big burgers with all the toppings and trimmings. It always came with the big chips and all that as well.”
So what’s the secret ingredient then? It’s a melange. According to these experts you mix two parts good ingredients with one part nostalgia and sprinkle simplicity on top.
For me? It doesn’t matter. Cheese or no cheese, lettuce instead of a bun, heck put it on a doughnut if you must, just don’t stop calling it a burger, and more importantly, just don’t stop eating them.
Hungry for a burg now? Check out our comprehensive list of Melbourne's best burgers.