When it’s lunchtime on a hot, sunny day in Melbourne, and you’re starving, why wouldn’t you want a delicious burger to top off the day? That’s the exact situation I found myself in recently, and I decided to take a chance, and visit a place I knew very little about – “Hendricks Burgers & Salad Bar” in Caulfield South. The term “salad bar” had me curious – was there going to be more burgers or more salad?? Hmmmmm obviously the carnivore side of me was hoping it was more about the burgers!!
This is a tidy, fresh looking place with enough burgers to choose from too. In fact, I didn’t even notice a salad on the menu, but then again my eyes are likely to be very bias when there is burgers on the menu! I ordered the “Mr Brightside” which comes with beef pattie, double cheese, onion, tomato, lettuce, pickles, Hendrick’s sauce and mayo. I was also feeling particularly hungry and adventurous, so I added egg, bacon and fried chicken – why not?!
I sat and waited patiently for my burger, and just before it was ready, the guy who took my order said, “This is a huge burger!”. That got me excited. Then I over heard him say to the cook, “We really need to get some skewers you know?!”. Now I was really curious. How big was this thing going to be? It came out and it was massive! It looked amazing, especially with the egg yolk ready to pop down the side of the burger.
As I waited for it to cool down a fraction, I took a moment to just admire the magnificent tower that stood before me. I picked it up, and worked hard to get a good grip, then got started. This was a seriously big burger, and it took me a few bites to start a rhythm and really get into it. Put simply, it was awesome! There seemed to be just the right amount of everything. The beef and chicken were spot on, and worked perfectly together. Adding bacon and egg was a good move. As soon as I picked it up, the egg ran everywhere – it was egg-squisite!! The hot sauce had just the right amount of kick too – it didn’t take over the whole burger, but left you thinking, “Hmmmm that’s some good sauce!”. The bun was good, and whilst it ripped apart a bit, I did place it under some extra pressure by adding a few extras, so in this case it can be forgiven!
Fat chips on the side were really good, and the highlight was the strawberry thick shake I ordered to wash it all down. It was thick, tasty and deeeeeelicious. One of the best going around I think!!
Overall, this was a great experience, where everything just worked so well together. Plus the service was super friendly too. After a long run of average burgers, this is definitely the best burger I have had so far this year and I recommend you get down there to find out for yourself.
