Another beautiful Melbourne weekend recently. The sun was shining and the birds were singing, at least they should have been singing!! It’d been too long between drinks – new burger drinks that is, so I was super keen to get out and try a burger. I checked the burger bucket list and headed to “Mocha Jo’s Burger Bar” in Glen Waverley, which I have been wanting to try out for ages.

This place is a burger bar out the back of the main café, where you can simply order, then grab a seat to enjoy your meal. The nice weather made it a perfect scenario for a street side burger feast, and the menu is stacked with American favourites, so there’s something for everyone. After finally deciding what I wanted, I went up to order, then saw some specials that weren’t on the menu!! My well thought out plan had been thrown into turmoil!! Despite wanting to order the “Kevin Bacon” burger, just for the name (and the bacon factor of course!!), I ended up going for the “South Central” burger, which came with wagyu patty, double bacon, double cheese, fried chicken, lettuce, tomato and MJ’s sauce!

This was a pretty big burger and looked good too. I waited for it to cool down, but turns out I should have waited longer because the fried chicken was hotter than a steel playground on a hot day! I started to get into it, and it was good. Especially the chicken, which was delightful!! The combo of beef and chicken is something everyone should try at least once – it is SO good!! Life changing actually!! The rest of the ingredients were good too. The meat was ok and the sauce was nice. Bun was good, and it stood up to the challenge thrown down by the big burger! The burger just seemed to lack that “x-factor”. Everything together worked well, but individually were not outstanding on their own. It was like a team that wins a few games, but doesn’t have any superstars. The burger didn’t have an “MVP”, if u know what I mean? For example, the sauce could have been a fraction “hotter” or the meat could have packed a slightly bigger punch. Luckily, the combination of everything worked well together to make it enjoyable.

Fat chips on the side were pretty good, and the strawberry shake was pretty good too. However, like the burger, it could have done with an extra injection of flavour, and in this case a bit more strawberry flavour and it would have made it much better!

Overall, a solid burger and sitting outside on a nice, sunny day made for a great experience. It’d be worthwhile trying it out for yourself.

What do you think of beef and chicken together in a burger?
Split Decision – 6.7/10

Location: Mocha Jo’s Burger Bar, Rear 87 Kingsway, Glen Waverley VIC 3150

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.

What is your favourite flavour for a thick shake?
KO – Knock Out – 8.3/10

Location: Hendricks Burgers & Salad Bar, 181A Booran Road, Caulfield South VIC 3162

Working through the long list of burger places to visit, is basically like having a burger bucket list, except that despite crossing names off regularly, the list seems to get longer with more and more new places continuing to opening. This time, I decided to head south east of Melbourne to a place called “Stack’d Burger Bar” in Berwick. I have been wanting to try this place for a while, and was excited to be finally getting there to try one of their burgers.

There is plenty to choose from on their menu, including beef, lamb and chicken burgers. This time, rather than going for the “Double Decker” option, I was in the mood for more of a traditional, “aussie” styled burger so went for the “Okker Okker” burger – beef, bacon, free range egg, tasty cheese, pineapple, salad (lettuce and tomato), tomato sauce, aioli and of course, “hold the beetroot!”

It looked good when it came out, and I couldn’t wait to get started, although still waited the regulation few minutes to allow it to cool down a fraction. There is nothing worse than not being able to taste the burger because it’s too hot and you spend you’re time trying to cool it down in your mouth. Anyway, back to the burger….. firstly, the cheese wasn’t completely melted, which was kind of a let down, considering my view is that the cheese must be melted to the burger. I’d say it was most likely placed on the patty during construction, providing for only a partial melt experience!

This was a seriously juicy burger, in fact too juicy. The lettuce was wetter than a fish in a wet t-shirt contest, and when the water mixed with the sauce, it literally poured out of the burger. Plus there was way too much aioli and the tomato sauce was no where to be found?! The meat was the highlight and tasted pretty good, as well as the bacon, and sweet pineapple.

Chips on the side, were just chips and the chocolate milk shake was just milk and topping only, which I likened to the fashion theory, of “the look for less”, ie it was expensive ($6.50) for something that you could get exactly the same elsewhere for less money.

Overall, an average experience and in summary, whilst I have had worse, I have also had a lot better too.

Where do you think is the best milkshake?
Light Weight – 5.9/10

Location: Stack’d Burger Bar, Eden Rise Village, 95 O’Shea Road, Berwick VIC 3806

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