It was a hot, sunny day recently and the burger bells were ringing loudly in my head (and my stomach too!). I was heading to South Wharf for some final Christmas shopping, and decided to stop past “Go Burgers” for lunch. This is a small takeaway place in the DFO foodcourt and I was keen to find out how they measured up.

I ordered the “Go Workz” burger which came with beef, lettuce, tomato, caramelised onion, pickles, rasher, egg, pineapple, cheese, go sauce and it was “hold the beetroot” of course! It was interesting that the bacon was listed as “rasher” on the menu?! I assumed it was bacon, although being Christmas, I couldn’t help but think it sounded like one of Santa’s reindeer?! On Dasher, on Dancer, on ‘Rasher’, on Vixen! Lol …. Anyway, I was starving and once I ordered, became more hungry, so I was eager to get my hands on this feast.

My number was called, so I picked up my order and found a seat. I unwrapped my treat and got stuck into it. It wasn’t a dream start as I was three bites in and still no meat?! Finally, the beef made its way into the mix of flavours. The meat was average, and didn’t exactly steal the show, which was disappointing. The combination of the ingredients was ok, except the pineapple. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love pineapple on a burger and this one was actually really good, but it was also a lot thicker than the beef patty and really took over the taste of the burger. Burger etiquette surely dictates that the beef should be thicker than the pineapple?! The bacon, sorry “rasher” and egg were the best part and cooked to perfection.

Thick cut chips on the side were really good, and I just went with a bottle of water to drink this time.

Overall, an average experience. I would describe the burger as more of a fish n chip shop style, than a gourmet style and wouldn’t deliberately go out of my way for another one.

What’s your favourite burger ingredient?
Light Weight – 5.3/10

Location: Go Burgers, DFO Southbank, Convention Centre Place, South Wharf VIC 3006

Not so long ago, while on holidays in Queensland, I was lucky enough to discover the delightful tastes of Betty’s Burgers & Concrete Company in Surfers Paradise. Finally, Betty’s has arrived in Melbourne and I got down there in the opening week to find out if the Melbourne version was just as tasty, or if they may be suffering from MSDE (Multiple Store Dilution Effect). It was a Wednesday lunchtime and it was packed! The line was out the door and around the corner. Whilst being impatient and not wanting to wait, it was a good early sign.

Last time, I modified their classic burger with some fried chicken, and this time, I wanted to find out what the burger was like on its own, without any poultry being involved. The “Betty’s Classic” comes with angus beef, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese and Betty’s special sauce and I took the option listed on the menu of adding pickles and bacon too. The waiter found a seat near the front window, and I enjoyed watching the hordes of burger fanatics continuing to join the end of the line and wait to get in and order.

The burger was ready, and a waitress kindly offered to grab it and bring it over for me, which meant I didn’t have to push my way through the growing crowd. It looked good. Fresh. Just like I remembered. All the good tastes came flooding back with the first bite – the tasty, juicy meat, the fresh lettuce, crispy bacon, the delightful special sauce and soft, sweet bun too! The ingredients worked so well together. I enjoyed every bite and didn’t want it to end.

Fries on the side were also good, and this time I had a strawberry thick shake, which was amazing too. The perfect complement to a tasty meal. I was full and satisfied.

Betty’s packs a punch and is high on the list for burger tastiness, so I suggest you get in there and find out for yourself – you won’t regret it!

Where is the best burger in the Melbourne CBD?
KO – Knock Out – 8.5/10

Location: Betty’s Burgers, 97 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

As the sun broke through the clouds on another grey, overcast day recently, I wanted to get out for a burger and I wasn’t going to let the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping folk streaming up and down the city streets stop me! This time I headed to a place called “Perk Up Café & Burger Bar” in Collins Street where I was hoping they would dish up a tasty burger treat for me to satisfy my growing hunger.

I ordered the “Perk Up Double Banger”, which comes with double pure beef patties, double bacon, double cheese, French mustard, tomato, lettuce, pickles and perk up sauce. I was lucky enough to grab a seat before my meal arrived. Now, whilst they say not to judge a book by its cover, I do think it is fair to say that you can judge a burger by it’s cheese, especially when it’s not really melted to the patty. This was not a good start! Anyway, I rolled my eyes, shook my head and pushed on.

This burger was a sloppy, uneven mess that didn’t seem to have been made with love, and to make the most of it, I had to do some rearranging when I picked it up. As I started to get into the burger, it hit me – the meat didn’t taste too good. It lacked flavour and the texture was like a dim sim – kind of bitty with little chunks of meat throughout it. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m all for a dim sim, but I don’t want my beef patty to taste like one?! The other thing about this burger was that there was way too much mustard flavoured, yellow sauce. It was smothered in it. I didn’t know whether it was the special “perk up” sauce or the actual mustard, but either way, there was way too much of it. So between the dim sim styled meat and overpowering mustard, I really didn’t pay much attention to the other ingredients.

Fries on the side were really good, and there were heaps of them, which made for good value. I also ordered a chocolate thick shake too, however it was so thick I couldn’t suck it up through the straw. I took the lid off to see what was going on, only to find it hadn’t been mixed properly. It looked just like a cup filled with vanilla ice cream with some chocolate flavoured milk around it. Terrible!

So overall, not a great experience, and it seems like it’s true – you can judge a burger by its cheese after all!!

What do you think cheese says about a burger?
Throw in the Towel – 4.8/10

Location: Perk Up Cafe & Burger Bar, 610 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

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