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What’s in the Trunk?

With the sun breaking through the clouds and changing the gloomy weather we were having, it also marked the time to get out and enjoy a burger. I headed out to “Trunk Restaurant & Bar” in Exhibition Street. This place has been on my list for ages, and when I got there to find some construction work going on, I almost thought it was closed. Luckily for me, being a Monday, it was just quiet. Phew!

I sat outside in the beer garden, and enjoyed the sunshine. The burger menu is simple, which made the choice easy. I ordered the “Wagyu Burger” which comes with 175g freshly ground Wagyu beef, thick-cut tomato, house made pickles, baby cos lettuce on a brioche bun. Interestingly, the burger doesn’t come with cheese, so I had to add that as extra, and I also threw in some bacon and egg to bulk up this burger and give it a better chance of filling the enormous hole in my stomach! The burger is also served medium rare, and whilst I would prefer medium, I just went with it.

The burger arrived. First thing that hits me….. most of the ingredients were on the side?! Outside the burger!? That’s right! The lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles were all on the side. Now, maybe this is too trendy or hipster or something for me, but if I want to make my own burger, I will do it at home! Interestingly, there was no sauce on the burger either, so I grabbed the BBQ sauce on the table and put it all together.

I took a deep breath and tried to be like Taylor Swift and “Shake it off”, but the taste of this burger was no chart topper! The meat was bland, and being medium rare, was too red and almost moo-ing at me! It wasn’t hot enough either and the tomato bordering on being frozen made it worse. I didn’t even put the pickles in the burger because they looked like rubber!

The fries on the side would have been ok if they were hot, or at least warm, and it turned out that the best part of this experience was the pint of Kosciuszko Pale Ale, which was actually quite tasty.

Overall, I cannot not say I was impressed, and I would understand if they were busy, but you could have counted the people there on one hand! I still remain completely confused as to why you would not simply add the ingredients to the burger, rather than serve it on the side?! And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, I got the bill and found out that the slice of cheese cost me an extra $1.50 and the bacon and egg were $3 each….. Ummmmm really?? The fries were only $4?! So that meant it was $18 for a cold, ordinary tasting burger that I had to put together myself? Wow! I hope “trunk” isn’t a reference to an elephant because this is an experience I’d like to forget!

What has been your experience at Trunk?
Throw in the Towel – 4.8/10

Location: Trunk Restaurant & Bar, 275 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

Bondi basting

Closing out a holiday in Coolangatta recently, I was keen to finish on a burger high and wanted to try out a new place that had opened during the last 12 months called “Bondi Grill’e”. The sign out the front is simple – “burgers, steaks and ribs”, which makes it my kind of place! There are plenty of bench seats, but given it was a very windy night, had to sit inside.

There are a lot of items on the menu to choose from, and I decided to go for the “Cape Town Burger”, which comes with double beef patty, BLT, cheese, pineapple, caramelised onions, Spanish onions, pickles, house mayo and of course I said, “Hold the Beetroot!”. It seemed like a long wait, but that was likely due to how hungry I was and how much I was looking forward to trying this burger.

When it arrived, the first thing I thought was “Whoa! That’s a lot of lettuce!”, as it was hanging out all over the place, like the lettuce had exploded on the way out of the kitchen or something?! First bite, and what hit me was that the beef was actually basted in BBQ sauce. This made for a very sweet and very sticky affair. It also took away from the taste of the beef, however having said that, it was probably what gave the beef most of it’s flavour too. Luckily, the burger I ordered had grilled pineapple on it which contrasted the BBQ sauce nicely. Bacon and cheese were good, but not spectacular, and the rest of the ingredients seemed to get lost somewhere. Surprisingly, I couldn’t really taste the onions and wondered if the pickle was on there at all?! The burger was also a slippery little sucker too and I found myself constantly straightening up the ingredients to ensure I didn’t lose my load as I chewed through this beast.

Despite being delivered 10 minutes before the burger, chips on the side were actually pretty tasty. Although, I would ease up a bit on the chicken salt! I also enjoyed a locally brewed “Stone & Wood Green Coast Lager” on tap to wash it all down, which was really good.

Overall, this was an average experience. The beef being basted in BBQ sauce was too over powering for me, and the other flavours were not strong enough to balance it all out. Perhaps stick with the steak and ribs, for which BBQ sauce basting is more appropriate!

What do you think of grilled pineapple on a burger?
Split Decision – 6/10

Location: Bondi Grill’e, 2 / 99 Griffith Street, Coolangatta QLD 4225

Another day in Paradise!

Being on holidays, you need a reference point to start with any burger searching, so after looking through the Gold Coast Bulletins top 10 burgers for 2016, I wanted to check out the second place winner – “Brooklyn Depot” in Surfers Paradise. According to their website, it has been inspired by old Brooklyn and their menu is filled with American favourites like hot dogs, wings and of course burgers!! Naturally, I was pretty excited to be getting the opportunity to chow down on one of their tasty treats and find out how good it actually was.

There are plenty of burgers on the menu, covering all the food groups – beef, lamb, pork and chicken! Despite the lure of some cool named burgers like the “Filthy Pilgrim”, “Fuhgeddaboudit” and “Fugazy”, I couldn’t go past “The Depot Burger” – two grass fed beef patties, double American cheese, hickory smoked bacon, grilled pineapple, oak leaf lettuce, tomato and Depot special sauce. I resisted the urge to throw in a fried, buttermilk chicken fillet and decided to try it out straight from the menu and unaltered.

First impressions were good. Served on a wooden board, this burger looked perfectly constructed and symmetrical all the way around. I picked it up, and took the first bite. OH MY GOD! It tasted so good. I’m glad I was sitting because I was weak at the knees! The beef was so tasty, and each of the other ingredients were like a taste explosion. The crispy bacon against the beef and cheese provided great texture and the grilled pineapple was in perfect ratio to the rest of the burger, providing the right hint of subtle sweetness. The special sauce was spot on and the bun was one of the best going around – exactly the right size for the burger and withstood the pressure for the entire journey, ensuring a clean and tidy feed.

Skinny fries on the side were pretty good, and the thick shake I ordered was one of the best – the “Yo’ Mama” with ice cream, strawberry purée, strawberry sauce and Kit Kat shards. It was unbelievable and washed down the burger in fine style!

Overall, this is definitely considered a “contender” as it was one of the best burgers and overall experiences I have had. Looks like this one might actually be the best burger on the Gold Coast, so get in there and get on it!!

Where is the best burger you have had on holidays?
Contender – 9.2/10

Location: Brooklyn Depot, 4217 / 10 Beach Road, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217

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