Burgin'

Urban Dictionary Burgin' :

Experiencing the intense need for a huge, gnarly burger,
passionately consuming a burger, or recovering from burger overindulgence.

"Man, I'm burgin"
or
"Oh yeah, I'm burgin!"
or
"Goddamn it, help me, I'm burgin!"

That was the case as we soon as we had hit Melbourne. But not a general call burgin', there was a specific burger at the center of this crave. We had followed with amusement the posturing and cat calling on twitter over who had the right to call their burger the best in Sydney, when it reached flash point a blind tasting had been organized with Rockpool Bar and Grill coming out on top. Now we were within close proximity of the Rockpool bar and Grill located in the Melbourne Casino complex.

We arrived at the front door just as they opened and grabbed a seat at the bar rather than the restaurant side as we just wanted the burger. Having the burger cut in half was no problem, we added a side of fat cut chips as the burger came with none, a side of onion rings and one of the small plates of calamari with romesco. A couple of Aperols for the wait and we were all set.
The calamari arrived fast, with a generous portion of sweet, nutty romesco. The calamari more a spoon to convey the sauce to our mouths than the star of the plate. With the calamari quickly out of the way we waited eagerly for the burger (burgin).



Arriving cut in half and on two plates showed some consideration from the kitchen. The center showing a nicely cooked medium rare with plenty of juiciness. We took our first bites and began the analysis....nah, we ate it, we ate it good. And a mighty fine burger it was! The fat from the minced wagyu veered towards too-much but Zuni's famous courgette pickles helped to draw it back in. The cheese and bacon seemed almost superfluous, nice but not needed.



The fries were true to their word and cut fat, but they paled beside what were possibly the best onion rings I've ever had. Crispy crunchy with a mild onion center. Not so taken with the home-made ketchup not that it was bad, maybe I just like the amplified artificial umami flavor of the commercial varieties.



Was it the best burger I've ever had? Maybe. I'll have to add to the list, up there with the Mcfoie from Tapac 24, Barcalona, the Mckobe from Feugo Negro, San Sebastion, and lets not forget the hand minced wagyu burger with truffles and foie at Brown Sugar in Singapore... top ten at least.

One flaw in the night was the aggressive service with more drinks being offered while our first were still half full and the obvious distain that we were only sharing one burger. Left a slight taint to an amazing burger. (We arrived at 6pm for a little pre-dinner burger, with a booking at MOMO for 9pm).

I would like to come back and dine in the restaurant proper. When I peaked though on the way to our seat the room looked amazing, grand and plush like a old timey clubby steakhouse. A glance over the menu and a walk past the meat dry aging re enforced the desire to return.

Rockpool Bar and Grill

Open; Lunch Sunday to Friday
Dinner 7 Days

Reservations
+61 3 8648 1900

Crown Complex
8 Whiteman Street
Southbank VIC 3006
Australia

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Return of the Mac.

Whilst we had made an oh-so-firm agreement with ourselves to be fair to the other potentially good restaurants, that we would only eat at one Dario Cecchini restaurant, but.... one afternoon with no plans and lazily not wanting to travel to far we made the ten minute drive back to Panzano to try Dario's answer to fast food, Mac Dario's. We pass on sitting outside and again join the long communal inside.



On the lunch menu we have the choice of the Mac Dario or the Welcome, with two of us that's all two convenient, we'll have one of each please. We start with a glass of house red and a wheat beer brewed especially for Dario.



The first of the the Welcome is a large bowl of fresh from the markets vegetable crudites with olive oil, volpaia vinegar and seasoned salt.



Then the Mac arrives. Wow! A 250g toasted bread crumbed burger atop a pile of garlic and rosemary roasted potatoes, fat slices of tomato and sauteed onions alongside a bowl of Tuscan bread. First cut reveals a perfectly cooked medium rare interior, seriously awesome.





About half way through the burger the plates of the Welcome start to arrive, Meat loaf, a name which could inspire dread but not this time, meaty chunks of loaf covered with a spicy sweet red pepper sauce. Makes me want to start cracking out some of the home classics myself.



Next a bowl of Dairo's justifiably famous porchetta, with it's crunchy crackling exterior and herb infused salty interior it's a shining moment in the midst of a meal that's a huge shining moment in it's self.



A bowl of Chianti sushi, gorgeous lemon infused beef tartar, we'd had this once before on our first night, it's still just as brilliant as remembered.



Finally Chianti tuna, pork confit cooked to a lush succulent softness, the appearance is of canned tuna but the taste is oh so much better.



Once again the communal table had broken down a few social barriers and by the end of our meal all at the table were friends.



Feeling ridiculously full we swung by the kitchen where Dante gave us a huge smile and a lot of Italian we had no idea about, and out past the Bone-a Lisa, who we remembered to grab a photo of this time.



Standing out on the street we kinda get the feeling we may be finishing off the triffeca some time soon....

Via XX Luglio, 11
Panzano in Chianti Firenze
tel. +39 055 852020

monday / tuesday / thursday / friday / saturday: 12 - 3
wednesday / sunday: closed
no reservations

Nebuta Matsuri, Aomori

It seems like so long ago where a group of 8 of us packed up into D & A's car and drove down to Hakkodate ... it was here we boarded a ferry bound for Aomori. Aomori is just at the top of Japan's mainland, and each year holds Japan's largest lantern festival, the Nebuta Matsuri.

We arrive at Aomori pier and make our way over to the said camp site. There are about 300 bikes parked on the grass, everything from scooters to Triumphs and Harley's. We stake a nice little spot of grass and proceed to set up our tents. The chief bikie comes over just to check on us ... he mainly wants to warn us that if we decide to stay there, it's going to be noisy as they will be partying well into the night. No problem here, we'll just join in.



After we are all set up, and freshened up, it's into town we go. We are lucky enough to see the procession of bikes making their way in, so just stop for a while to admire. But then once we make it to the main part of town, some snacks are in order. First up, apple pie. Aomori is famous for apples, garlic and beef, and this apple pie shoes why. Sweet apple still with a little bite encased in a delicious, warm, buttery pastry. We also try the pumpkin variety.



Then a delicious little cup of Korean pancake. It's a crisp batter with all bits of spring onion and splashed with a vinegar like sauce. Yum !!



And perhaps one of the greatest festival foods, ever, meat on a stick! We first try a bacon kushi;

followed by a gyu steak kushi. Chunks of delicious tender Aomori beef nicely salted and grilled, with a blush pink centre.

It's not long until the taiko drums and lanterns start ... the whole main part of town is blocked off for the parade, which lasts for about 3 hours, and goes every night for a whole week. The drumming is hypnotizing, and plays for the opening 15 minutes before the procession of floats start rolling down the streets.



and the lanterns, wow, the lanterns. They barely scrape under the traffic lights, and span the entire width of the main streets. The intricate detail and amazing colour makes for an out-of-this-world display.




After all the festivities we are ready for some food !! and beer ...



as well as a few fresh grapefruit chu-hi's.



First thing to hit the table, torched miso. A smear of top quality local miso is on a wooden spoon, which get's torched right before our eyes...



There was a beautiful tofu salad,

as well as a local apple salad, with a sweet apple dressing, sausages, pork with tofu, hormone and many more. We finish off with a little tub of complimentary apple jelly. Yum!

A fun day was had by all !!



We awake ready for another day of matsuri madness. First some wandering around the town, stumbling across things like little Japancakes filled with cabbage, pork, octopus, tonkatsu sauce and egg. mmmm



We head off to the other side of town, to hunt out this little food street. It's like early afternoon tapa's ... along with loads of rice wine that was poured from a hollowed out piece of bamboo,



We enjoyed fried onions, kari kari cheese-u and a deliciously aromatic saute of mushroom, sausage and garlic.



Then it's back on the road, where Kim stubles across a sausage-pop. Yup, a coil of sausage on a stick that looks like a giant candy pop. mmmmm



While I feast away on a cup of ice-cream with warm caramel sauce.



Before the lanterns and taiko drumming starts again, we make a quick stop for a caffeine fix. Kim goes for an espresso,



while I try a delicious spice tea. Like a chai, but packed with even more spice, in a warm, creamy milk. With the caffeine kicking in, we're ready to soldier on .... we find that observing the lanterns in all their beauty for the second time around (and not being to worried about getting photos, as we did that last night) we really appretiated and enjoyed it so much more! Taking in all the detail and beauty of each lantern. There was a lot more dancing on our part this time around, which meant bells were getting thrown at us from all directions ... a sae da a sae da a sae da sa da sa da ............





All pumped and full of energy, we make a quick stop at McDonalds, and all stock up on a Japanese version of the McGang Bang. A cheeseburger with a piece of black pepper shaka shaka chicken. A mighty combo, we're now ready to board our midnigh ferry and start the 7 hour journey back to Hirafu.



Incredible weekend, we hope to be back next year !!

SAME SAME Burgers, Haad Rin

After a big night, and day at the Full Moon Party we both woke up craving something greasy ...  something homely ...  something like a burger !!  Luckily for us, just a skip down the sand is the SAME SAME burger bar.  



The burgers arrive in a little cardboard box. They are wrapped in some random burger and shawarma paper and a pile of crispy crinkly cut chips sit off to the side.



We both go for a burger with the works. It's piled high with a chunky meat patty, melted cheese, onions, bacon, pickles, shredded lettuce and tomato.



All washed down with some coca-cola, it was just what we were after !!

Mama's

Feeling a major burgin urge that comes on every so often, we swung by Mamas, a little burger bar between Lamai and Chawaeng. All decked out in old school american diner threads with red and white walls, movie and music posters and neon lots of neon. Theres a few style of burgers on their own or in a combo. We order a couple delux burgers then takes a seat in a both while we wait for them to be made. Minutes later we're facing a fresh grilled beef burger, lettuce, tomato, bacon and pickles pinned between a sesame seed bun with a Mamas flag sided with golden fries and a frosty coke. Sweet, burgin satisfied.












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It doesn't matter how good the burger, would it kill you to smile?, Rockfish, Kamala

The breakfast sets at Rockfish are a steal. But they're also really tasty. It was definitely apparent they had a new chef there this trip, a lot of the food was still fairly similar, it was just executed really well. The breakfast sets are available from 8am until 11am then they switch over to the Restaurant by Day, 11am until 5pm menu. There's a fair selection from light bites, salads, pasta, burgers, big bites and even a little Thai section.

We're both in the mood for a burger today. Kim picks the grilled chicken with chunky guacamole and a chorizo and cherry tomato relish on ciabatta. The ciabatta is delicious, nice and crunchy on the outside and light on the inside. There's a whole grilled chicken breast, still nice and juicy, sitting on some romaine lettuce leaves. The guacamole is chunky, is creamy, is delicious. And the chorizo and cherry tomato relish is sweet and sour with a little kick of chilli. There's a generous amount of crispy, golden, fries that are cooked perfectly, and there's even a ramekin of home-made aioli to go with the fries. (I'm definitely a mayo/aioli girl when it comes to fries over ketchup any day).



My choice today is the Australian wagyu beef burger. The first thing I notice is the bun. It's a very well made hamburger bun, nice and soft and covered in little sesame seeds. There's a juicy whack-of-a beef patty with the gruyere cheese melting down it's sides. It's sitting on romaine lettuce and a dill pickle mayonnaise and there's a spicy tomato relish, similar to that on the chicken, just with no chorizo. The same mountain on golden fries and some aioli. Heaven!



The food was all delicious! Nice and simple lunch fare executed really well. It's just a shame the service was almost non-existent, and when it was, very arrogant.

Rockfish Restaurant & Bar
33/6 Kamala Beach Rd
Phuket, Thailand, 83120
Tel: 076 279 732
Fax: 076 278 020


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A night out in Sydney, sleeping all day and breakfast in bed ...

Our one night out on the town while in Sydney started with dinner at fine diner, est. This is where I spent some time working before we left Sydney nearly 4 years ago. It's a 3 hat restaurant on the first floor of the Establishment hotel on George St. The dining room is something else, and stepping back into it after nearly 2 years it still almost takes your breath away. We made a late booking for this Saturday night and start with a glass of champagne at the bar whilst waiting for our table. It was a great dinner, Peter Doyle's food the epitome of Modern Australian cuisine, with beautiful, clean flavors. (Sorry no photo's, we knew we were going out afterwards and didn't want to lug around the camera). It's Jen we're meeting up with tonight, she actually finishes work before we're even onto desserts, so we invite her to join us for cheese and dessert. We chew a bit of fat, eat some tasty sweets and then off we go.

To keep in with the theme, it's another Merivale establishment, Chinese Laundry, which is the next stop. We wait in line, pass through the clipboard natzi's, pay our $ and we're in. It's pretty busy, the 2 separate rooms competing with each other as we walk in, but we're drawn to the main room. We spend the night swaying between the 2, but settle in the main room just before 2am for Mark Dynamix closing set. All is good until the dance floor breaks out into 3 simutanious fights. Egh, this I have not missed about Sydney. There was blood, broken glass and plenty of ruptured egos, but there worst thing was the music just stopped, the lights came on, and the place was cleared. Gosh! Now it's 2:30am, we're ready to party and we need to try and find a cab, and somewhere to go. Of course we end up at Kings X. After trying a few places, most of which closed at 3 anyway, we end up at Candys apartment. We then arrive back at the Hilton around 5:30am and can almost see the sun bursting out. Ouch! Thanks to the Hilton's black out screens we manage to get a great sleep. We woke up about 2pm and didn't feel like going far, definately no further than phone by the side of the bed to dial room service.

Ding* that'll be the door. And there the trolley get's wheeled in. The table is set with our antipasto and dip plates with condiments and water. Then we're shown the little hot box under the table with our hot meals. Tres cool.



The dip plates holds 4 little ramekins of dips, a taziki yoghurt and cucumber dip, a roasted pepper dip, hummus and guacamole. There's some marinated olives in the centre and ample toasted pita chips.



Assortment of antipasto items is certainly an assortment. There's everything from prosciutto to gruyere, cippolini to artichoke and some grisini and toasted Turkish bread to mop it all up.



Patiently waiting in the hot box this whole time Buffalo wings with potato wedges and some mini burgers. The wings were nice and juicy, but none of the Buffalo kick we were after.



3 mini burgers are served on a delicious, super dark, crusty roll. The bread was really nice, and the 3 meats, grilled chicken breast, lamb patty and grilled beef all tasty, just thought it was a bit boring that each one has the same lettuce, tomato slice and mayonnaise accompaniments.



It was so nice to have food delivered right to our bed, almost as nice as those block out blinds allowing us to sleep the whole day away ...