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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Cervecería Marisquería, Cadiz, Spain

With only 1 night in Cadiz, we were determined to find some Spanish seafood delights. Io, H, Kim & I set out for the main part of town. Wandering along the coastline, the Moroccan influence was evident in the buildings, and we realize that we really are quite close to the African countryside.



We wandered around for what seemed like hours ... the quaint little streets were lacking much action, let alone the promise of delicious coastal treats.



Kim spots some stools down a little alley so we head on down. Ahah, this place is full of families enjoying a late lunch, young couples having a beer on the street and everything in between. We approach the little window facing the street and order some beers.



There's a menu etched in tiles just by the window, so we just start picking some things. First up, potatoes & aioli. Chunks of steamed potatoes are mixed with a pungent garlic mayonnaise, so creamy with a good hit of lemon and finished with some fresh chopped herbs.



Next up, the Russian Salad. They love this dish in Spain, we seen it on almost every menu! Potatoes smashed up with olives, boiled eggs & mayonnaise. The Spanish version also has the addition of tuna. Little domes of salad sit perched on the plate and are blanketed in another layer of the rich mayonnaise.



Now for the seafood ... Fried baby squid, wow! These little Puntillitas even sound beautiful in Spanish. The plate arrives and we realize just how baby these little squid are. I think there are hundreds, in a light seasoned flour which have been fried to golden perfection and are served with a big wedge of lemon. Each little squid would only be the size of my thumbnail, but as you bite into them the flavor, oh my - the ink sack explodes and fills the mouth with a salty sea fresh flavor. Amazing!



We each have our own croquette, it was as pretty as could be, perfectly fried with a cascading mayonnasie & rich tomato sauce topping with a few little potato fries on the side. I can't remember what was inside the croquette, but I do remember it tasted incredible.



We order some tuna lomo, not to sure what to expect. What comes out, chunks of vinegar brined tuna that have been crumbed and fried. Quite unusual, but the more I ate it the more I liked it ....



It may have taken a while to find something to eat in Cadiz, but what we stumbled across was a true gem!



Cervecería - Marisquería Aurelio
Calle Zorrilla, 1
Cádiz, Cádiz 11004
España