Wahlburgers: Burgers, Opera Quays, Sydney (17 Feb 2022)

Opera Quays, 18a/7 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000 

https://wahlburgers.com.au/

The Wahlburger wait has begun 

How many Wahlbergs does it take to make a burger, 3. Actors Mark & Donnie, and Chef Paul expand their burger empire into Sydney this week. Sports bar vibes with most of the menu under $20 and 17 sauces to choose from including a vegemite aioli has the potential to draw in the tourists and office workers with the bonus feature of harbour views. 

I place my takeaway order at the bar as instructed. 'The Our Burger' - Beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles. American cheese, Paul’s signature Wahl sauce ($17.50) and French fries ($6). The 26 minute timing hard to stomach but hopefully they'll improve over time. So as far as Sydney burgers go I'd say it hits at a respectable average and that's because Sydney's burger game and competition has improved dramatically over recent years. Melty cheese, tasty Wahl sauce and the nice formed crust on what seems like a medium to well cooked patty works in it's favour. I found the soft bun a touch dry and slightly oversized working against it. I welcomed the contrasting sharpness of the thin sliced raw onion. While the awkwardly named 'The Our Burger' has the usual elements of a normal classic I somehow wished I'd ordered the 'Make it your Aussie burger' for only $1.50 extra which includes beetroot, pineapple and egg. Next time. 

Seasoning on the fries enjoyable and appreciate the skin-on taste but looks short-changed in the under-filled small container for the price and aren’t as hot and crispy as hoped. Service was friendly but seemed stretched in finding their feet in the opening week but I'm sure they'll be smooth sailing in due course. They're open for breakfast from 7 am with some American and Aussie breakfast classics plus a handheld 'Our Breakfast Burger' which sounds good on the menu. I'm also tempted by the BBQ Bacon Burger with beef patty, tasty cheese, bacon, fresh jalapenos, BBQ sauce & avo spread although I'm not quite sure about the avo spread.

Jacks East: Burgers, Rose Bay (31 Aug 2019)

Shop 5, 809-823 New South Head Road, Rose Bay NSW 2029
https://www.instagram.com/jackseast/

Jacks Newtown heads east

3 years on and Jack from Jacks Newtown has moved on from the busy Newtown burger institution to set up shop in the more sleepy suburban village of Rose Bay. For those who have enjoyed Jacks Newtown I'm sure travelling to Rose Bay for a Shake Shack style burger fix will be on the cards. It'll be interesting to see what the locals think of the medium cooked 'pink' patties and whether asking for well done patties will suit them better. Beef Cheeseburger ($12) and Fries ($5) is my order of the day. The burger looked smallish due to the soft buns being smaller than the signature medium 'pink' cooked pattie. It held together pretty well with a tasty housemade old bay sauce and nice melty cheese. They possibly might look at a slightly larger bun to match the pattie size which I think could be a good thing to consider to better meet burger expectations and perceived value for money from the older generation locals. Crinkle cut fries are nice, and would benefit from a tasty spicy seasoning option.

There's a bit of seating inside and the ceiling fairy lights border on being a bit too dim I think to show they're actually open when the doors are being kept shut to keep out the cold weather. In contrast to the open kitchen of Jacks Newtown which added to the happening vibe, all the cooking action now resides behind closed kitchen doors so no cooking show to be had here. With previous burger write ups by Good Food, TimeOut Sydney, Broadsheet and The Daily Telegraph when they resided in Newtown the past experience and successes should hopefully help the only dedicated burger shop in Rose Bay become another local gem.

Macelleria, Bondi Beach (7 May 2017)

g09/180 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach NSW 2026
http://www.macelleria.com.au
https://twitter.com/macelleriabondi
https://www.instagram.com/macelleria_australia/

Meat market in Bondi

This place was pumping for an early Sunday dinner service. Greeted with an impressive display of cut meats I wasn't quite sure of the procedure to dine in so asked a waiting takeaway customer. Everyone queues up to order first and then after you pay they aim to find a seat for you even though many of the available tables had reserved signs on them. I got the 'Formaggio' with 100% Cape Grim Angus Beef Pattie, Cheddar, Pickles, Onion, Ketchup and Mustard ($9.90). It's a nice soft old school bun but I thought way too much out of proportion for the size of the smaller pattie and I suspect it's to accommodate for larger sized burger fillings although I don't think it quite works for the humble cheeseburger option as well as it should. The pattie meat itself quite nice and tasty although it's shaped more like a rissole than a pattie. Cheese is tasty but could benefit from being more melty. There was also shredded cheese on the bottom which I think tasted a bit like parmesan but it's not listed on the menu so perhaps it's cheddar. Presentation wise looked very much like what you'd make at home. I got a side of Rustic Potato Fries ($4.90 regular) which were good. Fairly crispy and nice flavour. They go well with the Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory & Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce on the table. Service was friendly and efficient. Cool decor and setup. The cheeseburger needs more refinement for my liking though.