We had been talking about coming to this place for a few days now and finally found a time to do it, having missed an opportunity the day before as it was closed for a private function. Perhaps because it was a weekend, the place was a lot emptier than we expected: the inside tables were practically empty and even the al fresco area wasn't filled. So we chose a table outside and straight away I was excited by the condiments station at the table: ketchup, mustard, tabasco and wet towels! For some reason I love it when you can help yourself sauce at the table; it's probably a large factor behind my love for Vietnamese restaurants. Unfortunately, though, the meal went pretty well downhill from there.
Firstly, the chips ($6.50 for a not very large 'large' size) were disappointing—oil laden and not particularly crisp. M and I both chose the McDowell (which seems like their analogue of the Big Mac—double beef, double cheese, lettuce and a creamy sauce) burger and added bacon. Because, ya know, bacon makes everything better. At $17.50 each, it definitely doesn't come cheap, so we were expecting something pretty spectacular. Biting into it, the initial reaction was good enough—cheesy and flavoursome. After subsequent bites though we quickly cottoned on to the mediocrity of the burger. The patty, while flavoursome, was excessively ground up so that it almost had that foamy sausage consistency. As M pointed out, it was the kind of patty you used to get from your 90's fish & chips takeaway. The extra processing might help the patty if the meat you're starting with isn't spectacular but GTPT describe their beef as 'premium'...hmmm. The bread was also a big downer as it was dry and rather unpleasant, whereas to me, a good burger bun should be chewy and spongy. So while the burger was tasty enough, it definitely didn't justify its premium price tag. The search for the best burger in Melbourne continues...
No comments:
Post a Comment