Fat Fish, Annandale NSW 2038

Name: Fat Fish, Annandale
Address: 109 Johnston St. Annandale NSW 2038

Burger: Burger With the Lot

Price: $11 - $12 approx (with chips and a can of drink)

Description: Known for cooking up fresh fish, less so for your traditional Australian take-away fare.




As well as some pubs nearby, there are several traditional take away places near me. There are quite a few close by, which is great for me. They are better known for cooking up fresh fish, but I don't like seafood. They also make a few burgers, wraps, and have a great selection of salads which look great,

After a long shift, I decided to grab some food from Fat Fish, as I really couldn't be bothered cooking. You know how it is! I went for the "Burger with the Lot". It was a fairly standard burger with the lot, similar to most take-away shop burgers. It came in a cardboard box, wrapped in paper.

I was very hugry, so I'm surprised that I managed to take a photo before I started eating!

Nice looking burger!

It was actually a very attractive burger. The pattie looked juicy, and it wasn't falling out of the bun, like many burgers do. There also looked to be just the right number of extras.

It contained (from top to bottom):

• Onion
• Cheese
• Pattie
• Lettuce
• Beetroot
• Tomato
• Sauce

Extremely well constructed burger - an often over-looked parameter.

Beef:

It was quite obvious that the burger patties are made on premises, and not long before they are cooked. They are fresh, and of a good quality. The pattie itself was a good size - not too thick (so that numerous binding agents are needed), and not too thin so that you don't really get any meat. It DID have some binding agents in it (I'd say just some egg), but it tasted mainly like beef. It was juicy and flavourful. All in all, a good pattie.

Cheese:

Unfortunately, the cheese was almost non-existent. I'm fairly sure it was there (I can't remember 100% to be honest, and if it was good - I certainly would remember). There's not a whole lot I can say to be honest. Fat Fish usually add pre-sliced, processed cheese (not the individually wrapped stuff - the harder, less melty cheese).

Bun: 

The buns at Fresh Fish are good. They are almost certainly the supermarket-type tip top variety, but they were fresh and didn't fall apart. Having said that, they didn't add another dimension of flavour, and as such weren't remarkable. 

Extras:

The extras were standard. Fresh lettuce, beetroot and tomato. There were also some partially caramelised onions on top of the pattie. A good combination. They were all relatively fresh, but not outstanding. The onions could have done with some more cook time, in order to bring out the sweetness. The tomato sauce was minimal, and therefore didn't really add anything to the burger.

Fries:

The chips came in a separate box, but were part of the meal (which also came with a drink). Coke for me, as always! The chips here are always very fresh (in fact, you can see them cooking them to order). They are almost always under-cooked, but I love my chips like that. Although they put a lot of chicken salt on them, they are very tasty, although slightly oily. A good chip.

Verdict

Go for it. The food at Fat Fish (I can't comment on the fish, only the burgers and chips) is decent, albeit slightly expensive. The staff are friendly, and that helps. It's definitely worth a try if you haven't eaten there before, and you're in the area after something quick. I'll eat there again (I've eaten there several times), as it's always enjoyable, but never an incredible experience.

Meat

3/5
Cheese
2/5
Bun
3/5
Extras
3/5
Fries

3/5

Total:

2.8

(Worth a try)

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Empire Hotel, Annandale NSW 2038

Name: The Empire Hotel

Address: 103A Parramatta Rd. Annandale NSW 2038

Burger: Double Wagyu Bacon & Cheese Burger

Price:  $15







There are several pubs within walking distance of me now. The Empire Hotel is about a 5 minute walk from my place. It's a semi up-market hotel, with a nice bar and bistro, and separate pokie and TAB rooms. The food at the Empire is a little more fancy than other pubs close-by, particularly the North Annandale.


I went to the Empire with my mate Tom (originally from Adelaide like me) and my mate Nick who still lives in Adelaide and was visiting (see North Annandale Hotel review). From what I remember, we all went for the Double Wagyu Bacon and Cheese Burger. The name made it sound amazing - wagyu (double!), bacon and cheese. Better still, it was only $15 and included fries. 

Empire Hotel Menu

Double Wagyu Bacon and Cheese Burger. That's vinegar on the side - my mate collected the meal and thought putting vinegar on the side instead of tomato sauce would be funny. Unfortunately for him, I like vinegar with my chips!

I ordered the burger as per the menu. The burger consisted of (from top to bottom):

• Bun
• Tomato Sauce (I think!)
• Cheese
• Beef Pattie
• Bacon
• Been Pattie
• Tomato
• Beetroot
• Lettuce
• Bun

The burger was pretty damn sexy for a pub burger, albeit overcooked.

Beef: 

There is only one thing better than beef, and that's twice the beef (or more). These patties were a nice thickness, and weren't full of fillers (although there were some in there). The fillers did not affect the taste too much, so no big loss. They were overcooked for my liking, but were surprisingly juicy and tender. Most importantly, they tasted good. At $15, two decent sized patties is great value. 

Cheese: 

As you can see from the first picture, the cheese was a processed cheddar-like slice, the type you get from the supermarket in bulk (just without the single plastic wrapping for each slice). This sort of cheese is saltier than normal processed cheese slices, and has more 'bite'. It doesn't melt quite as well, as you can see. After a few minutes however, the cheese melted to a degree (second picture), and the depth of flavour that comes with melted cheese came through. This also means that the patties were recently taken off the grill - a sign of fresh food. It tasted good, but not great. Having said that, it was noticeable, unlike many other pub burgers, where the cheese cannot be tasted at all.

Bun: 

The bun was similar to the supermarket-type buns, with a few sesame seeds. It was of a better quality though. It didn't add much taste, but that's not important. It did it's job of holding everything together, which was great, considering how much was stuffed into the burger.

Extras:

Although similar to an "Aussie Burger", this classic pub burger differed a little. As with the Wagyu (single) burger at the North Annandale, it did not contain egg. To me, that's a good thing. While I do enjoy egg in a burger sometimes, it's only a welcome addition when everything else is flavourless. It contained the ubiquitous beetroot, which was fresh, as well as fresh lettuce and tomato. Fresh salads are hard to come by it seems, and are seemingly left over for dishes such as burgers. As far as the salads go, they were fresh but unremarkable. The simple additions (lettuce, tomato etc.) are great when they are fresh, and in this case, were good. The bacon was fresh, but under-cooked for me. I love my bacon cooked America-style: Crisp and salty. It added a nice saltiness to the burger though.

Fries:

The fries that came with the burger were standard pub fare. Chunky style, abundant and salty. They were cooked well, and had a good flavour, but didn't make me think twice about them.

Meat

3/5
Cheese
3/5
Bun
3/5
Extras
3/5

Fries

3/5

 

Total:

3

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North Annandale Hotel, Annandale NSW 2038

Name: The North Annandale Hotel

Address: Cnr. Booth & Johnston Streets, Annandale NSW

Burger: Wagyu Beef Burger

Price: $16 approx


I now live within 30 seconds walk of the North Annandale Hotel. Annandale is an inner-west suburb of Sydney, approximately a 10 minute drive from the CBD. It's a fairly affluent area, with numerous local shops, including a butcher, chemist, several take-away shops and a small supermarket. The North Annandale Hotel sits on the corner of the two main streets - Johnston and Booth. I've eaten at the North Annandale a few times. The management has recently changed, and I therefore thought I'd eat there again.

My friend Nick, from Adelaide visited me recently. We both had a long day on the day he arrived, so decided to have a meal at the North Annandale. Nick had the "gourmet sausages" with mash, while I went for the Wagyu burger (second time). Nick (below) said the sausages didn't taste too different from those purchased from Coles, but said the mash and gravy weren't too bad.

Nick and his "gourmet" sausages.

My wagyu burger didn't differ much from the first time I had it (under the former management). It was what I would call an "Aussie" style burger.

It contained (from top to bottom):

• Caramelised (hardly) onion
• Beef patty
• Tomato
• Beetroot
• Lettuce
• Mustard
• Cheese

The Waygu burger, which should be known as the 'bland' burger.

As you can see from the above image, the burger wasn't that much to look at. 

Beef:

The beef, as I've said before, is the most important part of any burger. It should be juicy, not fall apart too much, and most importantly: taste of beef! Wagyu is prized for its marbling. This results in an extremely juicy, tender and tasty cut of beef. This beef patty was extremely dry. It also contained a ridiculous amount of binding agents (I'm guessing egg, bread crumbs etc.). There were far too many herbs. It did not taste like beef at all. It's what I like to call a "meatloaf patty". It would make an OK meatloaf, but does not belong in a burger. Although I ordered it medium rare, it arrived quite well done.

Cheese:

Cheese... CHEESE? What cheese? It was there. It was cheap. It was unmelted. Worst of all, it tasted like fridge. A wedge of cardboard would have added more to the burger.

Bun: 

You can get hamburger buns at most supermarkets. A few bread brands make them. Tip top make some OK buns. They are OK for home burgers. Apparently they are OK for North Annandale Hotel burgers too. Unfortunately, they must have purchased them in bulk, and put them in the cupboard for a few weeks. They were grainy and dry. Not good.

Extras:

This was essentially an "Aussie" burger, minus the egg. Most burgers don't contain caramelised onions, and certainly don't contain beetroot. If you read this blog, you'll know that I'm a burger purist. While I do enjoy a bit of beetroot every now and then in my burger, it has to actually complement the burger, and not try to salvage it. The beetroot was the only fresh part of this meal. The lettuce was dry and limp, and the tomato mealy. I hate mealy tomato. The onions were not cooked anywhere near enough. The North Annandale provided a fairly standard selection of extras, which CAN work well together. Unfortunately, they need to be fresh.

Fries:

The fries at the North Annandale are OK. I'd eat them again, but wouldn't be that excited about them. They essentially summed up the food at the North Annandale: OK if you're hungry, but nothing you'd travel more than 100 metres for.

Verdict

Don't bother. Although the North Annandale is not well known for great food, it should do better. I have not eaten many other dishes from the hotel, but those I did eat were a little better. It seems as if every pub must have a burger. This shouldn't be the case. A burger should only be on the menu if it has earned its place on the menu.

Meat

2.5/5
Cheese
2/5
Bun
2.5/5
Extras
2.5/5Fries

3/5

Total:

2.5

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UPDATE:


It's been a long time since I've posted. My apologies. I moved from Adelaide to Sydney about a year ago.




I've decided that due to my current location, the Adelaide Burger Blog will now review burgers from both Adelaide and Sydney. The name will remain the same however.

Since my time in Sydney, I've had quite a few burgers, some good, some bad. I have about half a dozen reviews to do, and will post them shortly. In the meantime, here is some burger porn!

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The Counter Burger - Crows Nest NSW

Name: The Counter Burger

Address: 118 Willoughby Street, Crows Nest NSW 2065

Burger: Custom beef burger

Price: $17.90 - Approximately $23 after customisation

I read about this place a while ago, and had been extremely excited to visit. The Counter Burger is a USA based burger chain specialising in custom-built burgers. There is a huge range of options, including beef, chicken, turkey and veggie burgers. There are three sizes to choose from (150g, 300g and 450g). The selection of cheeses is great, and the selection of toppings is amazing. On top of that, there are numerous sauces to choose from. I recently moved from Adelaide to Sydney, and a friend from Canberra came to visit. We are both burger nuts, so decided to go check it out.

Poor picture of the menu

The menu is interesting. You select what you want on your burger, and it is made for you. In addition to the custom burgers, there is a menu which offers standard burgers and various sides (such as cheese and chili/cheese fries).

My 'custom built' burger consisted of:

• 300g Beef pattie
• American Cheese
• Grilled Onions
• Lettuce Blend
• Red Onion
• Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa
• Honey Cured Bacon
• Dijon Balsamic Dressing
• Hamburger Bun

Beef:

One of the best things about this place is that you can order your beef to be cooked as you like. I ordered mine medium rare/rare. It was closer to medium rare/medium, but was very juicy and extremely tasty. I'm not sure what blend of meats they use, but the flavour is exceptional. It could have done with a bit more fat, but was very tasty nonetheless.

Cheese: I couldn't go past the American cheese. I love American cheese. There were some other good options on the menu (Cheddar, Colby, Danish Blue, Greek Feta, Horseradish Cheddar & Imported Swiss). The cheese wasn't melted too much when the burger arrived, but after having a few fries, it was perfectly melted. It was smooth and salty - perfect. I'm not sure if this is 'real' American cheese, or just the Australian equivalent that McDonalds Australia use (Kraft), but it was amazing. Next time I'll get the same, but probably a bit more of it!

Bun:
Although there are a few options (including english muffin and wholemeal bun), I went for the standard hamburger bun. The bun was sturdy, but failed to hold everything in. This was probably due to the fact that I poured all of the sauce onto the burger, without realising it was actually far too much! It was lightly toasted, and had quite a good flavour.

Extras:

Where do I start?? As mentioned previously, I got grilled onions, lettuce blend, red onion, roasted corn and black bean salsa and honey cured bacon. There were a few too many grilled onions (as you can see!) and they were slightly soft. They were still tasty though. The red onion added a welcome crispiness and freshness, as did the lettuce - both surprisingly fresh. The salsa was hard to detect, but I did taste it separately, and it was quite good. Not sure it added much to the overall experience though. The bacon was amazing. Perfectly cooked (crispy, but also had tender parts) and wasn't too salty. Absolutely amazing! The dijon balsamic dressing was very good. I'm still not sure if I made the right choice considering the other ingredients I chose, but it was very good nonetheless. Next time I will go for a more 'traditional' burger, consisting mainly of beef, cheese, mustard/sauce and pickles.

Fries:

In a word: Wow! My friend and I shared an order of cheese fries. I was going to go for the chili cheese fries (had them in the USA and loved them), but he wasn't keen. There was the perfect amount of melty, salty cheese. The fries were cooked perfectly, and were quite thin. The serving size was huge, and at $7 is more than worth it. It's really hard to fault these - enjoyed them a hell of a lot.

The burger my friend ordered

My friend ordered the 300g beef burger on a hamburger bun just like I did. He got bacon, american cheese, grilled onion and lettuce with BBQ sauce. He defined it as being 'great', and can't wait to go back. I couldn't agree more!

Meat

4.5/5
Cheese
4.5/5
Bun
3.5/5
Extras
4/5
Fries

4.5/5

An amazing experience. The novelty of being able to customise a burger aside, the quality of the ingredients, and care taken in the preparation were outstanding. I'm surprised they haven't been able to penetrate the Australian market further. I can't wait to go back. As mentioned, I will opt for a more 'traditional' burger next time - and will let you know how it goes!

Total:

4.2

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