Goneburger - Melbourne's best burger?
Is this Melbourne's best burger? Goneburger is a recent burger sensation to hit Melbourne, with a strategy of pop up and burger truck. Can Melbourne handle another burger truck? Of course, when the burgers are as impressive as Goneburger! The World Loves Melbourne dropped in on Goneburger and we were hugely impressed with their passion and quality of burgers. Surely Goneburger provides some of the best burgers in Melbourne. Anna and Andy, a New Zealander and a Brit, have made a huge impact since opening this burger joint.
The phrase "Goneburger" is common in New Zealand - meaning "I'm out of here!" This is ironic as Goneburger is literally a daily pop up in Fitzroy St St Kilda, open from 3pm to 11pm each day. Up until 3pm each day the venue is a hotel cafe from Urban Hotel. Then after 3pm the guys from Goneburger set up their burger joint from scratch! Then take it down again after 11pm for the cafe to restart at end of the day. The venue is spacious and attractive and Goneburger put out floral arrangements, colourful placemats and even jars of jellybeans on the tables. The food truck is coming soon in 2015...
Every day Goneburger put out an A-board sign as above with a different quote.
Goneburger has a compelling menu, with gourmet burgers at affordable prices. We imbibed The Beef and Bacon, a simple name that belied the wonder of this burger. The Goneburger features house crafted beef patty for a blend of the finest chuck and the juiciest grass fed short rib beef, with their own Goneburger sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, caramelised onions, smoky bacon, cheese and pickles, on a toasted brioche bun. As they say, "simple but classic", but "even a classic is better with bacon".
Surely this is one of the best burgers in Melbourne. For a start this is one of the few burgers where you can easily see what is in it. The top of the bun is placed at an angle so you can see all the ingredients. The brioche bun was perfect for this burger, from Noisette. The patty is the hero - juicy as they say, with an awesome umami Japanese seasoning infusing the patty that is not overpowered by the sauce. Nuances. Add to that delightful smoky flavours to the equation.
Many Melbourne burgers are sauce-driven so its the sauce that determines the flavour of the burger. Here the balance is exceptional with the meat patty and the house made sauce. Goneburger spent much time on perfecting their sauce, with elements of tomato, mustard and mayo.
Influences in this burger include Texan BBQ, David Chang, and Heston's "Perfect Burger".
Check out The Beef and Bacon in all its glory... Did I also mention the smoky bacon and punch of pickles?
Since opening Goneburger has enjoyed positive reviews. While we were there the burger joint was well patronised. One of the guests of the hotel declared The Beef to be in his top 3 burgers ever - along with the $5,000 burger from Las Vegas and the Heston Perfect Burger! Another top international chef was asked to comment on The Beef burger and whether she would change anything - and she replied "keep it the same as it is, it's awesome." Of course burgers are a matter of personal opinion, but The World Loves Melbourne can see where these people are coming from.
Goneburger also delivers on golden crunchy chips. Incredibly these chips are developed in a sound room. The crunch of the chips is determined by sound waves and patterns when a sample of chips is broken and the sound recorded. A scientific approach to chips! The World Loves Melbourne loved these golden crunchy chips as the perfect accompaniment to a burger.
Goneburger delivered on The Beef, and we also imbibed the popular The Pork burger. Again the presentation is masterful, with the top of the brioche bun resting on prongs of crackling. The pulled pork is prepared with a rub for 12 hours then the pork is cooked in marinade for another 8 hours. No short cuts here! Consequently the pork is moist and delectable, not dry like some other pork burgers we've tasted.
Check the Pork burger, also featuring quality slaw with tangy sauce and that impressive pork crackling.
We didn't try The Veggie Burger but we know veggie burgers in general can be an afterthough. At Goneburger Andy the chef used to be a vegetarian, so he takes pride in making the best veggie burger possible with Puy lentils and barley, Portobello mushrooms and a stunning blue cheese sauce. Even carnivores have known to turn.
Another bonus - THESE BURGERS ARE LARGE BUT DON'T FALL APART WHEN YOU EAT THEM!
Floral arrangements and colourful placemats...
Goneburger offers a range of drinks and a decent coffee (which we sampled and enjoyed).
Goneburger is a more than welcome addition to the Melbourne burger scene. Locals are raving. Highly recommended.
