After a good amount of success for a couple of years up north, Hello Harry has come down to Brisbane where any new burger place is definitely going to be met with open arms. And to give it a good run, the newly Developed Portside Wharf is its location and already some attention is being given to it. While the idea that is stated is the current trend of "cooking for people" and the want for fast, causal fare, what I see it being is something indicative of what has always been here for most - no non-sense fare, the simple stuff that fits the bill for the most part.
Planning with a couple of aspects in mind, going to order from UberEat this time around was somewhat with impulse but also thinking ahead in order to have the normal Wednesday schedule in mind - which included getting some sustenance to prepare for weight training. As per usual, it was a toss-up between them all and ... well, this is the place that I got it from - Hello Harry. Being at work, scrolling through the app, it was as simple as a few touches on the button before piece-of-mind set in for the next hour or so before the notifications came in. From there, it was as simple as going out to the curb and waiting.
Much like the UberEats that I have done beforehand, all of it is much the same with the service. They get the order that you plug in right away, and all that has to be done is to sit and wait. While it is going to vary how soon they get there, with traffic and all, the feature on the app is enough to give piece of mind so wondering where they are is no problem. During the pick-up part, the whole ordeal is quick and efficient, therefore it is not too long before another good meal is being eaten.
Upon a previous visit to the Portside Wharf, what I noted was quite a few different options to eat at - as did my dining buddy. One of these was Hello Harry, a burger place which is usually to be a surefire winner. That was a while back, and I don't believe I have returned specifically to here; plus, when the next opportunity is going to arise was something I did not know - so it was more or less just being opportunistic. With a look inside and on some blogs, I will give credit as well for giving that rustic, urban aesthetic which indicates a good place to meet up.
One thing that has to be given kudos here is that they are making sure that the menu is kept short. That way, the focus can really be streamlined on what they want to sell - and that is burgers. It is not a big list either, and still has almost each meat that you could ask for. The ingredients advertised on each burger can still be done on one hand, so it is not overkill, and are relatively a-steal. Like with anytime going for a burger, who doesn't want something on the side with it - there's several options here as well, a couple of different fries and salads as such. As per the menu, what they have to drink are a couple of milkshake flavours, plus some beers, ciders, wines and spirits. Presumably, sodas and juices can be gotten in store, and that is about the long and short of what they have.
So to give it a decent run, it was the classic combination - burger, fries, and shake. But the fries this time was replaced by onion rings. Out of the burgers that were there, I got the Texas brisket. This was pulled beef in a sticky marinade, and it had a green apple coleslaw on top. All in a soft bun. On the side, an order of onion rings plus I tossed up with a beverage, but decided to anyway. It is hard to resist a milkshake at times, and since these were housemade recipes instead of the usual route, I thought may as well.
For what it was worth, this all did the trick. Getting the onion rings out of the way first, they were good as always. Fresh and hot from the fryer, the batter was a slightly thick consistency and crisp, plus the onion was cooked until the right consistency. It was still solid, but it was definitely getting the carmalised flavour seeping in. Also for one I noted that the rings were not uni-formally sized either, which is something a bit different from the usual business. That, and they were well salted. The only real complaint with them is that there was not enough of them. They are that tasty.
The main event, the burger, was ... a burger. I really cannot find too much that is outright wrong with it, and there is a number of things that were done right with it as well. Having the whole composition be some long-cooked pulled meat, mixed with a thick sauce and coleslaw really does not need any additions to it as that already does the trick right there. They must have used a really good cut of meat, because it was soft and tender, plus the barbecue sauce that it got mixed with was thick, and slightly fruity in taste. The coleslaw was fresh, crunchy and tasty. It had a mixture of cabbage and green apple in it, which made it also a bit on the sweet side with the taste, and a slightly vinegar mixture added more to it. This was all done on a soft briohce, and went together perfectly. Again, the real complaint that I have does come down to the portion sizes and not having much meat on here, especially when it is as tender and buttery as it is right here.
Last and not least is the milkshake. It was more or less a milkshake. This was certainly pretty sweet, and not in a bad way either. Instead of the usual syrup, this one was definitely burnt sugar, and the texture of the shake was smooth and creamy, obviously using good quality milk.
Overall, I guess this place is alright. There was nothing too outright wrong with it, except maybe the potion sizes could have been a bit bigger. All the ingredients were decent quality, it meshed together well and I will give a place props for managing to keep it simple with each of their burgers. That is something that can't be taken away from them, and having the sides also be just as simple gives it a bit of an old-worldly charm when it comes to something that will never go out of style - a decent burger. A touch to it all that was very nifty was the call back to fish and chip shops of old, using newspapers as wrapping - or at least styling it as such. If there is one non-food aspect that can be taken away from it all, it is this attention to detail.
What with all of the burger places around town now, it is safe to say that Brisbane's denizens have definitely become spoiled. The average quality of it is pretty high, and even a below average quality burger is still pretty good. When it is like that, what exactly it is is hard to put a finger on, plus mostly everyone who is into burgers is going to have their own opinion. That is more or less how I though of this burger from Hello Harry. There was nothing technically wrong with it, though at the same time I really knew that I have had better. That is about the long and short of it.
TL;DR: This is another burger place that has the same ideas as many to be good quality, and make sure people like it, but harkening back and keeping it all simple. More of a pub type of grub than some of the others, they are doing well enough with offering a small array of options. Having chefs working behind the scenes, it is just as much about psychology behind making the food as well as what the food is on the plate. And to prove it can be done with a burger these days shows how mighty the old snack food really is.
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