The twins and I dined here on a Thursday night in mid-Jan, '19.
This is a fairly basic burger joint, run by what appears to be a husband and wife team, with the husband doing the cooking, and the wife acting as front-of-house, maitre d’ and waitress all rolled into one.
It operates out of a small space, on Military Rd in Neutral Bay, with inside and outside seating. We sat outside in the courtyard, on rather hard wooden stools, with nowhere to hang coats or jackets or put bags, except on the ground. It was pleasant enough though, dining “al fresco” on a balmy summer night. It was fairly quiet too, being set well back from the road, and with little noise from other patrons, most of whom were sitting in the adjoining section belonging to the next-door sushi restaurant.
We ordered a Young Henry Pale Ale, two burgers, a large serve of chips and a wagyu beef patty with Japanese curry. No complaints about any of that. The burgers were well executed, with tender, juicy meat patties, and topped with fresh lettuce, tomato and onions in a soft roll. Nothing exceptional or extraordinary about the design, or the ingredients, but this is a classic case of doing something simply, but doing it well, so congrats to the chef. This guy knows how to turn a good burger. The chips were nice and crunchy and served with two sauces: we choose tomato and barbecue, the perfect accompaniment. The wagyu beef patty was an interesting and tasty concoction, with a rice patty and potato salad. Serving sizes were just right and we all enjoyed our meals.
Service was outstanding. The friendly maitre d cum waitress and front-of-house was delightful. She was polite and attentive, with a sweet smile, and to prove that she wasn’t just a pretty face, she was super efficient too. Orders were smartly taken and the food came out quickly.
When it came time to pay though, things came a little unstuck. Instead of being presented with a normal, hard copy bill, the maitre d just toted it all up at the till, and announced a result of $62, supposedly after my Ent Book discount of one free meal. Not wanting to argue, as she had been so efficient and pleasant, I paid, but on reflection, I think that I was probably overcharged about $12-$15. So unfortunately, despite everything having gone smoothly, I was left with a slightly bitter taste in my mouth. Next time, I’ll insist on a hard copy bill.
There’s a single unisex toilet out the back door and down a short flight of stairs, but you’ll need to grab a key for it. The stairwell is poorly lit. The toilet itself is functional, but a bit grubby. There are no hand towels or even a hand dryer, the soap dispenser was broken, and you’ll have to fiddle around to find the light switch.
The menu is large, colourful and well laid out, making it easy to read.
Being busy Neutral Bay, parking is always a challenge, but I was lucky to find a spot not too far away on Grosvenor Street, across the road from Woolies, where restrictions end at 6pm.
Given the small turnout, albeit on a Thurs night, with just the three of us, and one or two other patrons, I’m not sure about the long-term viability of this place. It isn’t very visible from Military Road, and with such a cluttered streetscape it’s hard to find, unless you know where it is, but having been there once before, during its previous incarnation as a sushi bar, I knew where it was. But I can’t see this place attracting too much walk-in trade.
But good luck to them anyway. They’re a lovely friendly couple who run a decent burger joint, they just need to up the ante when it comes to the billing side of things, and pay a bit more attention to the look and cleanliness of the toilet. Upgrading the seating outside to something a bit more comfy with place to hang coats, jackets etc would also help to improve the overall dining experience.
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