mr burger food truck, collingwood, melbourne et al

Mr Burger food truck at Easey St, Collingwood.

Some days are just perfect. A stroll under sunny blue skies. A brightly enticing food truck manned by cheerful staff. Getting hands-on with burgers and chips in the open air, in the company of silly seagulls.

I'm not the sort to chase after food trucks, but the great thing about Mr Burger is that their trucks are in quite a few locations - plus they have also set up a regular shop in the Melbourne CBD to make things even easier for those who just want a traditional burger joint with a fixed address.

On this occasion - a Friday afternoon - we found one of the Mr Burger trucks parked on Easey Street, Collingwood during lunch hours. It wasn't particularly busy - a few takeaways here and there. We got our food within ten minutes, and found a spot where we could plonk ourselves down to have at it.

The chips here are well-seasoned, and have a nice balance of crisp and tender.

Chips from Mr Burger. Large - $5.

And the burgers? I adored them.

I opted for the namesake, Mr Burger, while Simon had the Mr Meat. These are some pretty classic burgers - no funny business here. Just fresh, quality ingredients treated with respect. Yeah, they're a bit messy to eat. But it's worth getting your hands dirty for these burgers. So juicy, surprisingly light on grease, and still a little pink inside. Most excellent. (P.S. They also offer a Mr Veg - a vegetarian falafel burger, which is apparently fantastic, too. I may try it next time, if I am able to pry myself from the good ol' beef options.)

I introduce you to my Mr Burger, with beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, mustard, mayonnaise and tomato sauce.

Mr Burger, $10.

And here's Simon's Mr Meat, with beef, cheese, lettuce, bacon, caramelised onions, pickles, bbq sauce, and mayonnaise.

Mr Meat, $11.

Yum, yum, yum.

It goes without saying that this post comes with an enthusiastic recommendation for Mr Burger.

I think the seagull agrees, too.

A seagull sneaking in to eat some chips! Thanks go to Simon, for donating this photograph. :)

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of chervil, milk mayonnaise, and chicken burgers

chervil mayo chicken sandwiches on toasted seven-seed bread.

I have to confess that despite my apparent adventurous streak, I frequently use the same herbs over and over again. This is due partly to my cheerful reliance on my little windowsill herb garden, which currently flourishes with mint, rosemary and garlic chives, but let's face it... variety is fun, and there are only so many facets I can tease out of those three, awesome as they are.

So I've decided I should expand my repertoire and when I spotted chervil at the markets recently, it felt like the perfect challenge, because I knew absolutely zilch about it.

Chervil looks like a tinier, daintier version of flat-leaf parsley, and upon sampling it I found that it has a similar taste too, but gentler and with a bonus hint of anise. Now I have to say that my feelings toward parsley and aniseed are lukewarm at best - I'll accept small amounts in my food, but I don't go out of my way for them - however, I have developed quite an affection for chervil, perhaps because it has a much subtler magic to it. In fact, I bought it again at South Melbourne Market the very week after my first purchase, and I can see it sneaking into my meals more often in the future.

A few simple ideas for chervil? Chop it up and toss it together with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and almond flakes to create a simple salad. Serve it fresh atop a hot noodle broth. Use it anywhere you can imagine using parsley. Trust that it will deliver. It did for me.

chervil.

But wait, there's more! I did a bit of poking around online to see what others have done with their chervil and came across David Lebovitz's chervil mayonnaise recipe, which is basically a chervil-ised adaptation of David Leite's milk mayonnaise - an intriguing eggless mayonnaise recipe of Portuguese origins that uses milk in lieu of yolks.

This milk mayonnaise, it works. If you feel a bit iffy about raw eggs, it will change your life. Fresh mayo, no eggs, no worries - and if you're vegan, soy milk will do, too!

I decided to start with Leite's mayonnaise, with the idea that I would just dress some roughly chopped chervil with it afterwards, instead of incorporating finely chopped chervil as per Lebovitz's way. Initially, I foolishly attempted this by hand with a balloon whisk, which took me nowhere, but once I transferred the mixture to a little blender, it emulsified beautifully, smooth and thick. I then foolishly washed my chervil just before dredging it through the mayonnaise (instead of doing it earlier and letting it dry). The excess moisture undid my efforts and I ended up with a slightly watery concoction.

Oh well, live and learn. By the way, if you're suspiciously wondering why my milk mayonnaise is so vibrantly yellow, it's due to the carotene-rich oil I used. It's all legit, I promise!

Despite my gaffes, dinner was served. Toasted organic sourdough seven-seed bread. Pan-fried free-range chicken patties. Freshly blended milk mayonnaise. Garlands of chervil. Simon helping me out with the photographs, because he knows better on how to fight the curse of artificial lighting, and because I could really use a break after all my travails. Standing by the kitchen bench together as we devoured our burgers. Happiness.

chervil mayo chicken burgers on toasted seven-seed bread.

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huxtaburger, collingwood

Some people feel that wagyu beef is wasted in a burger. I beg to differ.

For, surely, not every part of even the most delicious of cows is destined to be tataki or steak at a fancy restaurant. I am more than happy to have these other cuts minced and transformed into a luxurious pattie.

So when Huxtaburger (106 Smith St, Collingwood) opened in December last year, I casually suggested to Simon that we should stroll over for a visit.

It was a flurry of activity on that warm evening - impressive for a place that had been operating for only a week at the time - and we were lucky to get a seat outdoors.

Huxtaburger's menu is a simple one. Five burgers, all with Moondarra-sourced wagyu beef patties. Chips/fries are available, too, of course, and they also have a 'salad of the day' option for vegetarians - the day we went, it was roasted cauliflower, quinoa, Meredith goat's cheese, pomegranate and mint, which I very nearly ordered, as it sounded quite lovely.

But that night, it was all about the burgers for us.

Fans of The Cosby Show will get a kick out of the burgers, in more ways than one. Except for the eponymous Huxtaburger burger, the other burgers are all named after characters of the sitcom - Bill, Rudy, Denise and Theo.

I opted for Denise (the hot one) - with jalapeno and sriracha mayo.

Huxtaburger's Denise burger, $9.

Simon went for Theo - with bacon, double pattie, double cheese and barbecue sauce.

Huxtaburger's Theo burger, $11.

We both enjoyed our burgers - the wagyu patties were delightfully sweet and juicy, the seasonings were just right, and there was a pleasing contrast with the soft buns and their crisp sesame-crusted exterior.

The prices of the burgers at Huxtaburger fall around the 10-dollar mark, and they venture towards the petite side as far as Australian appetites go - I was reasonably satiated, but Simon said that he could almost devour another one, which, admittedly, may also have something to do with how tasty they were. Overall, given the quality, I find them to be good value for money. When Simon comes back from his overseas trip, I look forward to another visit together for more beefy burger goodness. And hey, we might even try the salad.



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balsamic portobello mushroom burger with bocconcini cheese, fried egg, lettuce and tomato

Why, hello, handsome.

I know there are plenty of you out there who simply refuse to believe in vegetarian burgers. But just bear with me for a moment. As a huge mushroom enthusiast, I want to share my joy with you in regards to my unprecedented mushroom burger success this weekend.

Portobello mushrooms. Also known as portabella mushrooms or field mushrooms. And very delicious.

The burger I am about to introduce is a juicy, sexy ol' hunk of mushroomy goodness, dewy with a lush balsamic vinegar dressing that winks with the piquancy of crushed garlic, shallot and herbs. The bocconcini exudes a creamy self-assurance, while the fried egg brings a little attitude. And ever so reliably, lettuce, tomato and crusty bread brings the whole package together. Yes. Yes, I think I'm in love.

Portobello mushroom marinating in a tangy dressing made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic and shallot.

balsamic portobello mushroom and bocconcini burger with fried egg, lettuce and tomato (makes 2)

2 large field/portobello mushrooms, stems trimmed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
8 baby bocconcini or 2 regular bocconcini, thickly sliced (may be substituted with other melting cheese)
a few lettuce leaves (I used green oak lettuce; spinach or rocket/arugula will also work well)
a few tomato slices
sea salt, black pepper and dried or fresh herbs (e.g. parsley, thyme, etc.) to taste
2 eggs
4 slices of toasted crusty bread

- Combine garlic, shallot, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a liberal pinch each of sea salt, black pepper and herbs in a mortar. Grind, pound and mix well with the pestle to create a marinade and brush or drizzle this mixture generously over the portobello mushrooms. Let it sit for 15 minutes.
- In a bowl, toss lettuce leaves and tomato together in any leftover marinade and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/360°F fan-forced (200°C/390°F conventional).
- Place the marinated portobello mushrooms gills side up in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.
- While you wait for the mushrooms to cook, fry the eggs to your liking, keeping each one separate, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Scatter bocconcini slices on top of the mushrooms and bake for another 3 minutes or until the cheese is just melted. Retrieve mushrooms from oven.
- To assemble each burger, layer lettuce leaves, one mushroom (cheese side up), a slice or two of tomato, one fried egg and more lettuce on a piece of bread, and top off with another piece of bread.
- Enjoy with wild abandon, casting aside all unreasonable thoughts of maintaining any sense of decorum.

Bocconcini mushroom burger with fried egg, lettuce and tomato.

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