How restaurants are lifting the humble burger

Author: FoodPeeps

The burger may be one of the simplest dishes on any menu. Some of Sydney's best known venues are proving that simple does not have to mean ordinary.

Start with the produce

At Icebergs Dining Room and Bar in Bondi, head chef Antonio Colonna has kept the Iceburger almost unchanged for close to a decade. The patty is Angus beef cooked over coal for smoke and texture. The bun has stayed the same for seven years. The sauce recipe is kept secret. Spring onion is used instead of red or white onion because it is milder and sweeter.

Colonna's view is that great produce does much of the work for you. The burger sits on the bar menu next to dishes such as caviar and reef fish crudo. It is held to the same standard as everything else that leaves the kitchen.

Technique and a clear offer

At Jōji in the Sydney CBD, executive chef Erik Ortolani runs a venue that is part bar and part restaurant. Guests wanted comfort food to go with their drinks. The answer was two burgers cooked on a hibachi grill: a smashed Wagyu burger with Wagyu bolognese on potato bread with pickles and American cheese, plus a lighter Ebi burger made with Moreton Bay bug and prawn.

Both sit inside a $39 weekday happy hour deal that also includes fries and a martini. The venue reports selling around 100 Jōji burgers a week, even through July, usually one of the quietest months for rooftop venues. Offering only two burgers was a deliberate choice to keep the decision easy for guests.

The bun and the cheese count

Suppliers say the parts around the patty are where many venues can stand out. A premium bun such as brioche, milk or potato style adds softness, structure and visual appeal. Cheese adds flavour and indulgence. Saputo cites research that 90 per cent of consumers rate taste as the most important quality in natural cheese, while good melt and easy peeling matter in a busy kitchen.

Lessons for your menu

•      Treat the burger as a signature, not a shortcut

•      Keep what works consistent so regulars know what they are getting

•      Use cooking method, such as charcoal, to add flavour

•      Keep choices limited

•      Use the burger as an affordable entry point while diners watch their spending