January 2016: We're doing a bit of a blog clean-up and it seems as though Urban Burger closed down a while ago.
After watching the likes of John Lethlean scoff down mushroomy macro dumplings and Elvis Presley sandwiches, Michael and I were ready for a rock'n'roll dinner of our own. We didn't have to wander too far along Swan St for Urban Burger to present itself as a fast, affordable and appetising option. This is Maccas for yuppies in the vein of Grill'd and Burger Republic, and boasts the 2006 Leader Business Award for best takeaway restaurant in Melbourne. Meat-lovers have 10 beef and 8 chicken burgers to choose from, while vegos have four appetising options of their own: one with tofu, another featuring portabello mushroom, a vegan one with beans and lentils, and finally one with grilled eggplant.
These $9 burgers are enormous, on the same scale as those at Burger Republic. The menu describes the buns as a "sour dough wholemeal blend", but they tasted like the more typical doughy white flour roll to me. Their size makes them unwieldy and I had a serious filling escape and juice running down my hands, but the vibrant combination of ingredients was easily worth that discomfort: my Port Melbourne burger boasted a marinated portabello mushroom, roasted red capsicum, rocket, red onion, pesto and aioli. Michael was similarly pleased with his Vegan Vibe: a patty of red kidney beans, lentils, coriander and chilli teamed with avocado, salad, relish and the optional non-vegan aioli. Naturally there was also a shared serve of chips, with more aioli. They had a satisfying crunch but were a bit dry, falling well behind my Grill'd sample and, from memory, probably not up to the Burger Republic ones either.
Urban Burger absolutely hit the spot, and I'd happily revisit them for some more fancy fast food. However it falls a bit short of the where's the beef? award for best Melbourne takeaway.
Address: 174 Swan St, Richmond
Ph: 9429 9822
Unlicensed
Price: vege burgers $8.80, chips $3
Website: www.urbanburger.com.au
I'm sure you will find that Burger republic and Urban Burger actually serve the same brand of chips. I'm a massive fan of Urban Burger! It's not just about the food, but also the service you recieve there! The Staff are quick to welcome you and there is no problem with difficult orders. Urbaqn burger Richmond is a winner in my books!
ReplyDeleteYou might be right about the chips - there was a big gap between our Burger Republic and Urban Burger visits so it was difficult to tell. In the potato stakes, Grill'd still trumps 'em both for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad they satisfy your burger urges and hope that my sneaking suspicion that you're on their payroll is unfounded. :-D