Huxtaburger, Collingwood by Big Fil

Huxtaburger, it’s a bit different to the other burgers around town. It’s not like your favourite local old school burger, the new school burgers from somewhere like Grill’d or upmarket like some twenty five dollar gastropub creation. It’s kind of hard to put my finger on in because it was a bit unfamiliar. 


Bill's burger

A couple of punters have said that they are like hamburgers from the good old USA, possibly true but it’s so long since I have been there I can’t really say. Certainly my Canadian fellow taster thought it was a good burger, better than others she had tried here, maybe hinting that it is more North American in style. If I had to explain the difference based on a single burger it is sweeter than an old school burger and with less meaty grill hei, messier and greasier than a new school burger and has less emphasis on a collection of high quality ingredients than a gastropub. They are definitely onto something though, juicy and with a great balance of flavours that blended together in arguably one of the best burgers going.


However my first impression on entering wasn’t positive as I didn’t really like the set up as a place to eat. We thought we were aiming for an early lunch but by 11.30am all the outside seats were taken and I thought that eating inside was a bit cramped. Noisy too, as between the sizzling hot oil and music turned up a bit too loud it was hard to hear someone sitting next to you.


The menu is short, variations on their basic Huxtaburger, a beef pattie with mustard, mayo, tomato, cheese, lettuce, pickles and tomato sauce. While I didn’t try the Huxtaburger as mentioned my companion de jour was most impressed, proclaiming it better than any of the others visited by her workplace ‘Hamburger Appreciation Society’. The crinkle cut chips made me feel a bit nostalgic but came without the classic crunch followed by fluffy filling of a really good chip.

My choice of burger was the Bill’s, a Huxtaburger but with bacon, egg, pineapple and beetroot (see first pic). It looked really good on its metal plate with its shiny light brown bun and brightly coloured egg and beetroot. As mentioned it was sweeter and less meat dominated than many hamburgers. Also, I found it fairly hard to distinguish the individual flavours of the various ingredients. Instead I was left with the impression of a slight dribble of sauce and juice down my arm combined with a real burst of hamburger flavour. I was like all the elements blended together so that instead of going good meat, nice bun, like the bacon, it was more like nom nom nom, good burger nom nom nom.



Overall
Most people have said that Huxtaburgers are amongst the best burgers in town. Most people are right. Not classic hamburgers but concentrated bursts of flavour at a reasonable price. Juicy too without being sloppy and perfectly sized when combined with a side order of chips to satisfy a hunger without leaving you later feeling overfull.

Verdict
Food – 8
Ambience – 6
Service – 7
Price – 7

Address
106 Smith Street
Collingwood VIC 3066
Tel: (03) 9417 6328