Bite Me Burger Co., 13 March 2009

I was asked to choose a place for a quick Friday night dinner and had the following criteria to take into consideration:

• central location to multiple workplaces
• convenient parking
• quick food and service (a friend had to get to the airport afterwards)
• a place with food that all friends would eat

That last criterion is always a bit contentious as not everyone I know happens to be a foodie; some of them far from it actually. Monsieur Poisson suggests Bite Me Burger Co. at Star City Casino, having eaten there recently himself, and everyone eats burgers… right?

Monsieur Poisson tells me he particularly liked the bread at Bite Me Burger Co., as well as the fries that come in cute, miniature supermarket trolleys. I immediately consult their website which details their use of bread rolls from Sonoma Bakery and a variety of cheeses with some from King Island Dairy. Mmmm… cheese! The menu, with its quirky names and inclusion of a wagyu burger, is a big drawcard for me. What I didn’t know, is that this burger joint started off its life in Paddington and was involved in a bit of controversy. How exactly it ended up at Star City Casino, I really don’t know.

On the evening we end up with several ‘Oh My Dog!’ footlong hotdogs across the table, in their soft rolls with slightly chewy crusts (the type that doesn’t stick to the roof of your mouth) and squiggles of sauce.

These are soon followed by the arrival of a ‘Wagyu Me’ which a friend assures me is very juicy. I tuck into my trolley serve of onion rings, which are presented strangely without said trolley. Monsieur Poisson enquires on my behalf and we are informed there are no more trolleys available for the evening. Considering that we are only one of three tables at 6:30pm, I suspect the mini-trolleys are staging a revolt in the kitchen. To make matters more confusing, we spot several trolleys for sale near the cashier.

 

However, the onion rings themselves do not disappoint. Not oily in the least and, best of all, are actual rings of onion – not mashed onion that has been reshaped into rings, battered and fried. They’re accompanied by a thin, seeded honey mustard for dipping.

 

Monsieur Poisson and myself are excited when our order is placed in front of us: a serve of four ‘Mini Bites’. Mini anything always means a greater sample of tastes and textures. We’ve chosen a mini ‘Oh My Dog!’, mini ‘Jack Daniels’, mini ‘Lambtastic’ and a mini ‘Pluck Me’.

The ‘Jack Daniels’ is spicy and sweet with its Jack Daniels-spiked barbeque sauce and Monterey Jack cheese. The ‘Lambtastic’ tastes very Mediterranean with its mint, cucumber, haloumi and yoghurt (It’s also meant to come on a Turkish roll but doesn’t look any different to us). The ‘Pluck Me’ is quite tender and, of course, I am very taken by the melted brie on top!

A couple of us order dessert when we notice that they have ice-cream sandwiches! Partly for the nostalgic factor, as ice-cream sandwiches don’t seem to be as popular as years gone-by, and partly because they’re made by Pat and Stick’s. I first encountered these at the Paddington Markets, but they’re also available at several retail outlets. This is the double chocolate one I ordered, which came conveniently cut in half and saved me from having to do so, as I was sharing with a friend.

Nothing like chocolatey ice-creamness to end a meal!

Bite Me Burger Co.
Shop R4 Harbourwalk, Star City Casino, Pyrmont NSW

Tel: (02) 9518 6477

Opening Hours:  Tues-Fri  12pm-3pm (lunch)

                                      5pm-late (dinner)

                        Sat-Sun  12pm-late

*EDIT*: Bite Me Burger Co. is no longer located at Star City, following major rennovations and re-opening in September 2011.

happy eating!