Spoon, fork & Chopsticks: Chur Burger, Surry Hills

Sitting perched on a bar stool in Chur Burger’s graffiti-walled interior, a nostalgic look crosses my face as I glance over to where a table for two once sat near a window. There, I had celebrated my first wedding anniversary with a dinner at Warren Turnbull’s Assiette, which went a little something like this:

Fast-forward to almost four-and-a-half years since our wedding and Chef Turnbull has reinvented Assiette into the more everyday and affordable, but far from paedestrian, Chur Burger. This burger temple retains echoes of Assiette’s space with the cosy open kitchen still proudly on display and the romantic cornices of the former fine diner.

It’s 12:30pm on a Thursday and the crowds are pumping, as are the tunes. Although you order and pay upfront before being handed a numbered stand, a helpful staff member will direct you to available seats. It’s burgers, fries and shakes here but make sure you check out the specials board next to the cashier for gems like ‘Charred corn with chipotle mayo’. The mayo is tangy, addictive and perfect for dipping chips into.

So brioche buns may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I love their slight sweetness sandwiching the juicy umaminess of burger patties and melty cheese. The buns here are shiny and adorned with sesame seeds. Add tomato jam, rich mustard mayo and tangy gherkins (a generous amount AND sliced lengthways!) and you’ve got a winning combination of flavours. The chips are crisp and dusted with chilli salt, and I notice the ladies next to us have ordered some of the mayo for dipping. Monsieur Poisson and I are defeated by the serving size but that probably had something to do with this being a second lunch for me that day! Coz that’s what you do when the Mini-human is with Grandma-care and you steal a lunch date with the Husband, right?