Bare Grill on Bourke, Surry Hills
Re-inventing the classic milkshake, burgers and fries combo
Located 417 Bourke St, Surry Hills 2010
Branded with the signature Bare Grill, the burgers from Bare Grill and Cafe are as iconic as they come. Catapulted into popularity by Fatties Burgers Appreciation Society, this restaurant has built a reputation for delivering juicy burgers with hella’ good sides. With enormous success at their La Perouse store, the owners of Bare Grill have expanded shop along Bourke Street.
On a fine Sunday afternoon, I ventured to Surry Hills to try out Bare’s famed burgers along with a selection of their house-made drinks and sides. I was one of the many guests at this Instafoodie Event, proudly sponsored by Ompty. It was lovely meeting all the fellow Sydney food bloggers and bonding over all our love for all things food. Shout out to Little Fat Kid, Anita Stop Eating, Tsymelissa, lilyoukeatfood and Ms Daisy Couture. If you haven’t already, I would highly recommend you check out their Instagram accounts as there’s an enormous gallery of photos that are bound to make you drool.
The event started with a bang with a huge selection of waffle fries, hot chips and their signature burgers arriving table to table. This irresistible spread was certainly not for the faint-hearted! One stand-out feature from the array of dishes was the Epic Fries. Waffle fries (yes, you read right!) are paired with pulled pork, cheese aioli, Carolina sticky BBQ sauce and bacon. I’m over the moon that there’s finally a joint in Sydney that offers waffle fries. They’re ubiquitous in the States but sadly not in Sydney. These relatively rare gems are the tastiest when you load them with all the toppings. It might be a mouthful, but trust me when I say it’s worth it.
Their burgers were also stand-out. Three varieties were on special today. To start, there was the Mr Beefy Burger. This handsome burger was loaded with liquid cheese, pulled short rib, a beef patty and coleslaw. The pulled short rib had a strong smoky aroma and taste. The chefs were very generous with the liquid cheese, covering the beef patty entirely with this tasty yellow sauce. All the fillings were sandwiched in between two perfectly buttered buns. Who needs a boyfriend when you’ve got Mr Beefy?
Along with Mr Beefy, we were served the Miss Piggy Burger. This burger was equally as delicious as its beefy counterpart. The bun was filled with bacon, pulled pork, cheese and coleslaw. The coleslaw gave the burger that tangy and refreshing bite, so it didn’t feel too overwhelming to eat all that pork. But the crowd favourite was definitely the Nacho Libre Burger. This mammoth burger was packed with guacamole, sour cream, chilli con carne, beef patty, cheese and if that wasn’t enough — corn chips! It was a beastly creation that tasted like a hybrid of all the best Mexican dishes. Chilli: tick, guac: tick, nachos: tick. All the best of Mexico rolled into one!
To wash down all this greasy goodness, we were supplied with Freaky Shakes. If you thought the burgers were mammoth, wait till you see these crazy milkshakes. The first was the Nutella Milkshake topped with a nutella donut, crushed nuts and a “healthy” dose of chocolate syrup. It delivered a simultaneously sugary and chocolately hit from the first sip. Best to share this with a few friends as one milkshake is guaranteed to put you in a serious food coma. The second milkshake, the Golden Gaytime Freak Shake, was a more inventive take on the classic milkshake as it was paired with Australia’s favourite ice-cream. The hero of this shake was the Golden Gaytime. Not only was the ice-cream blended in the shake, but the drink was also topped with a whole paddlepop. This crazy creation is really testament to the Golden Gaytime craze dominating Sydney’s food scene at the moment.
Overall
Bare Grill on Bourke is my new go-to burger joint. It’s conveniently located near the city centre (making it a perfect meeting spot for friends) and more importantly the food here is reliably tasty. Having built up a fan base from their La Perouse store, the boys from Bare Grill and Café have strategically set up shop in Surry Hills. To describe this eatery in one word — it would be epic. Who knew that a classic milkshake, burger and a side of fries could be re-invented so creatively?
Rating: Yummy in my Tummy
Service: 5/5
Gourmet Gumbo dined as a member of Instafoodie Events.
