Chur Burger, Surry Hills (CLOSED)

Originally published 9 September 2013

First visit

Before I launch into my debut review; I’ve got to be honest. I’ve been on a low carb diet this past week and the only times I’ve slipped is when I failed to resist the advances of a sliver of ice cream cake from Gelato Messina. I just want to be real transparent with you guys because I feel that many reviewers fail to account for their circumstances when judging something. Here’s an example; say you had just been cheated on by your boyfriend and then went to watch Mr. and Mrs. Smith. You would’ve HATED the movie because you could see that Angelina and Brad were clearly into each other whilst poor Jennifer Aniston was sitting at home wondering why no one wanted to marry her.

Anyway, sorry about the long winded introduction. I decided to conduct my first review on the new ‘IT’ burger place: Chur Burger in Surry Hills.

This place has been blowing up the food blogosphere and was even featured in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide. I finally found the time to venture out to Surry Hills to sink into something that was sure to shatter my diet. To my absolute delight, it was located on the border of Central and Surry Hills which meant that my post-meal waddling wouldn’t be a marathon.

I went by myself so I apologise in advance for not having had a chance to try everything. You’re not going to believe this but not everyone was able to leave work half way through the day. A quick scan of the menu led to me choosing the Pulled Pork burger. I glanced at the sides and saw chili salt and chips in the same sentence.

Sold.

My meal got to me incredibly fast due to the fact that I arrived just before the lunch rush that stormed the premise as I got ready to leave. I was given a large bottle of water and no one gave me a condescending, pity laden ‘table for one’ look which I appreciated.

The key to a delicious burger is having great buns that encapsulate the goodness you’re putting in. If your buns are too soggy, you’re left with glorified mush in foil. On the flip side, having two concrete slabs as bread will do nothing to enhance your burger eating experience. With all that being said, the buns that my delicious pulled pork was encased in were perfect. They were thick enough not to crumble under the thick sauces in the burger but not so hard to the point in which I’d need a dentist after a meal. I’d say the burger was the equivalent to what a Big Mac looks like on McDonald’s advertising; so roughly twice the size of a Big Mac straight from the box.

The pork was seasoned and not plain like a certain burger establishment located at Harbourside. The BBQ sauce swirled with the fennel mayonnaise to make a lethal concoction in my mouth that I haven’t experienced since the first time I tried fennel mayonnaise with bbq sauce. Yes, the combination was so good that I couldn’t think of an example strong enough to explain how unique the taste was.

A little more transparency for you guys, I’ve always had more affinity for fries than I’ve had for chips. Both are great but shoestring fries are what I’d prefer to send into my belly. With that being said, these chips laden with chili salt were great for the carb deprived version of Isaac. There was a hint of lemon/lime embedded within the salt that added another level to what should’ve been a simple side dish. The serving of chips was designed for two so keep that in mind. I haven’t had potato in a month and even I couldn’t finish it by myself.

I was incredibly satisfied upon the completion of my meal. The combination of extreme hunger, not having carbs in a week and Chur Burger’s fantastic produce led to me immediately declaring it one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.

Originally published 27 November 2013

Return visit

I recently posted my list of restaurants that I wanted to visit on my Facebook page and asked my homies where I should go next.

You’re not going to believe this but most people just went on with their lives instead of helping me deal with the ultimate first world problem (which awesome place should I have lunch next). I interpreted the apathy as something completely differently. Maybe they didn’t want to see me write about anything on the list but maybe they wanted a sequel to somewhere I’ve already been.

Well, if that’s what the people want, that’s what the people are going to get.

Chur Burger returns to iFat theatres.

Let’s hope this sequel is more like the Back to the Future movies and less like the Matrix sequels.

I can’t believe my first food review was eleven weeks ago. I feel like rubbing bad food puns in your faces a lot longer, I mean I doubt anyone’s gotten the bad taste of their mouths just yet (heh).

Anywho, eleven weeks later and Chur Burger has solidified their status as one of the best burger places in Sydney. The initial food blogging rush gave way to the public rush and Chur is now home to dozens upon dozens of hungry patrons from lunch straight through to dinner.

I had to go back though. Food blogging extraordinaire Ramen Raff designed a burger for Chur that I just had to try. Unfortunately for me it had already been sold out by the time I got there.

Fortunately, Chur still packs multiple punches that my body was ready for.

The first jab I elected to receive was in the form of a large bowl of sweet potato fries that my friends had scalded me for not selecting on my last trip:

I fell in love with sweet potato when I went to Jazz City Milk Bar about a month ago. Maybe it was because I’ve had tonnes of regular potato fries in my day (not exaggerating) but the sweet potato was such a refreshing change. Chur’s offering was clearly authentic. Huge chunks of sweet potato deep fried and their flavours brought to an optimal level with the light sprinkle of salt.

The misshapen sizes of each chip added to the natural feel of this guilty pleasure. I would’ve loved for them to have had a bit more crunch but what I got was exactly what I wanted and then some.

Now for the uppercut:

As always, Chur Burger presents an extremely photogenic burger that makes all other burgers want to rush home, re-apply their makeup, straighten their hair for a few more minutes and bust out that sexy dress they’ve been saving for an occasion.

I liked the lamb burger but my mind didn’t twitch towards the engagement ring I carry around in my bag. Maybe it’s because I was so keen for the pork belly burger. The ingredients in the burger to complement the lamb proved to be an amazing supporting cast but the lamb patty was a tad dry and bland. I don’t even usually like feta but I really liked it in this burger.

This is like going to a U2 concert except Bono had a sore throat. You still enjoy the music but this uppercut was lacking a bit of zest.

Here’s what my sparring partner opted for:

She enjoyed the burger immensely and her only criticism was that it wasn’t an entire fish patty. I think this was because the fish kept slipping out of the burger and she felt clumsy. I approve of anything that can make me laugh and a grown woman trying to catch deep fried fish falling out of her burger fits that category.

Originally published 30 November 2013

The Katy Perry Edition

I know what my readers have been thinking.

I’ve published almost thirty posts now and I have yet to make a single Katy Perry reference. I have completely neglected discussing her failed romance with Russell Brand and the way I’ve disregarded her burgeoning romance with John Mayer has been a disgrace. Not even once have I noted how her cameo on How I Met Your Mother was infinitely better than fellow pop star Britney Spears or that she and Zooey Deschanel have never been spotted in the same place.

It’s time now.

Once again, I took myself on a date to Chur Burger to get a hold of Ramen Raff‘s allusive burger and I thought that I’d hum some of Katy Perry’s most popular hits.

Which is how Chur Burger (Katy Perry Edition) came to life.

Yep, I’m milking the Chur Burger franchise like Warner Bros is milking The Hobbit. Let’s go!

When people discuss the one that got away, they tend to be referring to  a romance that fizzled out or one that came to a conclusion because of circumstances outside of their control. For me, the one that got away was and still is a burger.

Ramen Raff’s crispy pork belly burger was available throughout all of November but it had escaped my grasp every time I tried to get a hold of it. Drastic action was required so I decided head to Chur as soon as it opened even though last Friday night completely drained me of my energy.

Spoiler alert: I kissed a burger and I liked it.

Here it comes….

BOOM:

Look, some burgers leave you hot & cold but this one had me completely speechless. I have heard rave reviews from the food blogging community but I had no idea the level of flavour that would be pulsating from this pork filled delight. Juices came flowing out of it upon its first pick up; it’s almost like the burger was crying tears of joy having finally felt my warm and tender embrace.

Speaking of warm and tender; the pork belly was the star of the show. Nicely layered and with a crisp layer of fat that you just wanted to let loiter in your mouth. The supporting cast for the tender pork belly was also top notch. I had no idea there was celery in the burger until its distinct flavour blew up like a firework during one of my large bites. Another unexpected aspect was how sweet the burger was, I’m guessing it was the glaze that gave the burger its sugary hit and my belly roared with delight.

I loved it. I loved it so much and ate it so enthusiastically that I actually finished my burger before anyone else in the restaurant had received their order.

Yeah…I have a big mouth.

Final thoughts. Though we only shared one lunch date, I knew upon first bite that you were my burger soul mate.

(I’m sorry)

Chur Burger

48 Albion Street, Surry Hills

Historical opening hours at time of review

Day / service	Hours / details
Monday	11.30 – 5.00pm
Tuesday – Saturday	11.30 – 10pm