Chur Burger, Surry Hills

A recent, somewhat heart-wrenching disappointing sewing class in Surry Hills sees me seeking solace by stuffing my face with burgers...Chur Burgers to be precise.

I have no idea what "chur" even means. The chef/owner here is a Kiwi, ergo it's a Kiwi term.  The mind boggles. Perhaps it's Kiwi for "Australia seems like a wicked place, let's all move there"?  The Boy and I wonder if perhaps those Kiwi's are trying to say "char" (like char-grilled burgers) but it comes out sounding like "chur"?

I don't want to leave readers dying of curiosity so a quick foray into the Urban Dictionary in necessary.  It reveals "chur" a contract of "cheers" - like "thanks". Chur bro'.

Only a few months ago this place was a fancy-pants restaurant called Assiette. Assiette closed down to make way for a slightly less fancy-pants restaurant called Albion Street Bistro. Chur Burger sprung up around the same time as a "pop-up" in the backyard of Albion Street Bistro...until the whole place burnt down.  From the ashes rose Chur Burger, taking over the whole restaurant in what appears to be a smart move given they've been selling out of burgers nearly every day.

 

One of the best things to come out of NZ, besides Lolly Cake and Smokey O's BBQ is LP (Lemon + Paeroa), a delicious, sweet but lemony soft drink. I always thought "Paeroa" was some weird secret ingredient but I was told recently it's a town in NZ. 

We kick things off with a serve of BBQ Chicken Wings ($10.00) that come with a creamy, delicious blue cheese dressing.  The wings are very sweet and I think they could've done with a bit more a savoury note.  The blue cheese dressing is so delicious I basically hog the whole bowl to myself. Oink.

I have plans of working my way through the menu, but on this first visit I decide to be a traditionalist and order the Beef Burger ($10.00) that comes with melted cheese, tomato jam, mustard mayo and sliced pickles. 

I enjoyed my burger, though my buddy Katie said hers was too heavy-handed on the mustard mayo (it was literally oozing out the sides)...mine on the other hand was just right. This is a really good sized burger and for $10 I felt like it's a bit of a steal (especially in Sydney). The patty was good, and well done just like I'd asked for. I loved the slight heat the mustard mayo gave the burger and they were really generous with the pickles = thumbs up! The tomato jam was a nice touch and gave it a bit of a fancy pants edge over other burger places.  I think it was the salty, sour pickles that made this burger for me.

Sophie decided to order the pulled pork burger ($10.00). It was a little messy and she had to admit defeat or risk walking out with a burger in her lap - oops!  We each tried a bit of the pork which was quite sweet and not smokey like I was anticipating.

Where there are burgers there must be CHIPS!! Potato ($5.00) or Sweet Potato ($5.00)?  Or, you could get both like we did. I really loved the potato chips. The were fat + fluffy and were seasoned with a savoury chili salt. I especially loved them when I dipped them into the creamy blue dressing that we had left over from the chicken wings. The sweet potato chips were nice and I liked having a choice of two different types of chips.  They were an inconsistent shape however so some were nice + crisp and some needed just a smidgen more in the fryer.

There's been A LOT of hype about this place since it opened hence my expectations were SKY HIGH which is always a dangerous thing!  I couldn't handle another disappointment so soon after my sad sewing class.  Whilst the food didn't blow my mind like Shake Shack did, it was decent.  I wouldn't line up for an hour to eat here, but I'd happily turn up at a weird, late/early-lunch timing hoping to score a table and a feed.  Props to the staff who are VERY friendly and welcoming. Chur dudes.

Chur Burger is at 48 Albion Street, Surry Hills. Phone them 9212 3602.

Chow, Wellington (NZ)

As soon as I spotted Blue Cheese Wonton’s (drool) on Chow’s menu I immediately added the restaurant to my ever-growing NZ eating wish list. I mean what could be better than blue cheese?  Deep fried! Rhetorical question as we all know the answer is NOTHING people, NOTHING!  Thing is I ended up dismissing Chow from our Wellington scoffing-fest as it turned out that the location I’d pinpointed on their website was too far from our hotel.

 

And then foodie fate stepped in. The Boy and I were out for a walk one night after another BIG dinner and stumbled on a Chow right up the road from our hotel. Who knew, not me! D’oh! We only had one night left in Wellington and I’m so blue(vein) that I only had one opportunity to indulge in their blue vein wontons. 

I love the décor here, it feels like a dark and cozy den.

We kick things off with a serve of Asian Greens that are drizzled with sesame oil + oyster sauce (NZD$11.00) that we paired with udon noodles with sweet garlic soy (NZD$5.00). I love these two simple yet flavoursome dishes so much that I tried to replicate it a home for dinner recently. It was “kind of” the same, but not really. I didn’t get the sauce right on the vegies, and the sauce on the udon noodles just didn’t hit the mark. Sigh. If you have any tips please let me know!

Next up is the Pekin duck, sticky rice, shitake mushroom +  lemongrass lettuce cups (NZD$15.00). The duck is minced, rather than the shredded duck I was imagining (I think I had visions of Peking Duck Pancakes dancing around in my head). Again NZ thrills me to the core as all their meat is free range.  If it’s SO simple for nearly every café in NZ to offer us free range meat then why can’t we follow suite in Australia? Hmm?

The coconut prawn dumplings with galangal, bamboo + lemon grass (NZD$15.00) look more like Sui Mai but thankfully (for me) they taste more like a good old prawn dumpling.  And what about Castro’s blue cheese and peanut wontons with berry coulis I hear you ask?  I didn’t really understand the berry coulis, which was quite sweet, but the wontons were GREAT! The blue cheese was quite sharp and had a pungent flavour that gets right up in your nose – blue cheese lovers will know what I’m talking about. The soft cheese was the perfect marriage for the salty, crispy wonton wrapper. Quite literally, sublime!

Despite a few gristly bits we both really enjoyed the flavoursome and moreish rib of beef (NZD$17) that had been marinated in coconut cream, lemongrass, ginger, kaffir lime + chilli. It was literally finger licking good! The Boy’s choice will always be (free range) chicken satay (NZD$15.00) that came with cucumber sticks and a lovely thick, spicy peanut sauce.

There’s always room for dessert when your sharing but we were divided on our opinion about the dark chocolate brownie (NZD$13.00) that was spiced with lemon grass + fresh ginger and served with vanilla ice cream. The Boy loved the way the tangy Asian herbs offset the rich chocolate....I’m still mulling it over. I probably should’ve have another serve just to get my head around it!

Chow can be found at 11A Woodward Street, Wellington CBD or at Level 1, 45 Tory Street, Wellington, New Zealand.

Matterhorn, Wellington (NZ)

Matterhorn seems to be the coolest "too cool for school" bar come restaurant in windy old Wellington...which is funny considering that it's been kicking around since 1963.  It's older than both The Boy and I, and about 1000 more hip too! 

Matterhonrn has a recent makeover giving it a sleek, hip new interior that reminds me a lot of Melbourne's CODA.  A revamp of the menu helps to brings this old joint right into the 21st century. It would be interesting to see some photos of what this place was like back in the 60s. I can't quite imagine it.

We were quickly running out of time in Wellington and a quick pit stop seemed like the best way to squeeze in a visit to Matterhorn.  Proving that we are in too uncool for anything we arrive right on opening time (3pm) for a spot of afternoon tea (how very nana chic of us). Of course at 3pm they are not serving the full menu so we grab four out of the five of their bar snacks and sit back and enjoy our snacks.

I really enjoyed the white bean + lemon dip that came with shards of crispy pita bread and a spring onion relish (NZD$9.00). The dip was zesty thanks to a hint of lemon, quite creamy yet lighter in texture than the more popular hummous.  The pita bread chips were super crispy and certainly seemed like a more healthy alternative to chips. I found a really simple recipe for this dip + chips and whipped it up to take to a BBQ recently - I was a bit heavy handed on the garlic, but other than that it was good.  The nori salted potato crisps, house soured cream (NZD$7.00) on the other hand is something that I'd never be able to replicate at home. The crisps we so thin and wonderfully salty with hints of nori flavour  throughout. The were perfect just on their own so we left the sour cream to its own devices.

The bit sized morsels of crispy fried corn fed chicken (NZD$15.00) was served with a really interesting sour peanut sauce.  Interesting in a good way of course, still very peanuty yet slightly sour at the same time - like it had been mixed with vinegar.  The salt cod croquettes with lemon and saffron aioli were as soft and pillowy as mashed potatoes yet quite strong in flavour - probably not great for people who don't like their fish fishy, but we devoured them in minutes.

Mattheron can be found in the Cuba Street Mall - 106 Cuba Street, Wellington, New Zealand.

El Matador, Wellington (NZ)

Despite my obsessive list making and need to visit every restaurant on my eat-list when I travel...I do also like to explore a new city and stumble up little gems that the internet hasn’t dished up for me before my trip. Which is how The Boy and I found El Matador...a post dinner stroll after our dinner at Logan Brown led us to El Matador...a self-proclaimed “old world” Argentinean eatery.

We returned a few nights later with my work peeps for a good old meat-feast. It’s really interesting to see in NZ that nearly every restaurant we went to served free-range meat AND eggs, and they stated it loud and proud on their menus.  I really think this is GREAT and I wish that more Aussie places would do this – just say it up front so we don’t have to ask.

El Matador cooks all of its delicious meat on an open wood fired grill, known as an adores and parrilla (yes yes, just like Porteno here in Sydney).  We left smelling quite smoky – but it’s a small price to pay for an amazing feast.

We begin our feast with a few plates of tapas.  It seems most democratic for us each to pick the tapas of our choice. I tried really hard to influence people’s choices (food bloggers prerogative, right?) as there were SO many great things listed on the menu.

My choice was broad beans with prosciutto, cos lettuce, onions & cream ($NZ9.00).  This seems like such a simple dish on face value but it really was so flavoursome.  Now that I’ve had the pleasure of trying fresh broad beans I have to say I love them. My mother used to serve up the frozen kind out of a bag when I was a kid...nasty stuff.  The Baking Lady went with the grilled chipotle octopus w/ fennel, red onion & tomato (NZ$12.00). The octopus was so tender and smoky in flavour – a great dish.

We also sampled a simple salad of baby spinach salad with feta + sherry vinaigrette (NZ$7.00) – I could replicate this at home, but it’s the broadbean salad I’d really like to be able to whip up in my kitchen (any tips people, please).  A plate of steamed asparagus with basil butter (NZ$8.00) also graced our table along with a good old tapas staple - patatas bravas - fried potatoes w/ spicy tomato sauce (NZ$7.00).

To be our celebration of wonderful, free-range meat we decided to order an extra tapas dish for the table – just for good luck.  The grilled flank steak with chimichurri ($13.00) was wonderful. The meat was so tender it just fell from the bone with the touch of the fork.  The meat was so perfectly flavoured from its smoking over the parrilla.

With the arrival of the Parillada we move on to larger shares plates (NZ$45.00). This platter is crammed to the hilt with chicken, morcilla, chorizo, moellajas, beef  and lamb all fresh from the parrilla – it’s wonderful!

Morcilla, or blood sausage, is something that I’ve recently come to appreciate and this rendition is great, quite dry and crumbly.   I also love the garlicky chorizo, so much so that I might have snuck more than my fair share...which is fine really as Miss P is garlic impaired so I was doing her a favour by eating her share.

We finish the dinner section of the evening with a wonderful hunk of Rump steak (NZD$25.0) that is cooked medium in order to keep it nice and tender. Lady Ruth and I nearly went to heads on the cooking of the steak, her being more from the “ I like my steak pretty much raw and still mooing” camp and me being form the “burn it til it becomes shoe leather” camp.

El Matador recommends that this cut of steak is best served medium…a good compromise that saw us both pretty happy I’d say.  The rump was grilled over the wood-fired parrilla and came with some beautiful chapa potatoes, onions and chimichurri sauce. The potatoes were EXCELLENT - like someone had tipped a super tasty bag of Thins onto our plate.

Time for dessert and in a VERY smart move The Boy decides to go out on his own and orders a serve of Churros with warmed spiced chocolate sauce (NZD $9.00) all to himself.

Not wanting to be left out the ladies at the table also ordered the Churros.  I have to say it was the best Churros I've ever had - I think the spicy chocolate sauce really gave this dish a real ZING.  Because we're sharing our dessert amongst four bellies it seems sensible to also order the Panqueques con dulce de leche with the ice cream of the day (NZD $10.00).  These thin little pancakes were lifted to another level with the addition of the sweet dulce de leche. The richness of the sauce was cut through by the sharp flavour of the strawberry ice cream. Lovely.

El Matador is at 196 Cuba Street, Wellington Central, New Zealand.

Arthur's + Martha's Pantry, Wellington (NZ)

It’s no secret that I’m a bit of a nana. I love eating dinner before the sun sets, discount vouchers really get me excited and tucking myself into bed for an early night with a good book is my idea of a party-time!

I do draw the line at watching Miss Marple on TV though (it's on too late), but cute, quirky cafes like Wellington’s Arthur's...and sister cafe come bakery Martha’s Pantry speak right to my inner nana. Crammed full with more bric-a-brac than your grannies house these two cute cafes are grandma chic and I LOVE them.



Located at the top end of trendy Cuba Street Arthur’s is a sweet little bistro that serves standard cafe/bistro fare in a homely setting that feels both welcoming and comfortable.  Arthur's is housed in one of Wellington’s lovely old wooden homes that remind me a little of a fisherman’s shack. So sweet...so nana-ish!

The Boy and I have basically been eating non-stop for five days so we decide to lunch on something healthy, yet hearty and the Ploughman's Lunch for two (NZ$32.00) is just the ticket. Arthur’s Ploughman comes on an adorable granny-inspired two tired cake stand that is crammed with delectable morsels like cold meat, local cheese, housemade terrine, homemade preserves, pickles, along with a of radish and apple chutney. The whole lot is served with some lovely focaccia bread & butter.

As we’d be so virtuous with our healthy lunch which decide to do some damage an order “spiders” for drinks...mine is a lime spider and The Boy sticks with tradition and opts for a good old Coke Spider.

Our drinks don’t seem nearly naughty, or calorie laden enough, so we decide to duck across the road and visit Martha’s Pantry for some good-old home baked goodies.

This bakery is just too cute and anyone with a sweet tooth and penchant for home-baked goodies will be in heaven here. They do a full-blown high tea (that you MUST book in for), but we just want a little something something.

The Boy was quite taken by The Hummingbird Cake that our blogging friend CatsLoveCooking made for a  recent trip to the Mi Casa Su Casa supper club so orders the Gluten Free Hummingbird Cake here. It’s good and sweet – but a tad dry (maybe because it’s gluten free), but we think CatsLoveCooking was WAY better – much more moist and the pineapple in her cake was tops.

I go all Jerry Seinfeld with my choice of the Neenish Tart – the black and white tart, that is so racially harmonious as Mr Seinfeld so astutely notes (though mine didn’t make me sick like poor old Mr Seinfeld’s did). I really loved this tart – crumbly shortcrust base that is filled with mock cream – half the cookie is then covered in chocolate. Yum.

You can find Arthur's at 272 Cuba Street (Te Aro), Wellington Central. Just across Arthur Street you find Martha's Pantry at 276 Cuba Street (Te Aro), Wellington Central, New Zealand.

Sweet Mother's Kitchen, Wellington (NZ)

I was lured to Sweet Mother’s Kitchen by the promise of po’boys.

I first tried po’boys at Hartsyard where I fell in love with their hearty crumbed oyster po’boy that comes smothered in a hot chilli sauce, served on a homemade English muffin and crammed full of creamy ‘slaw. It was seriously one of the best things I’ve ever put in my month.  Since that day I’ve decided to make it my life’s mission to try po’boys every time I see them on a menu.

In a token nod to Meatless Monday I ordered the Fish Po Boy (NZ $10.00) (I just could not bring myself to try the Tempeh Po Boy – as much as I love Tempeh). Sweet Mother’s po’boy is fashioned more on the New Orleans style sandwich than Hartsyard's more fashionable rendition.

Sweet Mother’s specially makes their baguettes which are then toasted and topped with lettuce, tomato and Creole mayonnaise. The fresh fish was coated in a cornmeal and Creole spice blend (that wasn’t very spicy).  It didn’t have the flavour punch of Hartsyard po’boy - a good dash of hot sauce, some ‘slaw and seasoning would’ve lifted things – but it was a good, simple sandwich.

To say I had food envy over The Boy’s choice of Fried Chicken (NZ$17.00) is an understatement - so much so that I went back for lunch the next day and ordered it for myself!

The buttermilk soaked (free range) chicken strips were so moist and tender, and the crispy fried outer shell gave an audible crunch as it was bitten in to.  It's incredible to me that even in a little student filled cafe like this they're using free-range produce. Way to go NZ, you're tops! The chicken was served with New Orleans style dirty rice that resembled turkey stuffing, along with some creamy coleslaw and the most amazingly flavoured sausage milk gravy that was peppery, fatty and smoky.

On our return visit (the VERY next day) The Boy ordered the Pulled Pork Po’boy and it really was very very good! The smoky marinade of the pork really lifted things in terms of flavour and the coleslaw added a nice fresh “crunch” to the sandwich.

We also ordered a side of crunchy and seasoned curly fries (NZ$6.50) served with Creole mayo that came served in an American diner style red plastic basket.  The fries go REALLY well dunked into the sausage gravy from The Boy's fried chicken dish.

I’m one of those people that study the menu of restaurants weeks, and sometime months before I actually get to eat there.  I’d had my heart set on the Peanut Butter Pie here for months so when the waitress told me they’d sold out of all their pies I was, needless to say, totally and inconsolably devastated.

Miracles do happen sometimes though as the waitress quickly turned my frown upside down when she told us that they’d unearthed one last, lone piece of Peanut Butter Pie. Oh my, it was everything I’d hope for – a thick, moist chocolate cookie crust with a chilled, whipped peanut butter filling that was as light as whipped cream!

Oh, Sweet Mother’s Kitchen – you really as are sweet as, bro!

Sweet Mother's Kitchen is at 5 Courtenay Place (Te Aro), Wellington, New Zealand.

Logan Brown, Wellington (NZ)

Wellington’s Logan Brown is a beautiful place – set inside an old bank building with high ceilings and an enormous chandelier the first glimpse of the octagonal dining room is simply stunning.  Like Sydney’s Rockpool Bar and Grill this dining room is dressed to impressed and the setting alone tells us we’re in for a fantastic evening. The vibe is elegance...and the food is spectacular!

Of course with beautiful dining rooms and spectacular food come a bit of a price tag.

I was dead keen to go to Logan Brown on my recent work trip to NZ but just wasn’t sure we could afford such a fancy meal on top of what was going to be a week long trip of eating out.  Lucky for me my inner bargain hunter kicked in. Whilst scouring their website I noticed a deal too good to be true – three courses for $45 per person...you just had to dine at 5.30pm. Not a problem for me as my inner-nana LOVES an early dinner.

Our meal kicks off with freshly baked house bread that marries perfectly with the salted butter as well as the olive oil + balsamic mix.

The Boy orders what has now become his new favourite beer "Three Boys Wheat".  I think he likes the flavour but he probably likes it more so as it comes in a HUGE 500ml bottle - bottoms up. I opt for a lovely local Pinot Gris - I don't' know much about wine (ok, anything about wine) but I've recently discovered that Pinot Gris is the drop for me.

As part of our pensioners dining-deal we could choose from two entrees, three mains and two desserts. The Boy and I show that we both have impeccable taste by ordering the same entree and main.

Our entree of Maple Smoked Salmon with Fennel Slaw, Beets and Horseradish Cream is divine. The salmon has distinct smoked/woody flavour and scent that we both adore and the fennel slaw and horseradish cream lend a fresh, light flavour to the strong smokiness of the fish.

It seems silly to go to NZ and not order lamb – there are after all more sheep living here than people!  The Coastal Spring Lamb Rump with Kumara Gratin, Crushed Peas and Thyme Jus was BEAUTIFUL. The lamb was cooked perfectly, still fairly pink and so tender, but not bloody which is a no no for this piggy.  The Kumura Gratin tasted less like sweet potato and more like regular potatoes and the crushed peas were like spring on-a-plate. A beautiful dish, of well-balanced flavours, that showcased some beautiful NZ produce.

Having had some wonderful cumin carrots at Atelier just the week before we could not resist a side order for carrots cooked in honey and soy.  It was such a colourful and fresh tasting dish that got me thinking I should try growing some heirloom carrots on my balcony garden rather than just the Bunnings seeds I have at the moment.  I also ordered a little garden salad...just because.  I really love the flavour adding a squeeze of lemon gave to the bowl of salad leaves...really “zesty”. I'm going to add lemon to my leaves at home...so simple, but so tasty.

When it comes time to order dessert The Boy’s love for chocolate shines through and he orders the and super naughty Whittakers Chocolate Vengeance with Raspberry Ripple Ice Cream. I just love the name “chocolate vengeance”.  The slab of chocolate mousse was sinfully sweet and super rich, an aptly named dessert I think.  My dessert, Billy Scott's Strawberry Shortcake with Eton Mess, felt a lot more virtuous – mainly due to its lack of chocolate. The shortcake was lovely – not too heavy, and the Eton Mess was more of a foam atop the biscuit than the smashed pavlova I was expecting.

This was a great night and a really special dining experience. I had thought for $45 we’d perhaps get tiny little serves, but the portions were very generous and we left rubbing our bellies and feeling very satisfied.

Logan Brown is at 192 Cuba Street (Te Aro), Wellington Central, New Zealand.