GRILL’D, Fremantle

by MATTHEW EELES:

BURGERS are one of my favourite things to make at home. I love digging my hands into mince to combine chopped garlic, home-grown herbs, a generous crack of salt and pepper and a little smoked paprika before moulding scoops of the mixture into gigantic patties.

Once I’ve slapped pickles, caramelised onion with brown sugar and balsamic glaze, bacon, a slab of cheese, fresh crunchy lettuce and a squirt of mayo between two halves of a toasted bun I’ve got myself a tasty meal that’s set me back around $5, plus my time.

I don’t like the idea of paying more than this for a burger outside my kitchen but I couldn’t resist trying Grill’d—Freo’s newest burger joint that’s taken over the old Tea Merchants corner (where Papa’s used to be so long ago) on the cappuccino strip.

To add some variety to my review—and because I was starving—I ordered three of the four sliders available ($15). One has beef, cheese and pickles and another has beef, pomegranate and mild wasabi slaw. A lack of filling was disappointing but the beef patties were beautifully tender and mouthwateringly juicy.

The third packed a walloping punch of flavour with Asian slaw, mint, coriander and roasted peanuts. The chicken was perfectly moist but again, skint on filling. All up the sliders were more bun than anything.

Jesse went with the bacon and cheese burger ($11.50). It’s a mammoth offering stuffed full of cheese, salad, relish, herbed mayo and crispy fried bacon which he was drooling over.

We both ordered a side of hot chips which I found to be highly addictive. They’re coated in a delicious rosemary herb mix and plenty of salt. I could eat them all day but my mate reckoned they tasted like a bowl of his nanna’s potpourri. Each to their own.

Grill’d serves your standard cookie-cutter chain-style burger, with nothing new to offer, which is a shame. With so many burger restaurants offering the same thing and claiming to be healthy, surely there’s room for a successful “big food” restaurant offering real value for money in a burger.

Something that leaves you feeling guilty like a glory days Captain Munchies at 3am, which is OK sometimes.

Grill’d
17 South Tce, Fremantle
Phone 9335 3000