“DOES the world really need another burger joint?” asked my wife as we drove through South Fremantle.
“Of course it does,” I answered.
Unintentionally, we had just condensed the book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus into one brief conversation.
The burger joint in question was Big Rigz Burger Co, a relatively new player on the corner of South Terrace and Sydney Street.
As we walked inside, the young man behind the till gave us a big American-style “Hi, guys!” and asked for my name when I ordered.
I’ve seen this in other burger places and it’s clearly a ploy to make the experience feel more personable, but this felt genuine and not like someone was pulling a giant cord on the man’s back.
The menu included a nice range of beef and chicken burgers, three vegan/veggie options, chicken wings, loaded fries and some thick shakes.
The interior was pretty minimalist: the walls were lined with unassuming booths and there was an island with napkins in the middle of the cafe.
The star of the show was the graffiti-style art on the walls, creating a skate park vibe (beware old fogies from Cottesloe), and the cafe’s huge windows brought South Fremantle to life.
First up were the kids’ lil rigz meals ($10), which included a dainty cheeseburger, fries and a pop-top juice.
My daughter is normally quite apathetic about burgers, but she got tore in, munching through the bun like Punky Brewster on speed.
For $10 the kids meal deal was great value and the portion size was just right (often you get too much or too little). Both trays were almost empty after 10 minutes.
Across the table my wife was tucking into her cheesy rigz ($12).
She likes simple, classic burgers and was enjoying the aged, grass-fed beef patty with cheddar cheese.
“You can tell the patties are handmade and there’s just the right amount of pickles, onion and mustard. It’s a delicious cheeseburger and one of the best I’ve had in years.”
I was feeling like something healthy and went for the vegan rigz ($19). My burger was nuclear hot and plumes of steam rose upwards as I bit into the beetroot and mushroom patty.
Veggie burgers have come a long way since the days of desiccated fritters that tasted like cardboard, and this burger was super moist with soft caramelised onion, tomato, beetroot relish and pickles, keeping my palate on its toes.
The burger wasn’t too big (I hate when towering burgers fall apart and turn to slops) and I could pick it up quite easily.
Our side of Korean wings ($13) were made from free range chicken with a sweet dark sauce and sesame seeds.
They came with a splotch of kewpie mayo and chilli oil.
The crispy batter and chook were top notch, but the sticky sauce was a bit too sweet for me.
Big Rigz was pumping on a wet Tuesday night and it’s clearly popular with locals.
So, yes, the world clearly does need another burger joint.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK
Big Rigz Burger Co
231 South Terrace, South Fremantle
http://www.bigrigzburgerco.com