Goodtime Burgers, the Eastern – Bondi Junction

Bianca: My definition of a good time is usually one that involves burgers, peanut butter and a low-key stalk of Brock O’Hurns Instagram page (thank me later)! Goodtime Burgers are one of four restaurants/bars housed in the Eastern, a multi-faceted venue offering 4 varying restaurants from American, Seasonal Australian to Mexican food.

A menu change a few months back, breathed some life back into the venue and word of mouth was that the burgers were much much better than before. I’ll call it as it is and there really wasn’t anything drawing me to the burgers prior to the recent overhaul. So suffice to say I was incredibly, pleasantly surprised by the burgers here……

Alex and I put on the fat pants and made the trek over to Bondi Junction. The venue is pretty kitsch, mirroring an American old school diner. Alex was unimpressed with the lighting scenario but you win some you lose some. And I was about to win an extra 2kg!

Always a sucker for fried chicken, Alex had ‘The Wingman’ – Southern fried buttermilk chicken, American cheese, bacon, kale slaw and California gold $13. Side of Fries $3. Adornments on burgers has become all the rage with chefs, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a chicken wing skewered onto the top of a burger. I get it, chicken wing/chicken burg. But it didn’t exactly work for Alex and myself. I typically think if you’re going to have a novelty item on a burger it should be completely edible, a de boned and stuffed wing perhaps? But a wing bone in, I find too jarring. They don’t call me a burger Nazi for nothing!! #winggate aside. The chicken burger was fantastic!! With a juicy, crispy chicken thigh fillet, the perfect amount of sauce. I found the slaw a bit much but everyone knows how I feel about foliage on burgers. Alex absolutely LOVED this burger, so much so he rated this in his top 3 burgers in Sydney at the moment. Up there with MisterGee’s and Bar Luca. And that’s saying something! He rated it slightly higher but we compromised on a FBAS score of 4.5/5 pickles.

I went the classic cheeseburger route with the ‘Royale w/cheese’ – Beef patty, American cheese, jalapeno pickle, Spanish onion with G.T.B special sauce + Added cheese & crispy bacon & Fries $17. I was really blown away by this burger, everything worked incredibly well. Nice Smokey char and flavouring to the patty, cooked beautifully medium rare, nice and pink. Gorgeous melted double American cheese, with my requested crispy bacon. Saucy not wet or overpowering. It’s common to have burgers chock a block with ingredients fall apart because the buns can’t handle the magic. But the bun remained intact and ‘structural integrity’ wise it’s one of the better ones I have encountered. I couldn’t help myself and had to add a mac n cheese ball to the roof! A well-deserved 4.6/5 pickles.

There was talk of truffle fries but we thought we’d forgo the heartier carbs but they threw in some regular fries as sides for us to try. One definite item on the menu to order were the Mac & Cheese Balls $10. Dangerously addictive and truly gluttonous, with a nice mixture of herbs, chives to cut through some of the richness. But who are we kidding…I was advocating for the Jalapeno Poppers –w/American cheese and ranch sauce $10 because I truly love them! They knock a bit of a punch, a bit too much for Alex. But if you like spice you’ll enjoy these.

And lastly, for some greenery the Tortilla Chips & Guacamole $8. Your standard guac and cheese, with some textural elements in the form of diced tomato and Spanish onion. The guacamole could have benefited from a touch more seasoning as it was on the bland side.

All in all, a really surprising meal at Goodtime. And one that I would recommend to burger lovers. Their Wednesday specials are something to keep in mind!

Bianca

Photos by Alex

*For Food’s Sake dined as guests of GoodTime Burgers but all opinions are our own and when it comes to burgers, you know I cannot lie!