Big Bunz – Matraville

Bianca: Buns, Baps, butties, cobs, rolls…whatever you call them. I’m across them. If there was ever a pinup for the humble bread roll surely it would be me! I eat bread and butter like there’s an incoming shortage and I’m pretty sure I’m slowly buying up the world’s stockpile of burger paraphernalia. It’s a curse being this fabulous, really!

Enter Big Bunz in Matraville, yes it’s a schlep but I’m more than happy to travel for food if it’s worth it and spoiler alert… it is.

Owners Mel and Frank are pretty much some of the nicest people you could meet and after chatting to them it felt like we were old friends, some truly lovely people! The shop is geared towards takeaways and quick turnovers. But there is ample indoor seating for those wanting to stick around to enjoy their food.

With 18 burgers on the menu, there’s pretty much something for everybody. Beef, steak, chicken and even a fish burger. But what impressed me most of all? The fact they offer the choice of three buns – a milk, brioche and gluten free bun. Big tick right there. I went twice in the span of a month, the first visit with Alejandro and the second time with mum, wanting to treat her to a good burger before a lil shop over at Peter’s of Kensington.

I get immediately side tracked by milkshakes I have no idea why – it’s usually the peanut butter ones that make me go weak in the knees but I was instantly attracted to the Big Bunz Shake – a mixture of Nutella and marshmallows with full cream milk $7.5. Yep I’m one of those people that orders skim milk with my milkshakes, Mel happily obliged, bless!!! Worried that the skim would dilute the flavour, she really needn’t have worried. There almost seemed to be an entire jar of Nutella in this shake. This one’s a doozey! Alex was easily swayed into the Strawberry Milkshake $5.50 (with full cream) citing originally that it was a little icy and watered down, boys are incredibly lazy and after a quick swirl this was easily rectified. As rich and full of flavour as the Nutella shake. I’m not gonna lie, with the burgers, shakes and sides… this wasn’t going to end well.

Alejandro went with his go to favourite, the Southern Fried Ranch – Fried chicken, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato and ranch sauce on brioche $9.50. First up, tasty tasty chicken. Juicy and succulent with a crispy coating, Alex and I both agreed that we liked the fact that cheese comes standard on most of the chicken burgers, a real rarity.

The bacon was crispy without being directed to do this, another big bonus. And the dreaded salad portion of the burger…oh boy. The tomato was acceptable but way too much lettuce and some lettuce core, really not a fan. Alex had about 3 bites before he admitted defeat. The whole burger just fell apart. A later discussion with owner and Chef Frank led to the point that the brioche just didn’t hold up, so for those that enjoy a more sloppy experience you might not mind so much. I’d go the milk bun for this burger for sure and it would be far more enjoyable, as it stands though. For the FBAS crowd this one gets a 3.6/5 pickles.

I made a mental note for the Cheeze & Bacon for a future visit and opted for the Big Bunz – Double beef patty, double cheese, double bacon, onion rings, pickles, big bunz sauce on a milk bun $14.50. Yep, so ordinarily I don’t do doubles but sometimes you have to suffer for the pictures!! The patties were seasoned well but slightly over done for my tastes. After Big Bunz big photo-shoot, I then removed one of the patties (sorry Frank, I can’t do double patties!!) making for a much more enjoyable eating experience.

The American cheese was perfectly melted, the bacon super crispy with none of that stringy fat, the onion rings just adding that pure gluttony! Oh and some pickles to cut through the richness, hahaha. I had to, sorry. Best of all, that Big Bunz sauce. Interestingly Alex really enjoyed this burger, he tends to favour fried chicken burgers so that’s saying something. I opted to have mine on a milk bun and it made the world of difference, despite its hefty girth mine held together till the very last bite. A very cohesive and delicious burger, I was pleasantly surprised. A strong 4.6/5 pickles.

Of course we had to get some sides, you know…for research. A large serving of the Friez $6.50 which are hand cut in store. Not something you come across too often. Our first visit they weren’t as crispy as I’d ordinarily like but the seasoning was nice. But they were much crispier during my second visit, with Mel and Frank putting it down to the individual batch of potatoes.

Fried sides are the way to go obvs and we just had to get the Onion Ringz large $7.50 which were crispy and didn’t have any of that raw onion bite that you can sometimes come across. And if possible they tasted even better the second visit!

And the last of the food, a serving of the Southern Fried Chicken Stripz (3) $9 large generous strips made from chicken breast, which were juicy with a crispy exterior. Alongside the big mac style sauce and the ranch sauce.

Wanting to keep things simple my second visit I went with the Cheeze & Bacon -w/ beef, bacon, cheese, onion, pickles, ketchup & mustard on a Milk bun $9. Sometimes simple is always best and this was another great burger, a cheeseburger profile with great proportions of mustard & ketchup.

The beef was cooked slightly over but this didn’t detract from it’s flavour, Frank simply mentioned to let him know my preference in the future. The only letdown was the bacon. Not as crispy as my previous visit and every bite that contained bacon had stringiness to it, meaning I had to get the paws in there to pull at the bacon. If it weren’t for the bacon this would be a near perfect cheeseburger but it still gets a strong 4.3/5 pickles.

Madre ever the chicken faithful had the Mehicana -w/grilled chicken breast, cheese, lettuce, jalapenos, spicy jalapeno mayo and added pineapple $9.50. Firstly pineapple near anything warm is a major no-no for me. But she loved the combination. The grilled chicken was juicy and we both liked the kick from the mayo and jalapenos. We both agreed on 3.8/5 pickles.

I feel slightly better telling you we did bring a doggy pack home with us despite our best efforts during Alex and I’s first visit. As far as the area (and I don’t know it too well) there isn’t much in the way of competition but they really are producing some fantastic burgers. Put aside the fact they operate like a standard take-away joint and give them a go, you really won’t regret it.

Bianca

Photos by Alex & Bianca

 

http://bigbunz.com.au/

*For Food’s Sake dined as guests of Big Bunz our first visit, but all opinions and thoughts are our own. Especially when it comes to ‘all the burgers’!!