The Best Burger In Town!
WORDS: CHYKA KEEBAUGH
IMAGES: MARCEL AUCAR
LOCATION : THE COMMONS CLUBHOUSE
When a burger is more than *just* a burger…
Last year during the middle of Melbourne’s second lockdown, Bruce had a brilliant idea. He wanted to turn the area around our event space Ormond Hall into a beautiful, lush garden. A space filled with functioning vegetable gardens, overflowing pots and places to lounge and, of course, dine in. So in between stay at home orders, lockdowns, the opening and then shutting of hospitality - we mustered all the creativity and energy we could, and together with our incredible Big Group team, created that garden space and turned it into the fabulously fun spot we all now know as The Commons. Making our open garden dream come true and now having a beautiful, thriving business is incredibly exciting.
While The Commons slowly came together late last year, something occurred to Bruce and me. We create amazing parties and cater to all in unique spaces. All of this work is done by The Big Group. Why not move our business upstairs at The Commons? Then we can all enjoy and see our hard work paying off, day after day. We can work in a gorgeous, creative environment and enjoy what we have created.
Having a space like this has indeed been incredible, and it’s given everyone that lovely feeling of being together again. Coincidentally, we also moved into a new apartment last year. So when it came to decorating and styling The Commons, I knew exactly where my surplus furniture and collections would be headed! Now you know there is nothing this girl loves more than decorating to make the office feel like home, and it was so much fun to collaborate with the team at work and bring back to life some old favourites. Our office space is small but filled with creative details, eclectic pieces and comfy couches. This is a meeting space, a lunch space, a private area for drinks, and our reception, so flexibility is key!
But what does this have to do with a burger?
To know the connection, I’m going to have to fill you in on a bit of a secret… we are all a little burger obsessed at The Big Group. We eat them in our meetings, we compare notes on our own recipes, and we never stop sharing our latest finds and favourite burger joints. So when creating a new eatery connected to our new office - we knew we had to have the best burger in town! But what makes a burger so good? Is it the patty - well sure, is it the bread? Maybe. Or, Is it the sauce that holds the burger together? Absolutely! When your sauce is perfection your burger will sing, all you need to do is add a generous amount of it to each side of the bun, pile your caramelized onions on and you are on your way to burger perfection.
Secret Sauce Ingredients:
Mayonnaise
Tomato Sauce
Garlic powder
Spicy pickle juice
Dill (dried)
Fresh lime
Smoked paprika
Cayenne pepper
Ground mustard
Time to blend your ingredient & play with quantities, maybe you like a little more heat - add more Cayenne, Maybe you like a little more Tomato…. you know what to do! This sauce is about how you like your burger - get creative!
Mix together your Garlic powder, mustard powder & dried dill to give this sauce a nice punch of flavour.
Smoked paprika & cayenne pepper take the heat and smokiness to new heights, add a lot or a little.
Lime juice & Spicy pickle juice are an addition that makes this sauce POP!
My favourite places to indulge in a burger…
The Commons How could this not be at the top of my list! Delicious, not too big and accompanied by the perfect amount of chips. Delish!
Entrecote A simple cheeseburger royale with shaved truffle and fries? Yes, please!
Bettys Burger With so much to choose from, there really is a burger for everyone. This is my go-to burger when ordering in!
Bar Margaux A delicious wagyu patty, bacon, cheese, brioche bun, and pepper sauce make this burger stand out in this French restaurant and bar.
Ziggys A fab collection of Burgers and wraps that will not leave you hungry! Huge portions and yummy flavours make this burger joint a favourite.