Tasty burger drought in St Kilda

Despite the vacuum created when GBC and Tolarno both exited the scene in the space of about a month, there are still few physical signs of tasty relief around the Fitzroy Street area of St Kilda. For eateries, this area has always been a little more Darwinian than most in Melbourne because of the seasonal trade. Yet even in the coldest months (i.e. now) there are still plenty of punters around to make a profitable peddling of sufficiently tasty burgers.

So Pete ventured out to see what was out there. Two places were sampled: The Esplanade Hotel and Coneheads, both on or around Fitzroy Street.

The Espy has been around for longer than anyone can remember, and has a new kitchen. Their offering is a burger advertised as 'with the lot' + fries. At $15 a pop, this was going to have to be good to justify the price. The fries come with a tasty dipping sauce, but this was rendered unnecessary because the chips seem to have had a kilo of salt dumped on them. Bars like to serve salty food because the punters then feel thirsty and keep buying drinks, which is the business they're really in. Onto the burger itself: this was a standard patty (also salty), cheese, onions, lots of lettuce, tomato and bacon on a standard bun.
Verdict: Tasty but way overpriced - this burger can only be justified if it took a $5 haircut

Coneheads on Fitzroy St have the look and feel of a chain whose main food are cones of takeaway fries. They do a variety of burgers, so I tried the most basic 'with cheese' option at $6.90. What you get is a generic burger with a bland flavour, and afterwards a rancid taste in the roof of your mouth. Most definitely not tasty!
Verdict: Avoid

Here at Tasty Burger we take heart from the rumours of revival of the Tolarno burger somewhere in the neighbourhood - it cannot come too soon.