Froth it up mon

See the photo? See that smooth corduroy action? Well now imagine the opposite of that, with froth flying everywhere and waves breaking in all directions; that was the unfortunate reality we were met with on Sat morning when Dub, Joeleee and myself ventured down the west coast. Then to top it off it hailed on us, sideways. Arseburger! Taking shelter in the barbie enclosure, Dub was warming his hands on the free electric hotplates (thanks Torquay council!) when all of a sudden the clouds cleared out and the wind dropped right down. I can only guess that all the hand clenching got mistaken by Dave as prayer? Saint Dub anyone?

The early miserable conditions had done wonders for the crowds. Apart from a few unhappy looking euro backpackers learning the ropes we're the only guys out there for most of the arvo! You know what that means, plenty of waves and plenty of reform green near the shore. Joeleee and I learn the hard way not to get greedy on the shore break as the 5ft swell is prone to jack up quick and put you down hard on your head, but apart from that we are lords of Torquay. Again and again we take the protected reef route out then let the rip wash us back along the beach into the takeoff zone. Zombie would have laughed (cried?) if he saw the conditions but in the end it was us who had the last chuckle, the WW motto of "ride everything" saving a fun day. Back to the newly discovered Spooner's, now christened "Miserable ballad café", for some not so tasty background music but some fortunately tasty burgers.

Lockie

the connection between dave, noosa and a cup of tea

i bet Dave drinks earl grey

Another fantastic break in Noosa goes by, thought you may be also interested in the various postings from the week.

Sunshine

Wind

waves takeaway burger peregian beach

Waves Takeaway in Peregian Beach recently changed management. Mum reports that the new staff are much nicer than the old staff but the milk is more expensive than before, so she buys hers from the greengrocer now.

However the Yellow Pages suggested this was the most likely spot for me to find a tasty burger anywhere between Coolum and Noosa, so I thought I would give it a go. I chose the "Works" for $7.50 and a chocolate milkshake. When asked whether I wanted pineapple, I said "yes". When asked what sauce, without hesitation I gave the answer "BBQ".

I will put it out there. The Waves burger is on the same tier as Andrew's, made with far more care and attention than you will get in Albert Park, and delivered to your plastic table outside. It ticked all the boxes for a genuine old school burger as you can see. Perhaps the patty could have been just slightly meatier but we are talking just fractions of points here. I give this one an emphatic two-handed TASTY. STZ.

PS Luca loved the chocolate milkshake, didn't leave me much.

i wonder what happened to betty's burgers

OK I can take a hint, you wanted to know about burgers in noosa. Well I have started my investigations and sorry to say so far a bit sad. As it happens there was an iconic place here called Betty's Burgers, as described by elder Stubbsie in 2002:

Neither a restaurant or a cafe, Betty’s Burgers are a local icon. Betty has been “serving Noosa since 1978” with burgers that are cheap as chips. Betty was in Hastings Street until she fell victim to progress and was banished to the Noosa Woods (near the first rock wall.)

Sorry to say that there is no sign of Betty these days, the last reference I saw was in this article from the ABC, explaining in 2002 that she had a one year licence to sell burgers out of a van. The closest thing to a van now is Bill's coffee beach 4wd thingie but not a burger to be seen.

Don't get me started on burger edge which has moved in to the soulless apartment block that was build where Betty once served her $1 burgers. You know where I stand on that franchise.

I have a couple of contemporary leads that I am following up so don't despair yet.

Zombie

Burger Restriction at Pit Stop

"This New York style burger is unhealthy, and I am restricting you from eating it"

"No - it is an Acland St's. Pit-Stop Burgers, one of the finest that St Kilda has to offer. And it is particularly tasty, given the time of evening. In fact, you'll not find anything tastier"

WWZ

Decided to go out at Peregian this morning to annoint myself as a whitewater specialist. I was bored with the champagne and corduroy at Noosa. Actually I am too lazy to get in the car as can carry Mal down the hill.

WWP would have wet himself this morning: never seen so much foam.

Will have another look at Noosa this arvo but meanwhile here is our local Kookaburra..

urban burger

This is another catch up blog to support the google flag. I don't think we blogged this before (?). Urban burger in Richmond was definitely tasty when I visited some months ago. A modern burger with paper bags and the groovy modern condiments you have come to expect. I had a mini burger on the way to the corner for a gig. They have an article on the wall promoting the fact that their burger with the fancy Japanese beef is 10x cheaper than some posh restaurant -- didn't try that one though to hard to say is the claim is worthwhile.

burger forum

Whilst googling I noticed this forum on burgers, quite a few that we haven't rated. Have ewes seen this?

http://livechat.inthemix.com.au/forum/showthread.php?p=241167

Heathcote Redux!

Suddenly a mysterious blog about the famous Heathcote Burger appeared from behind a bush, surprising everybody with its ingenious simplicity.

The sign outside the Green Frog Milk Bar in Heathcote said:

So after a walk through the old mine workings, Joel-eee and Dub decide to try it. The milkbar has been a feature of Heathcote for many years. Most probably since about 1531AD when it first started serving meat and onion 'shandwyches' to the hungry farmers after a long day in the fields.

Since those early years, the milkbar has changed very little, except that the fare has transformed into a very tasty burger with all the modern additions. These days you'll find few farmhands in the cafe, but plenty of hungry customers!


Joel-ee seemed to enjoy the "Heathcote Royale", complete with beetroot:















Get that Tasty Burger down, Joel-eee!

Book of revelations

First things first, there are *no* burgers in "Burger Rings", I checked the ingredients. On top of that they don't even taste anything vaguely like a burger, let alone a tasty one! There has been some fraudulent marketing from Smiths and we're here to bust this scandal wide open! Be warned people…

This is one of the first ever midweek updates but based on the results of yesterday's (Thursday) expedition there should be plenty more. Dub, myself and Mr X (so named to protect his identity due to the fact he *might* have snuck out of work a tiny bit early) read the charts and come to a realisation that sometimes limiting yourself to Sat/Sun surfs just aint enough. Everything is primed for great conditions but two days before weekend freedom. With a collective "screw that" we point ourselves west side and leave the cube dwellers behind.

First stop Ocean Grove, partly so we could check the surf there, but largely so we could drive past the best church ever, The Wave, which is obviously and undeniably the church of Dave our bogan wave god [pbuh]. Currently there are a bunch of tech savvy baptists (be sure to enter their site and check out their random forum topics and blogs) using the joint and praying to some guy called JC(?!?), but once we school em in the might of Dave they will no doubt see the error of their ways. Lucky he is such a friendly god, worst thing that could happen for their false idol worship might be a dumper (even then, only onto sand). Anyway, the church is awesome looking but Dave is punishing the blasphemous occupation by blowing out the actual surf conditions so we retire for sustenance and a rethink.

Onto to Torquay we find an almost empty carpark at low tide and consistent 3-4ft sets rolling in so out we go! Almost immediately we are catching waves left right and centre. So many breaks and so few people it is hard *not* to catch a great wave. In fact X and I both catch our respective best waves ever, long green rides from waaay out the back all the way in, walking forward to catch the reform for a second crack at it then cruising all over the face once more! Dub is killing it as well in perfect WWP conditions, it seems everytime one of us is up and having a look around, another is up on the wave in front. At some point in proceedings we all find ourselves on the shore exhausted and bemoaning the lack of bionic paddling arms… but only briefly until the empty waves call us back out for some more little rights from just off the reef point. Such a sublime day of surfing, big smiles all round and an exhausted happy burger crew. The sun is just starting to set as we roll back home and I could scarcely think of a better way to spend a Thursday. More soon I hope.
Lockie

It's a nice day for a white water wedding...

Why the title? Partly because we have an early early surf today (8am departure, geez) so that Joeleee can get to an afternoon hitchin' (not his own) and partly because of the froth that we spend the morning taming at Jan Juc. Upon arrival Zombie and Dub seem unusually suicidal and head out at Winki point to mingle with the friendly locals on the sharp reef. Feeling more antisocial JC and I stroll back to the main beach break and discover that there's a whole bunch of fun to be had when the frequent sets roll in. The best spot on the beach is taken by some kind of surf comp but there's still about 25 peeps out either side trying to pick there way through the dumpers. We give that theory a miss and just catch *everything*, closing out or not. Either we ride victorious over the white water or occasionally grab a few seconds of green, lovely. Dub and Zombie come to their senses and join us for more of the same. If Dave sends white then you are going to have to ride it, and we do, all four of us to a wave at a point. A mad dash home for Joeleee just as the wind makes conditions shitey. Great Sat out.

Lockie

The Great Burger Cook-off - Round 2

This entry is completely out of order but worth posting at this late date lest Joeleee's burger be forgotten. So for those that have been following the saga, we were up to round 2 of the burger cook-off with round one having been more than sufficiently dealt with Messrs C and K and Ms B. Well researched and exactlingly crafted round one scored a unanimous 'tasty'. Joeleee, on the other hand, was stepping up to the plate with a whole lot of talk and a very relaxed attitude to preparation. What's more he'd taken on the ambitious task of having most everyone he knew come over for the barbie... Could this brash young man live up to his own hype? time and tastebuds would (actually 'did') tell.

A simple but healthy red coloured pattie, some seemingly decorative lettuce, quality cheese, unorthodox pineapple and a pellet powered barbie? What was the man thinking? The Basic Burger textbook had gone out the window and i feared we could be playing russian roulette with our mouths (dun dun duhhhhh [ominously]). With a calm demeanour Joeleee cooked the whole lot up, seared the pineapple, laid it all on some crispy white buns and then pulled out the secret CMD (Condiment of massive deliciousness). A home made 'mystery' sauce that gave the whole lot a special zing... in fact one might even say... a tasty zing! yes that's right, again a unanimous tasty verdict! just look at us munch those suckers. Good work JC and cheers to another successful round of burger cooking. The pic above is a large pair of shoes.... the ones that Zombie and MM are going to have to fill come Nov 4th and round 3 hehe ;)

Lockie

PS sorry pistol, was too busy munching missed a shot of you mid burger.

PPS full sets of heathcote and joeleee's barbie here

We have a sympathetic committee

Based on the fact that at least one of the heathcote party was unfairly represented by the flash photography of previous post I have edited that post to make them look more like they usually do...

And will post a few pics here as well for our audience who might have been wondering, what has happened to the Tasty Burger crew? Too much actual living and having fun and not enough blogging it would seem! It kind of reminds me (but in the opposite way) of this great cartoon I saw once, heh. We're delinquent still on Joeleee's burger comp entry (see next post) AND we went surfing today AND serhio and I made tasty experiemental burgers last night... geez, get typing Lockie!

So last weekend there was the annual Heathcote Food and Wine Festival. We mustered up about 20 people for a camping trip there and had a rollicking good time drinking more shiraz than you could poke a stick at, even a stick with 3 prongs....

no tasty burgers and no surf (stage 2 water restrictions anyone?) but heaps of fun

Heathcote

Hi, Zombie here. Please feel free to edit this as I don't have many inspirational words and missed the goldmine but just wanted to share a few snaps from Heathcote. Saturday night brought plenty of tasty treats and 70's beats courtesy of my Ten Years of Countdown tape. And my apologies to anyone who didn't know for the first hour that we actually had a CD player as well..

Broulee Burger

On inter-state assignment on behalf of the Tasty Burger crew, Joel-ee endured a logistical nightmare to get the EOD board through the gates of Canberra International Airport (note the TLA) and hitch a ride in a souped up Scube down to Broulee Beach, just south of Bateman’s Bay for weekend of surf and a few quiet ones.

While the company and pit stops on the way down were suitably dodgy, the accommodation turned out to be a magnificent, not-so-little beach house overlooking Broulee Main Beach and Broulee Island. The walk from porch to waves was small and quick – but unfortunately on this weekend, so were the waves. The beach break clearly contained superb potential for epic conditions – gentle sand slope with at least 2-3 breaks to choose from. However, the small size did not deter the punters. Throughout the weekend, a decent size crew of young and old were to be found bobbing in the 1-2 foot swell, patiently waiting for the rogue 2½ -3 footer to emerge and provide a ride. Cameron O’Neill, (aka Pooffy the man-slayer), the outstanding organiser and happy host, was out for his first surf of 2006, but tackled those waves with the gumption of a South Coast teenager chucking a Mainy on a Friday night – with skill and perseverance. Steve Brown, the finest beer chilling, CEO toppling and coffee-running Canberrian known, provided more than adequate supervision of the picturesque porch.

Personally, I preferred the gentler, less current affected waves of the Main Beach (pictured below, with island in background), but just a few Ks down the road is the South Beach with a breakwater to provide a bit of shelter form its more exposed nature. A word of warning though, there were a couple of local looking grommets who seemed prepared to protect “their” waves and a few “pleasantries” were exchanged with this intrepid traveller.

But were there burgers to be had…. ? Between Canberra and the coast in a town called Braidwood, I went for the chicken burger at the local watering hole, The Mail Hotel, a fairly standard country Australian pub with more TVs and pokies than teeth. Unfortunately, the burger was a pitiful affair, with a slightly grey fillet mashed between brown-ended lettuce and sticky buns – Not Tasty.

Thank goodness for the local Broulee take away shop located in a quaint terrace just across from the Main Beach, specialising in burgers and pizza - I would dare to guess they crank during peak season. While the filling and patty were of average inspiration, they did offer a choice of four different sauces – BBQ, sweet chilli, spicy chilli and standard. Opting for the BBQ, I found it not terribly drippy, which was a mild disappointment, but good flavouring overall. Most importantly, after a 2-surf-session day, the burger was most welcome – Tasty.

Apparently some people also kicked a funny shaped ball around...

If the melbourne cup is the 'race that stops a nation' then grand final day is the 'game that empties Torquay beach break'. Relying on the Vic obsession for any type of footy final, (even if there hasn't been a victorian team contesting one for years) we head down the sunny west coast to catch emptry waves. 'We' being *almost* the royal 'we' on this occasion as people are either watching The Game (Zombie), managed to catch rickets (Serhio and his painful bones) or just pooped out saving up for a big Sat night (Dubmeister). Thankfully Joeleee shakes off a massive hangover and makes the trip with me.

Our dedication is duly rewarded by Dave who lays on a splendid day of 3 footers rolling in on the incoming tide. After an initial struggle to find my place amongst the longboard riders I find a secret takeoff spot at the second break while Joeleee on the huge 'EOD' mal has no such troubles and can mingle in the pack. Between the two of us, obscene amount of green and also an amount of literal red face due to terrific weather. This is what summer is going to be allll about. We even find a burger joint in Torquay village, right next to the lamentable Soulfuel. I can't remember the name but the staff are super nice and the burgers are super tasty! Herbed patties, big swiss cheese and yummy sauce... how could we have missed it til now?

Spanking day

Lockie

PS photos are not of us, just some gumbies in the wash after we'd finished :)