Burgerhood

This is how you do neighbourhood fast food.

THERE IS A very big difference between commercial fast food and a place like Burgerhood. This neighbourhood burger shop on Darling Street in Balmain used to be one half of Wilhelmina’s small bar. But what was slightly awkward as a dual carriage bar works really well as a bar next door to a burger shop with an inclusive attitude and free soft serve.

That’s right: free, provided you eat in. Once you order your bun stuffers, fries (sweet potato or regular shoe string) and possibly a banana milkshake, you can grab a cone from the counter inside and self serve that soft serve. You can get a second cone – for you or a pal – for a gold coin donation that goes to a local primary school. If booze, not sugar, is your vice you’ll be pleased to hear they have a licence, so a Coors or a Sierra Nevada pale ale is yours for the asking.

After rigorous testing we reckon the hood burger is the way to go. It trumps the cheeseburger with the addition of lettuce, tomato, onion and hood sauce, which is zippy with pickles, like a snazzy tartare, but creamier, and also very good on chips. The Bloody Mary burger swaps pickles for horseradish, but is messier in the eating – the burgers here lean towards the saucier end of the spectrum and the bread won’t always make it to the final bite. Vegans and vegetarians get a salty spiced patty that’s stained pink with beetroot. You can get glutenfree buns, and also egg-free options, too. àShop 1/332, Darling St, Balmain 2041. 0475 333 032. www. burgerhood.com.au. Daily 11am-9pm.