1969, Collins Street, Melbourne

I got my first real six-string
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Played it 'til my fingers bled
It was the summer of '69

 

Summer of '69, Bryan Adams

A favourite watering hole for Tim and I was Zuffas, which used to be located on the upper floor of the ANZ Royal Bank building in Collins St, Melbourne. The drinks were cheap and on a Friday evening, the place was usually not crowded.  It was also the scene of my only non-work foray into karaoke, where I learned that my singing voice gets the serious shakes in public and doesn't benefit from the  amplification of a microphone.

Sadly, Zuffas closed, and the space was vacant for a while.  However, a new tenant has now taken up the space, a burger restaurant called simply "1969".  You can guess from this that the theme of this burger restaurant is the year 1969.  Music from that year plays on the stereo, and the food is named after memorable bands, songs, movies and TV shows from that year.  You'll find The Brady Bunch (sides), Honky Tonk Woman (a burger) and Yoko and John (a vegetarian burger) on the menu, along with a galaxy of others.

We  ordered the sweet potato fries ($6) from The Brady Bunch selection.  These thin crispy fries, served in a paper lined basket, came seasoned with herbs and aioli on the side:

It was hard to pick a burger because they all sounded so good.  Tim chose the Easy Rider ($10) - beef and cheddar with onion and tomato jam:

I went for the Jimmy Hendrix ($10) - Jamaican pulled pork and pineapple slaw:

 

What I liked about the burgers at 1969 was not just their cool names, or their delicious but different flavour combinations, but also that they were not enormous so that you felt that you needed to run a marathon afterwards.  This is perfect for a work lunch situation, when you don't want to go back to your desk to face the afternoon with a bloated, groaning stomach.

 

The staff were friendly and efficient, and made me truly think that, as is emblazoned in neon on one wall of the restaurant, "This Is The Place".

 

1969 does breakfast, lunch and dinner during the week, so there are plenty of options to try them out.  It's definitely a repeat venue for me.

 

1969

Rear, 360 Collins Street

Melbourne VIC 3000