Recently, Emporium, a massive new shopping centre, opened in central Melbourne. Emporium also links up internally with Melbourne Central, Myers and DJs, so you can literally shop until you drop.
After spotting the massive food court on Level 3 of Emporium, I persuaded Tim to come along with me and check it out for dinner one Friday night. We were glad that we did - the food court is awesome, unlike many other similarly named establishments, because the food outlets are high quality, different to other places (no golden arches to be seen), and the atmosphere is much classier than your average food court.
Tim and I promenaded around the whole food court before deciding to check out Charlie & Co Burgers, which is the new Melbourne cousin of a Sydney establishment. I was sold by the big signs describing some of their burgers. When I read the words "beetroot" and "pineapple" on the sign describing the True Blue Burger ($14.50), there was no going back:
And what a beauty it was. As well as said beetroot and pineapple, there was a Wagyu beef patty, barbecue sauce (a must have), mayo, lettuce, cheddar cheese and bacon. It was a big mouthful for one girl, but I had no probs polishing it off.
On the side, you can see a serve of sea salt fries with ketchup that I shared with Tim.
Tim ordered the Mexican Burger ($13.50), again with wagyu and cheddar cheese, but with pickles and chilli mayo (there were also meant to be onion rings, but they had run out):
The buns were tasty and did not overwhelm the filling. The service was pretty quick given that there was a never-ending line snaking around the place. You don't have to stand around waiting for your order - you are give a beeper so that you can sit and relax while waiting for your order to be prepared. I also liked that you could see the staff making the burgers as you waited through a glass partition.
I would definitely go back to Charlie & Co for their tasty, hearty burgers.
A fave place of Tim and I for coffee is Self Preservation in Bourke Street. This little cafe always has a selection of tasty cakes and tarts in the window. My favourite tart to date was this chocolate and caramel number:
It comprised a chocolate shortcrust base, a smooth chocolate filling, and topped off by an almost jelly-like caramel. I was in heaven!!! The staff are very understanding of us wanting to share one piece of tart, and always give us two forks without being asked.
Self Preservation also has a small but discerning menu for main courses, alcohol etc, so if you fancy something a little more substantial than coffee and cake, you can certainly find it at Self Preservation. For art and jewellery lovers, you can even shop while at Self Preservation, as they have regular exhibitions of artists' work.
Emporium Melbourne
287 Lonsdale St
Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 03 8609 8136
70 Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Ph: 03 9650 0523
How interesting-I had no idea that Charlie & Co had opened up in Melbourne. The burgers are great-I still remember the Plan B wagyu burger. It was divine!
ReplyDeleteThat burger looks amazing - I love the height of it! And beetroot and pineapple in a burger are essential! It's good to know food courts are going up a level - some of the earlier ones are so dire xx
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness Charlie's burgers look fabulous...I'm coming there and we are going there! Something about a really great looking burger that just makes it impossible to pass it by. This whole shopping/dining combination sounds like a lot of fun.
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