Rude Boy Burger in Brunswick West
Rude Boy Burger is a vibrant and top notch burger joint couched in the burbs in Brunswick West, owned by wife and husband team Karen Ascui-Rodriguez and Franco Caruso, (also a history with cafe Lolo & Wren next door). We've visited many burger joints over the years but some stand out for their innovation and ability to understand the scene and give burger lovers what they want. Rude Boy Burger is not driven by some formula but is a hands on burger house with burgers made with love, constantly evolving and the owners exploring new tastes and combinations. The World Loves Melbourne was invited along to experience the burgers, shakes, fries and joy of Rude Boy Burger.
Franco has worked as a top chef in Michelin star restaurants and he approaches Rude Boy Burger with an understanding of the need for quality ingredients, as well as top notch hospitality. The meat is sourced from Clover Valley Fine Foods and Milawa free range chicken (our favourite). Some top chefs baulk at the request by burger lovers for add ons to burgers - but Franco nails it - embracing the "build your own" philosophy of burger culture. So you want an extra patty, or a mozzarella fritter or extra bacon with that? No problem. We also love the Rude Boy vibe in terms of UK ska, British beat etc - and thought of hits like "It must be love!" when we bit into Rude Boy's exceptional burgers.
Franco and Karen bring warmth and top service to Rude Boy Burger; this place has soul. A Scottish beer that has been brewed in aged oak is a great start - the malt in the beer matches perfectly with the burgers. Franco speaks to us about his culinary philosophy and all things soccer. He knows he has a unique offering that attracts destination dining where there is little foot traffic. This is not a formula; this is real. So we had to put Rude Boy Burger in our Best Burgers in Melbourne article.
A feature is The Hot Chick – Fried chicken, grilled cheese, jalapeños, chipotle seasoning, Louisiana slaw and spicy island sauce. We made it an epic double and added a mozzarella fritter and bacon! The burger stood proud as a tower of oozy and crispy awesomeness; it had a stature of its own that beckoned like a wanton lover. Cheese cascaded down the burger like a waterfall. The fried chicken has a superb heat to it and the smoky sauce drew us in wanting more. Each chicken fillet appears to be a whole breast, so the doubling of the burger sends it into fried chicken overdrive. This was the largest burger I had ever attempted, as I admitted to Karen, but she told me some blogger had recently eaten two burgers of this size in one sitting. Some people are like machines. Taming the beast. All in all the Hot Chick is a burger you would come back for, even if you lived in the eastern suburbs. The Real Madrid of burgers.
We also recommend The Big Cheese burger with 2 x 150g Wagyu patty, 4 x cheese, pickles, red onion, and Rude sauce. This is a burger triumph for those who love a double burger and a hit of quality beef. The cheese game is spot on with instant appeal when you see the oozy cheese dripping down. Rude sauce is no slouch as far as sauces go and despite its massive size, this is a well balanced burger. Not only is it unlikely you'll leave Rude Boy Burger hungry but you will feel like the ingredients are quality. No filler all killer.
The Rude Boy Burger is the basic staple of burgers here but also hit the mark with 150g of Wagyu patty with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, ketchup, mustard and Rude sauce. Crunch and tang and perfectly cooked meat. Looks like an innocent burger compared to the rest but the Rude Boy burger packs a punch. If the Hot Chick is the Real Madrid of burgers, this would be the Melbourne Victory (who we support and are awesome).
We need to point out though that Franco and Karen have thought through their vegetarian options. While meat lovers rejoice, vegetarians can be equally esctatic. The Veggie Queen features a double stacked veggie burger with cauliflower, chickpea, broccoli, potato, onion, spinach, red chilli, served with lime pickled peppers, lettuce, tomato, onion and coronation sauce. An extraordinary amount of quality ingredients in one burger. Samantha, who is a health fanatic and Personal Trainer, raved about this burger as being "seriously good".
As with any burger joint sides are a big deal, and Rude Boy Burger delivers with its loaded fries and onion rings. Try the Ghetto Fries with cheese sauce, avocado, chipotle relish and jalapenos (wow, generous amount of jalapenos!). Also check out the Cheese & Bacon Gravy Fries with crispy bacon bits, cheese sauce, bacon gravy & spring onion for a rewarding side. We ordered both and found them compelling - you know when you start digging in and can't stop before you start eating your burgers.
We set ourselves for ‘freak shakes’, but given the extraordinary amount of food we were taking on, we just ordered the Tim Tam Slam. This shake was exceptional with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream and Tim Tam crumble. Thick chunks of Tim Tam meant it's hard to drink with a straw - I normally throw them away anyway.
With Rude Boy being an ode to ska and bands like Madness, we felt this was something akin to the song "Our House" in the middle of Brunswick West. A shining burger light in the north of Melbourne and a must visit for burger lovers.