St Kilda Burger Bar (SKBB)
By Jessica Williams
Follow her foodie adventures on Instagram: @jsallgoodthings
Visiting The Grosvenor Hotel in February 2015 I spoke to Manager/Owner Rabih Yanni about his vision of opening a drive through burger bar behind the eatery’s bottle shop. In June 2015 this vision became a reality when St Kilda Burger Bar opened up in that exact location on Brighton Road.
Rabih Yanni has always been a big achiever, managing upscale Melbourne restaurants like The Point on Albert Park. Over the years he has developed a solid team that have followed his leadership from one venue to the next. Kristy, the current Restaurant Manager is one such individual, another is the current Grosvenor Hotel and St Kilda Burger Bar Head Chef, the brilliant Paul Tyas.
Tyas worked with Yanni at The Point underneath esteemed Melbourne Chef Scott Pickett, before moving overseas to extend on his skills. He also worked with George Calombaris at his restaurant Reserve before re-joining Yanni at The Grosvenor.
The pair worked closely, re-working The Grosvenor Hotel menu to become the approachable, premium, local pub style menu that it is today.
But this isn’t about The Grosvenor Hotel. This is about the delicious burgers that are being fried and flipped out back at the St Kilda Burger Bar. Tyas has put much of his time in to researching what makes an excellent burger, and has created six unique offerings, with more soon to come.
The signature burger, The Grosvenor, is made with his Grandmother’s ketchup sauce, streaky bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles. It might sound simple, but the time and effort put into each of these morsels is clear in every bite. Tyas explained that the order of ingredients placed on to the bun is crucial, as well as the spherical shape the beef – 100% certified, grass fed Angus beef from Gippsland – is rolled in to before being flattened on the hot plate. Why? For the extra crispy bits of course!
Other burgers include the STKBB Spicy with house ketchup, jalapenos, double cheese and pickles, the Gatwick Roadhouse with beetroot and red onion and jam, pineapple, cheese, ketchup and mayo, and the Mr Fun Guy, a roasted Portobello mushroom with rocket, gruyere cheese and herb mayo, for the vegetarians.
Keep an eye out for a new burger with house made coleslaw, we got a sneak preview and it was finger-licking good! New burgers will be hitting the menu throughout the year, and if you are feeling extra hungry, pick up some killer sides like Chiko Rolls, Hot Dogs, Sweet Potato Cakes and an Ice Cream Sandwich for dessert – all from the St Kilda Burger Bar. Deeee-licious!