Mister Gee’s

Reunited after a 6-month break, Nerd Club tackles the well-known food truck, Mister Gee’s, located at 315 Parramatta Road in Haberfield. Bracing Sydney’s winter chill, we embarked on a journey involving public indecency, toppled furniture and impulse purchases to give our loyal fans what they deserve.

Burger – Cheeseboogie $12 

Eamon – 3.3/5
If this burger is aiming to be just a traditional cheeseburger, I think it is struggling. If it isn’t then I will say it does bring something a little bit different. The positives were the patty, something they never fail to deliver on, the caramelised onions and ease of eating. The patty always has slight char which needs a bit of jaw grease to get through and the onions were punchy and served in a fair portion, lathered on the bottom half of the bun. One thing Mister Gee’s is awesome for, but can be annoying at the same time,  is how easy you can eat their burgers. Wrapped up in a neat foil parcel, it’s so easy to chow down, never spilling even a drop of sauce but so easy that before you know it, you cleaned up every inch of that same bit of foil. Though one thing Mister Gee’s can be guilty of is overkill in the sweet or fatty flavours department, more so when they start throwing truffles in there. The cheese and sauce mixed in with just a few pickles is not quite the balance the ideal cheeseburger is looking for but on the other side of the pond, these tied in with the caramelised onions formed an unusual back-and-forth with the patty. This gives a pretty uniform mouth-feel when there are no stings of salt or spice. But despite this, I would say the burger would benefit heavily from those flavour balances and I am sure the guys in the lab know what I’m talking about. In other burgers such as the Butter Soft, Stoner’s Revenge and M.S Gee, they haven’t been afraid to throw a bit of fresh or pickled onions in there and even a slice of tomato. The Happy Ending has a splash of lime mayo in combo with the caramelised onions. Making this burger a double would more than double the satisfaction of this one and I would not say no to bacon in there either. A good performance but with ample room for tweaking.

James – 3.5/5

If BreadTop made a burger, it would taste like the Cheeseboogie. A fluffy, cake-like bun, caramalised onions and a sweet special sauce add a twist to what we expect from a typical burger. Unfortunately this was a tad overwhelming and the burger could have benefiited from another ingredient (or opting for grilled onions instead of caramalised) to better balance sweet and savoury. The bun was what really hurt it for me personally, way too soft to make each bite satisfactory. On the positive, it was compact and easy to eat boasting a well cooked patty with cheese and pickles to back it up.

Melissa – 2.75/5

The Cheeseboogie definitely did not meet my expectations for Mister Gee’s. Normally a huge fan and advocate, I found this burger fairly forgettable when I finished it. The highlight and saving grace of the burger was the well cooked meat, with a crispy, crunchy shell and a soft, slightly pink core. The bread was fairly dry nearing the middle of the burger and very crumbly. I did not get an overwhelming sense of cheese and the sauce was not evenly distributed throughout my burger. Pickles were a nice touch but too little, too late. Overall the burger was decent for a good price, a lot better than many you could find in fast food joints or restaurants in Sydney. But for a Mister Gee’s burger, it definitely wasn’t a favourite for me.

Sides – Fred’s Fries: $7, Fries: $5, The Burwood Dawg: $8

Eamon

• Fred’s: 3.5/5
• Regular Fries: 4/5
• Burwood Dawg: 4/5

I love eating fries with a fork. It’s one of things I love about Mister Gee’s. The way the fries are presented in that tray, what I like to call “The Fry Boat”, it just feels right to stick your fork into 3, 4 or even 5 fries at a time and stuff them right into your gob. Fred’s were the regulars with the addition of what I thought to be some peanutty sauce, later found out to be the Stoner’s Sauce, feta and zaatar. The combination was full flavour, not for consumption with the burger. You could have these fries on their own and be quite satisfied. Their regular fries, not much to say. Always solid with a healthy serve of salt and with a range of sauces to choose from so you can take have them the way you want. They only suffer from being outside in the cold with a few gas heaters trying to keep them warm. The hotdog delivered on the hot with a kick of spice from the chorizo. The classic bun and cheese sauce were doing work with the chorizo but the maple bacon waned in comparison. There was enough saltiness coming from the spicy sausage and enough sweet from the cheese sauce such that the bacon appeared more like a spectator than a player. The housemade pickles are always quality until someone drops them on the deck but it’s not losing points for someone clumsiness.

James

• Fred’s fries: 2/5
• Regular fries: 4/5
• Burwood Dawg: 2.5/5

Mister Gee’s special – the ‘Fred’s fries’ were simply outclassed by their plain fries and not much is needed to be said. Why fix something that ain’t broke, and for $2 more?? The regular fries were consistently seasoned and crunchy, however it’s clear they’re prepared early in order to be ready to go, judging by their mild temps upon presentation in the tray. If they came fresh and hot from the fry vat, this could have elevated them to a 5 star rating. Solid fries,  a much needed complement to your burger, highly recommend. The Burwood Dawg, an $8 splurge that was tried specifically for the review; yeah we’re dedicated to the cause. Unfortunately, it’s a splurge that disappoints presenting a chorizo dog tucked in a sweet bun that doesn’t reflect it’s absurd price. The diced maple bacon sounds like a very welcome addition, but the flavours aren’t pronounced enough, and overall it feels like a very ordinary chorizodog.

Melissa

• Fred’s fries: 4/5
• Regular fries: 3/5
• Burwood Dawg: 3/5

The Fred’s fries were a highlight for me. Salty chips covered in a peanut butter sauce with feta. Sounds like an odd combination but overall worked very well for my taste palette. The peanut sauce neutralised a lot of the saltiness of the chips but wasn’t too sweet – the feta added a nice hit of flavour with every mouthful. Overall it was creative, tasted great and a sizeable portion. The regular fries for me were standard MacDonalds fries – thin, crunchy, evenly salted and went well with a burger. The Burwood Dawg was the wild card that we tried that night. We got in a few bites each after our meal. I enjoyed the spicy chorizo meat and the pickles were refreshing. The diced maple bacon added a salty crunch to an already salty hot dog. The sauce was again not evenly distributed and the portion was quite small. Not sure if this would have filled me up if I didn’t eat a burger beforehand.

Drinks: Selena Gomez Shake: $7, Gee’s T: $5

Eamon

• Selena Gomez Shake: 3/5
• Gee’s T: 4.5/5

The sole purpose of milkshakes are to take sweet foods and flavours and turn them into a drink. They are supposed to be funky fresh in both name and taste. I wouldn’t call anything otherwise a milkshake. For instance, a chocolate milkshake which is just milk and a spray of that flavouring into the blender for 30 seconds and then served doesn’t qualify. Selena’s shake did qualify. The vanilla base added upon with cinnamon was about as deep as it went though. Get yourself a fork if you’re going to dig into the marshmallow, something I do recommend. As for the big T, what a Treat. I was getting a bit of lemon, the others were saying maybe a bit of peach but what was definitely there was a clean drink with a smooth finish. No lingering after taste or dryness in the mouth. It was superb.

James

• Selena Gomez Shake: 2/5
• Gee’s T: 4.5/5

Like how I’m not a fan of Selena Gomez the singer-actress, I was similarly not impressed with the Mister Gee’s shake named after her. To describe the taste, it felt like I was eating a cinammon donut in one hand, while licking a Macca’s soft serve in the other – and for $7 a pop, it was not worth it. That’s all that needs to be said. Moving onto the sweet tea, wow that is a winner. A refreshing complement to the meal that washes down you’re mouth, the Gee’s T tasted homemade whilst not causing that quench for thirst like a Lipton iced tea would. I highly recommend choosing it over the shake,  to go with your feast but drink it quick otherwise the ice dilutes the flavour. Along with the plain fries, the Gee’s T was my favourite from the menu.

Melissa

• Selena Gomez Shake: 2/5
• Gee’s T: 3.5/5

The shake would’ve scored a lot higher if it was advertised as a vanilla milkshake with cinnamon. Disclaimer here: I am not a huge fan of cinnamon. The taste of cinnamon wasn’t strong throughout and overall it tasted mostly of vanilla. The iced tea was very good, decently priced, not too sweet or sugary. The iced tea flavour could have been stronger but it was a good drink to get nonetheless. Definitely my recommendation for a drink over the shake. It was a refreshing cleanse to the palette after consuming the Cheeseboogie.

Overall

The ultimate question is asked: would we go back? That’s a 100% resounding yes. Although probably not for the Cheeseboogie. Mister Gees is always innovating and we’re keen to get back there and enjoy some of their other burgers. As always, these are our personal, subjective opinions. We recommend you jump into a car with some pals and head on over Thursday – Sunday nights and try it out for yourself. Let us know what you think on Instagram @nerdclubreviews_.