From our humble origins in the western suburbs of Sydney to the lights and sounds of the big city. This installment features our thoughts on the highly-touted (by Melissa) Ume Burger down at Barangaroo. Although the apartments above appeared awfully alluring, was the food downstairs of the same calibre?

Location: 33 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo NSW 2000

Eamon – Ume Burger: 3.75/5

There had been a lot of talk about this place from friends as well as one particular member of the team so I was interested in what this place would have to offer. For a first time visit, picking the burger which shared its name with the establishment was a no-brainer. It featured their signature patty, melted cheese over it, a thick serve of fresh tomato and onion with a mince sauce and mayo between a sesame-seeded bun. First thoughts were great balance. The mince sauce and the beef patty gelled well together for a solid savoury kick but there was always a tinge of acid from the tomato or onion which kept it from going overboard. There is not a great deal of varying texture in the burger as, in my case, the patty was kept to an early medium rare which let my teeth sink right through it. Towards the middle I was getting Whopper vibes from the constant tomato/mayo/beef/onion taste and I have got to say, on size, the Whopper does win out but freshness and strength of flavour, this burger had in spades. That flavour was kept quite uniform throughout and there were no surprises or interesting extras which I had expected for their namesake burger.  The Ume Burger was definitely packing some heat despite it being a rather simple creation.

James – Ume Burger: 3/5

I approached this review with high expectations after hearing and seeing postitive reviews, and that’s why it disappoints me to have to say that I was mostly unimpressed. I hyped myself up for the Ume Burger, hoping for a signature sauce that would blow me away and distinguish Ume as a big player in Sydney’s burger scene. Instead I found it to be quite average, with the combination of patty, tomato, onion, cheese and Ume sauce,  not creating anything particularly special for my tastebuds. I felt my meat patty was undercooked and there was nothing else that really stood out from this burger experience. I will stress however, that the burger was not bad – and therefore I’m open to returning to try alternatives on the menu.

Melissa – Ebi Burger: 4/5

Having been to Ume before, I went for the Ebi burger. Delicious crunchy prawn, well balanced with chilli mayo, lettuce and a soft bun with poppyseed. The prawns were deep fried but still retained its flavour. I admit I have had the Ebi burger before (limited edition but it was available earlier this year) and it did not disappoint. It was a nice change to have a prawn burger as it was much lighter than a beef patty on my palette. The burgers are definitely on the smaller side, so make sure you order a generous amount of sides to go with if you’re feeling extra peckish.

Sides

Eamon – 4/5

The sides, however unappetising they may appear in the above picture, were tasty compliments to the main course. The coating of the fried chicken had a unique flavour that was strongly supported by the thigh meat they use in all the pieces. The chicken is served in bite-sized portions which was quite an interesting way to enjoy a quality fried chicken dish; taking smaller bites did not limit the punch of fried crumb and fatty chicken. Onion rings; not their specialty. For me, onion rings should go one of two ways. The first; stuff the onion and go full batter mode where there’s a hint of onion but mostly a thick, greasy batter on the outside. Or second, have a very prominent onion flavour that’s complimented by select spices on a thin batter. This one sits in between those extremes so there was a bit of onion crunch in the middle but also a fair bit going on with the light batter on the outside. The hot chips though. Crunchy, seasoned, delectable. The seasoning is what made it that little bit better than the average hot chip but the chip itself had all the qualities of a good chip. We also picked up a nori mayo to go with and it went with everything. Anything dipped in nori mayo is a different mouthful afterwards. Whether it be good or bad depends on you but I loved it.

James – 3.5/5

Easily my favourite part of the meal: the hot chips. The name gives me throwbacks to the corner tuckshop and although not the exact same style, Ume’s hot chips deliver. Sprinkled with delicious umami salt and complimented by a unique Nori (seaweed) mayo, the hot chips may have just won me over and ensured that I will be returning in the nearby future. Highly recommend if you love your side of chips. Meanwhile, the onion rings and fried chicken would not have been missed had we skipped them, hence bringing the rating down to a 3.5

Melissa – 4/5

The nori mayo is the best thing I have tried in a long, long while. I am a huge seaweed fan, and seaweed mayo ticked every single box I have for a sauce. The hot chips were reasonable and went exceptionally well with the nori mayo. The light dusting of umami salt over the chips also added for an extra tang and flavour that you don’t see at other establishments. Onion rings were pretty forgettable and the fried chicken was well cooked and fried. Overall it’s safe to say the nori mayo was the hero of all sides.

Overall

A mixed bag of opinions for this review, probably because we did not all order the same item. One thing we can definitely agree on is that the nori mayo was a Nerd Club favourite but as always, take our thoughts with a grain of salt and if your salt of choice happens to be umami, then you best get down there and try these guys out. Ume Burger is on Wulugul Walk in Sydney’s chic Barangaroo, head there now and let us know what you think! Check out more pics on our instagram, @nerdclub__.