What can I say about the DON burgers? This pop-up restaurant in Victoria Park has certainly caused a commotion on social media. For the last month, there hasn't been a day where I have not seen a photo of this ramen burger on Instagram! However, much to my disappointment they were only open on weekdays lunchtime, which really has narrowed the opportunity for me to check it out, especially with all my friends working full time or busy with Uni exams. Well, fortunately my good friend Miss D, from Cranky Tummy finally finished her exams and was free on a Friday for lunch!
When we arrived at 12pm on the dot, their opening time, we found people were already queuing to order! The place is where JBento used to be and it's still as cute as can be, with minimal decoration but a really homey and welcoming feel. We wasted no time getting a table and perusing the menu.
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| Super Ninja ($12) |
There was no question that we were going to order the ramen burger, it was just a question of which one. I finally settled on the super ninja, the ramen burger which contained chicken karaage, tomato, lettuce, yuzu-mayo, bacon AND egg. When the food came out, it looked deceivingly small, but as we ate, my pants stretched every so slightly with every bite. I liked how the ramen "bun"was not oily, there was a hint of taste to it but not like instant ramen noodle flavour. I would've liked the chicken and the bacon to be crispier, but they had good flavours. The egg, on hindsight, was overkill, I would definitely just order the crunchy karaage burger next time, which is the same as super ninja minus bacon and egg. I also found myself wishing there was more fresh vegetables in the burger to cut through all the grease!
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| Ultimate Cow ($12) |
Miss D. ordered the ultimate cow. This ramen burger contained beef patty, slice of cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion, bacon and egg, drizzled with Don-mayo. Just like me, she wished she had ordered the burger without the bacon and egg as it was way too much to handle! Miss D. also liked the flavours of the burger, although we concurred that the ramen "bun" was a little bit dry.
My experience at the DON burgers was also my third time eating a ramen burger. I found myself always excited by the novelty of it, but was always a little disappointed in the end. After thinking long and hard as to why, I've concluded that I just don't like ramen noodles made into "buns". I find noodles are best with warm soup and slurped! Ramen "buns" tend to be dry and too dense. There's just something about a good burger with pillowy buns that's hard to beat! This is in no way a negative comment about the burgers at The DON, just my own observation and opinion about ramen burgers.
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| Beer battered chips ($4.50) |
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| Corn Crunch Chicken Bites ($6) |
That brings us to the side dishes. For us, surprisingly, the dish of the day was neither of our burgers, but this crunchy, tasty and perfectly fried corn crunch chicken bites. The chicken was moist, the crumb was perfection and that sweet chilli herb sauce was the cherry on top. Next visit here I'm literally going to order these bites and some steamed rice and make my own donburi! These little nuggets were so tasty, we forced ourselves to finish them even though we were already so full!
Our time at The DON was exceptionally pleasant. The service was friendly, attentive and prompt. They made us feel so welcomed and truly valued our opinion. I would rate The DON 7.5/10.
Restaurant Information
The DON Burgers
1 Leonard Street
Victoria Park
Ph: 0422 771 681
Facebook: The DON Burgers
Instagram: @the_don_burgers
Disclaimer: Restaurant information and prices was true and correct on 19th June 2015.
aptalks
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