South Melbourne Circuit

Today I had the pleasure of the South Melbourne Circuit. My tour guide, or Master as he prefers to be called, lead me on an eatery tour of South Melbourne Market which was meant to end with an Andrew's burger. According to Matt Preston, searching for Melbourne's best burger ends with paying homage at Andrew's. Matt Preston is an internationally acclaimed and revered food critic. He is best known for his weekly restaurant column in The Age newspaper’s food section, "Epicure", and as a judge on MasterChef Australia. Please also note, that he was Anthony Bourdain's tour guide in the recent Melbourne episode of No Reservations on the Travel channel. Are you convinced yet?

Sadly, we did not make it to Andrew's because as it turns out Andrew's is closed on Sundays. Fail. Don't panic, we did have a burger eventually but let me lead you through the circuit first. It was an epic adventure which I hope to repeat several times during my stay in Melbourne, preferably with visiting family and friends by my side.

First stop. Dim Sims (aka dim sums). South Melbourne Market (http://www.southmelbournemarket.com.au/) is a large undercover market with a wide range of produce and general goods. Picture eastern market times 5. You had the choice of fried or steamed dim sims. I know it might be hard to believe, but I chose steamed. For about a buck fity you get this delicious lime sized ball of pork goodness. killer.

Second stop, seafood stall. Freshly hand shucked (holla to my Old Ebbit's degenerates) oysters. We ordered a dozen, 6 creamy and 6 salty. Get your mind of the gutter now and focus on the circuit. The oysters were amazing. A little Tabasco and a little lemon was just a delightful treat. I learned something exciting which my dad, the food police, will appreciate.

Oysters are not only delicious, but they’re also one of the most nutritionally well-balanced of foods, containing protein, carbohydrates and lipids. The National Heart and Lung Institute suggest oysters as an idea food for inclusion in low-cholesterol diets. Oysters are an excellent source of vitamins A, B1 (thiamin) B2(riboflavin), B3 (niacin), C (ascorbic acid), and D (calciferol). Four or five medium size oysters supplies the recommended daily allowance of iron, copper, iodine, magnesium, calcium, zinc, manganese and phosphorus.

Third and Fourth stop, olives, olive oil, wine and beer tasting. Delicious and fun. The little beer/wine stall was patroned by a friendly little man who ranted on a bit about alcohol and the low-carb myth. As most of you who know me all, I always appreciate a good rant. A few fun facts (and a transitive proof): Alcoholic beverages all contain calories, and most of the calories come from the alcohol. Alcohol is not a carbohydrate. Alcoholic beverages have calories because alcohol has a lot of calories—not because of carbs. The implication that low-carb beers and wine are helpful for your diet program is simply BUNK. I can hear my mom tsking right now. I know I know, one drink is like 10 points (WW reference).

Finally, we head to Andrews for the burger. I have been looking forward to this burger since my lovely tour guides (Satya and Jac) have been selling this gem of a place. Our hearts were nearly broken. Andrews is closed on Sundays (I know I repeat myself but it is meant to convey the depth of my disappointment). We had to find an alternative. Greasy Joe's (http://www.greasyjoes.com.au/) would have to fulfill our insatiable quest for a burger on this fine Sunday in Melbourne. I ordered a cheeseburger and Satya and Jac ordered the Lot burger. Good lord, as you can see from the pic, the lot burger was insane. Egg, bacon, cheese, beetroot (yes beetroot), onions and greenery. I do not condone these condiments, if you can call them that???!!! The burger was OK. not great, not bad. It was a bit dry but good flavor.

All in all it was a great day and I sincerely thank my tour guides for a job well done. I will appreciate the Andrews burger even more now.

xoxo

Jilly