Short bites: Melbourne’s best hamburger chosen by pro-eater Cal Stubbs for LITT Burger of Origin

A potato cake and dim sim burger is among the four Melbourne finalists vying for the title of Australia’s best hamburger. More food news with Kara Irving.

A potato cake and dim sim with fried onions.

This reads more like a teenager’s tuckshop order than the ingredients in one of Melbourne’s best burgers.

Pro-eater Cal Stubbs, Australia’s top competitive eater (and the world’s 9th), short-listed this wild Easey’s creation as chief judge of the LITT Burger of Origin Trophy competition.

South Yarra’s Hello Sam, Rosebud’s ItsaBurger and Brunswick West’s Rude Boy Burger were also named as finalists last week.

Stubbs, who grew up in Patterson Lakes, said professional competitive eating required a lot of training and stamina.

Cal Stubbs is judging the best burger in Australia for the Burger of Origin. Picture: Jonathan Ng.

“You train by drinking lots of water or eating foods that have high-water content like grapes, watermelon. You can’t train with steak, hot dogs or burgers as you’ll put on weight,” Stubbs said.

“The idea is to stretch the stomach in the weeks leading up to the competition.”

Stubbs tips the scales at 75kg and is in surprisingly good shape for someone who eats for a living.

“Most of Australia’s top eaters are super fit. They have all done body building competitions in the past and are mentally strong. The more fat you have around your gut, the less you can expand your stomach.”

Rude Boy Burger's entry into the LITT Burger competition.

A quality protein, fresh salads and a sturdy bun are what Stubbs looks for in a good burger. Sydney, Gold Coast and Brisbane judging has been completed, with Stubbs travelling to Hobart and Perth before crowning the national winner in the coming weeks.

littburgeroforigin.com

SOLVE YOUR TRUFFLES

When Nigel Wood launched Truffle Melbourne eight years ago, many thought it was a chocolate festival.

Melbourne’s understanding and appetite for the winter delicacy has come a long way in almost one decade of Wood hosting the event.

Truffle Melbourne celebrates its fourth year at the Queen Victoria Market this July, offering cooking demos and chances to try the winter delicacy without breaking the bank.

“People often think truffles are stratospherically expensive,” Wood said.

“We actually have affordable truffle tastings for $8-$20.”

Truffle-spiked mac and cheese, paella, quiches, terrines, crepes and pizzas are some of the delicious things to eat, best washed down with truffle beers and cocktails including espresso martinis and negronis.

Matteo Tine, truffle man Nigel Wood and Guy Grossi will be at this year’s Truffle Melbourne festival at Queen Vic Market on July 10-11. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“Truffles are usually associated with savoury things, but they work really well in desserts like ice cream and brulees,” Wood said.

Melbourne restaurateur Guy Grossi, of Grossi Florentino, will show festival-goers how to make his roast spatchcock with truffle rice and Jerusalem artichoke and Sicilian chef Joseph Vargetto will share the secrets of his black truffle tiramisu.

Angus Cadden (Park Street Pasta and Wine), Victor Liong (Lee Ho Fook), Jesse Gerner (Bomba), Nicholas Deligiannas (Frederic), Scott Lord (New Quarter) and Eileen Horsnell (Napier Quarter) are among the other chefs appearing at this year’s festival.

Five Australian truffle growers from Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia will be selling their produce to take home.

Truffles are in season between June and August.

Truffle Melbourne is at Queen Victoria Market on Saturday, July 10 from 9am to 5pm and Sunday, July 11 from 9am to 4pm.

Chris Lucas will open his third restaurant this year, Grill Americano, opposite his flagship Chin Chin. Picture: Alex Coppel.

GRILL MASTER

Hospitality king Chris Lucas will open his third restaurant for 2021, Grill Americano, later this year.

Lucas’ new 145-seater will sit opposite his flagship venue Chin Chin, on Flinders Lane, in Melbourne’s iconic 101 Collins building.

The restaurant and bar will be open daily, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, showcasing Italian classics like Bistecca a la Florentina cooked on Naples-imported wood grill ovens, as well as handmade pastas.

The news comes before the opening of his hotly-anticipated Society restaurant (with Martin Benn) and Japanese eatery Yakimonoat 80 Collins.

Society will open on Thursday, June 22, while no date has been set for Yakimono.

Grill Americano will be open seven days, for breakfast, lunch and dinner, from October.

Delatite Wines has a new-look cellar door.

HEATING UP

Asian-fusion restaurant Bob Sugar has opened at Falls Creek’s lush lodging Elk at Falls.

Open seven days for breakfast through to dinner, Bob Sugar has a mix of Japanese, Korean and Chinese-inspired, share plates like fried chicken with spicy bulgolgi and massaman duck curry. In Mansfield, the family-run Delatite Wines has a new-look cellar door and dining room after three years of building works, while Wahgunyah’s The Pickled Sisters cafe has moved to Rutherglen’s main street after 17 years at Cofield Wines.

bobsugar.com.au

Brunswick Aces has launched an online store in time for Dry July selling no-booze products.

SOBERING MOVE

The team behind Australia’s first sober bar has launched an online store in time for Dry July. Brunswick Aces lists more than 300 alcohol-free beers, wines and spirits, including local brands Heaps Normal, Edenvale, Monday Distillery and Ovant.

The Melbourne distillery also stocks its own booze-free Sapiir – a non-alcoholic, gin-inspired, botanical alternative to alcohol.

Brunswick Aces opened its Brunswick East bar in April.

Pricing starts at $4 for beer, under $10 for wine and $39 for spirits, with 10 per cent of all sales until August 15 donated to a cancer charity.

Brunswick Aces has free, next-day delivery for metro-Melbourne.