Jimbo and Rex

Burger Reviewed: The Jimbo and Rex Burger

Venue: Jimbo and Rex

Date: 28/3/2013

Given that Good Friday funnily enough happens to fall on a Friday, the Burger Friday Fellows this week have decided to fall in line with religious tradition and do the right thing by avoiding meat this Friday. So instead of missing out on what we love, we decided to move Burger Friday forward instead. As such, for this week's burger the Fellows visited the bright lights of Crown Casino to sample the burger at Jimbo and Rex on what was essentially Burger Thursday.

Formerly known as the Pub, Jimbo and Rex is the newly fitted out venue located at the west end of Crown. Having visited the old Pub and now the new Jimbo and Rex, I must say it was like going from the proverbial boiled lollies to chocolates. Or given that its the Easter long weekend, from home brand to red tulip chocolate eggs and bunnies. Completely revamped with a swish new interior, this pub decides to stick to the classics and serves up all the traditional counter meal finery of parmas, steaks, fish and chips and most importantly burgers.

The burger reviewed today was the Jimbo and Rex burger which comes with grilled beef, cheddar, cheese, egg, dill pickle, spicy relish, smoked bacon, chunky chips and a side of coleslaw. As the signature burger of the venue, and one which they have attached their name to, one can assume that this burger should epitomise all that Jimbo and Rex stand for as a venue. So if that is correct, then Jimbo and Rex want to be known as providing big, solid meals. This burger was a monster!

The burger to mouth ratio was one of the biggest we have seen on our Burger Friday journeys. I would put my money on even the great trash talker himself, Charles Barkley, widely known for having the biggest mouth (and worst golf swing) in professional sports, struggling to get his dentures under and over the top & bottom buns of this great meat sandwich in a single mouthful. Now this is not something to complain about, as everyone loves good value for money, but it serves more as a word of warning that unless you have got the lips of Steve Tyler, wrapping your lips around this burger requires a plan of attack worthy of Sun Tzu.

Despite its size, this burger was well cooked, and quite well proportioned, with special mention going to the fried egg which was cooked enough to have a deliciously gooey yolk but still be somewhat crispy on the outside. Egg on a burger is not something seen much outside the burger with the lot at the fish and chip shop, but when done right, it can be as great. Its not dissimilar to the adding of the eccentric but potent Chris "Birdman" Andersen to an already unbelievable team in Miami. When done well it can be the perfect addition as we recently saw with the Birdman playing a key role in the amazing 27 game winning streak. Done badly it can literally implode like the Birdman did in 2006 when he was expelled from the league for drug offences. Fortunately on the Jimbo and Rex burger it was done very well. 

The sides of chips and coleslaw were passable accompaniments to the burger, but definitively nothing worth writing home about. The most disappointing thing for me was the dill pickle. As visible from the photo, it was served sitting perched on top of the burger, like some kind of deity on a throne. But in reality this was a fake messiah (Michael Malthouse at Carlton anyone?), as it was definitively more cucumber than pickle.

The inclusion of a good sliced dill pickle could have really added some much needed tang to this burger to offset the savoury meaty notes and achieve that perfect balance of flavours. Nethertheless this is a good burger without being spectactular.

In light of its genuine size and solid all round performance, I am going to dub this burger the Mark Roberts. Roberts was appropriately nicknamed the Fridge due to his considerable bulk. An AFL journeyman, having played for North Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, Roberts was a genuine utility who was a good player (and premiership player) without being a genuine star. The Fridge is also credited with one of the fastest knee reconstructions in AFL history which is probably appropriate given the quick turnaround on the conversion of the Pub to become Jimbo and Rex.

If you are around the Casino and can't get into Merrywell or Rockpool this is a solid alternative. Just make sure you come hungry!

Burger Friday Score: 36/50