Maha Bar and Grill

Burger reviewed: The Best Burger

Date: 22/3/13

Venue: Maha Bar and Grill

Maha Bar & Grill is a one hatted restaurant known for its Mediterranean inspired Middle Eastern cuisine prepared by renowned Chef Shane Delia (who recently snaked his way through a field of carnage to finish second to Brad Hodge in the Celebrity Grand Prix at Albert Park). In much the same fashion, the burger at Maha has snaked its way through a field of fierce and not-so-fierce competitors to take ownership of second place on our list of burgers. So the aim of my blog entry today will be to pay tribute to the guys who finished second (aka the bridesmaids) with a little Mediterranean inspired Middle Eastern influence (at least in the general vicinity of those areas - geography is not my strong point). 

Usually when we blog about a burger we break it down into its parts and then critique how well these parts interplay as a whole. However, that is a little more difficult for this burger as it was simply made up of a bun, patty and bacon in a simple but extremely effective offering in what is commonly referred to in today’s pop culture as "dude food". Let me be the first to say that I like this style of burger – there is a lot to be said about getting the fundamentals of a burger right (just look at Tim Duncan).   

Firstly, we will take a look at the patty. A patty of this thickness presents a great deal of difficulty for the person cooking it in that it is difficult to cook it all the way through. However, this was not the case at Maha as the patty was cooked perfectly and was spiced to perfection. This big-hitting, beefy patty with loads of flair is not dissimilar to former Moroccan Tennis player Younes El Aynaoui - best known for his five-hour five-set marathon loss to Andy Roddick at the 2003 Australian Open. 

The bun was light and fairly skinny but was big enough not to cause any structural integrity issues. The slim physique of the bun reminded me of former Moroccan 1500m runner Hicham El Guerrouj - most famous for his choke Silver Medal in the Sydney 2000 Olympics. El Guerrouj was highly favoured to take out the Gold Medal in the event but mindblowingly forgot to chase down his pacemaker in the race, Kenyan Noah Ngeny (he really should take a leaf out of Sebastian Vettel’s book on that one). 

The toppings on the burger were simple yet very effective. The prosciutto added saltiness while the cheese and sauces (olive mayo and relish) worked in perfect harmony to cut through the richness of the burger and bring it all together (there is an analogy in there somewhere about the two Spanish birds who won the Silver Medal in synchronised swimming at London but you get the point).   

All in all, this burger is an absolute belter and is for a limited-time only. Hopefully, the "beer and burger for $15” offer forms a permanent part of Maha’s menu and the burger does not suffer a fall from grace once the offer gets taken away in a few weeks time. If it does, this burger will fittingly draw comparisons to Cypriot Tennis Player Marcos Baghdatis. Most famous for his run to the final at the 2006 Australian Open, Marcos has since fallen out of the World’s Top-30 rankings and spends more time smashing racquets than he does smashing winners. However, Baghdatis’ run in 2006 was truly something to behold and one that made him a favourite with Australian fans, if only for a limited time. 

Get around this burger right meow as it will leave you wanting seconds! What else would you expect from a Doggies supporter? 

Burger Friday Score: 43/50