Here we are, 4 Americans living in Melbourne hiking together in the Dandenongs at Hamer Arboretum. What do 4 Americans do when together and hungry? Talk endlessly about foods that we miss in Australia. Ah, isn't this a beautiful tree? I miss breakfast burritos. Look at this view! Where can I get a good pizza? Do you think there are poisonous snakes here? Ah, I would kill for a decent burger!
The standard for a good burger is quality meat, with a decent amount of fat, crisped up on a griddle, but not over-cooked to a hockey puck. There must be American cheese, melty, smooth, without much taste. Toppings must be complimentary to the meat - not a distraction. After our hike in the hinterlands, we were hungry from all this talk of food, but resigned to eat something half-way decent just to refuel after our not-so-gruelling walk. I did a quick search on Yelp and found a burger place in nearby Ferngully. There were no reviews, but there were pictures that had me exclaiming "Legit". The Man said, "no one says legit anymore."
We drove as fast as we could to On It. After some explanations about the menu from the waiter, and specifically the smashed steak burger, we all ordered and waited patiently. In the meantime, super crispy onion rings showed up at the table with some super spicy sauce. We loved them, even if our mouths were on fire. Then the burgers came.... and we were all 4 very happy ex-pats. The burgers were nigh perfect. Ratios were just right, if a little heavy on the mayo. We left On It, impressed. As a further testament, I would probably even drive way out there to the hinterlands to have that burger again. I should probably work up an appetite first with a hike, just to be on the safe side. read more