Flamed AKA The Dirty Burger Place, Northmead

This corner shop might not look like much from the outside, but inside it hides some of the tastiest burgers ever. Now I don't usually blog about my weekday lunch spots, (my work area is pretty pathetic when it comes to lunch options) and I definitely don't blog about takeaway joints too often, so trust me when I tell you this is a pretty damn good burger. This discovery was thanks to Tomred, who found this place and then whinged incessantly because he couldn't satisfy his burger craving as they were closed during the Christmas break. We only knew them as the 'dirty burgers'.

Oh yes, look at The Dirty Burger. Dirty in a good way, dirty like they smell like they're going to clog up your arteries with their fatty goodness and possibly make you feel completely nauseous for the rest of the day, but is totally worth it because it tastes so good while you're eating it. You know what I mean. It's the type of food that's perfect after a hangover. And so when they reopened we tried these so-called Dirty Burgers, and have been going there regularly ever since. Because The Dirty Burgers are GOOD.

Plain burger ($4.50) with extra pineapple (60c)

Recently I've been getting my burger fix at The Counter, and anyone who's been there will know that once you've had a Counter burger, you don't need another burger for a long time. But I keep going back for these dirty burgers, because unlike the Counter ones, they don't leave you feeling like you have a boulder in your stomach. The patties are nice and thin so there's no dryness in the meat, and best part is the generous slathering of their BBQ sauce that oozes out of the burger. Sooo good. And I don't even like BBQ sauce! In truth it's a fake dirty burger - you get all the enjoyment while you're eating it without any of the guilt nausea afterwards. A deadly combination. And dirt cheap too.

Burger meal ($8.00) - Burger with the lot, chips & a can of drink

I usually order the plain burger, but the others go all out. The burger meal comes with everything; a burger with the lot, chips and a can of drink. A fair bit more than I can handle, but the boys can polish it off easily. The Hawaiian burger is almost exactly the same as the burger with the lot - with extra cheese, pineapple and bacon. The chips here are okay, they're always freshly fried and if you say yes to chicken salt you get a lot of chicken salt :)

Hawaiian burger ($6.30)- Plain burger with bacon, pineapple and cheese

Small chips ($3.50)

Small Greek salad ($5.80)

The salads, along with all the fresh vegetables in the burgers are very fresh, I think I've seen them getting their vegetables delivered from the Northmead Growers Market, which is just across the road, definitely a good sign. The salad is a tad pricey for the size, but at least it's nice and fresh, which is more than I can say for some of the food I pay for at the canteen at work.

Quater chicken ($4.90), potato scallops (80c each)

For research purposes we tried out some of the other things on the menu, and discovered the chicken burger is not as fabulous as the regular burger, and the BBQ chicken actually makes you feel guiltier about it's heavy grease levels than the burger does. The potato scallops, like the chips are decent enough, but my stomach usually can't handle much more after scoffing down that huge burger.

Mediterranean set ($13.50) - Grilled fish, two prawns, two calimari, baby octopus and chips

The Mediterranean basket is good value and surprisingly tasty. The fish is moist and is the type that's lightly battered and grilled, a style that I have come to prefer over the usual heavily battered deep fried fish. The prawns are nicely marinated and the calimari and baby octopus isn't chewy at all. The service is always cheerful and very efficient, they were even nice enough to bring us our food at the outdoor seating area when we were too lazy to wait inside for our order. Mmm yes, I will be looking forward to my dirty burger fix next week.

Flamed & Grilled Seafood Burgers
Northmead Shopping Plaza
Level Ground, Shop 10, 2-4 Campbell Street
Northmead NSW 2152
(02) 9890 3252

Mon to Sat: 8am - 7.30pm