Elektra

I have found my new favourite burger in Melbourne. And no, it’s not along the lines of your Betty Burgers, or your Stacks or 8Bits – it’s the cheeseburger with shitake ketchup at George Calombaris’s new restaurant Elektra.

Situated in The Press Club’s old home, Elektra is a more relaxed (and cheaper!) experience than its predecessor, while still offering the same exceptional fine dining service.

As already alluded to above, with its melt-in-the-mouth beef and flavoursome toppings, the cheeseburger with shitake ketchup ($25) is a must, and is almost too good for sharing. 

The vintage beef tartar ($22) is also a good choice, especially if you can get past the distracting thickness of the sourdough and the minimal serving of roast bone marrow. 

 

Unfortunately the Lune butter chicken Vol-au-Vent ($25) wasn’t such a hit, and fell on the “miss” list. It wasn’t by any means bad, but when I heard that a Lune croissant was being combined with butter chicken (two of my favourite things) I headed in with high expectations.  However, while the croissant was cooked to perfection, the butter chicken was borderline bland and the dish came out cold.

Bad butter chicken croissant aside, the burger alone is enough to get me through Elektra’s doors again, and the impeccable service is not to be missed.

Food: 3.5/5

Service: 5/5

Venue: 3.5/5

Value for money: 3/5

Total: 15/20

Verdict: Love – get around to trying it soon