butter lettuce | DAMMIT JANET I LOVE FOOD

Coconut Kingfish Ceviche – young coconut, tomato, cucumber, chilli

This basically tasted like an amazing curry dish – fresh and creamy, with a bit of heat from the chilli.

★★★★☆

Grilled Corn On The Cob – chipotle mayo, ground masa, lime

I love grilled corn and whenever I see it on a menu somewhere, I always order it and then compare it to the corn here at The Black Toro. It’s been years since I’ve had this and after my first bite I felt super ecstatic as the corn was still as incredible as I remembered it to be.

★★★★★

Spicy Pulled Pork Tacos – soft corn tortilla, sriracha mayo, cabbage slaw

These were some tasty tacos and I really appreciated how they were served on a warm plate so that the tortillas would remain soft and warm for longer.

★★★★☆

Salmon Tartare – avocado puree, radish, toasted black sesame, puffed rice chicharon

The salmon needed a bit more seasoning otherwise this was a light and enjoyable dish.

★★★☆☆

Crispy Pork Hock – masterstock braised pork, guajilo chilli caramel, green apple salsa verde, butter lettuce

Sticky, sweet, and full of flavour. I made such a mess wrapping my pork up but it was totally worth it.

★★★★☆

Dessert Tasting Plate

Can’t pick a dessert? Why not try everything!

★★★★☆

Passionfruit Tart – berries, toasted meringue, mint

Beautifully presented with a lovely balance of sweetness and tartness. Meanwhile the combination of the smooth filling, the fresh fruit and the dehydrated fruit provided delightful texture variation.

Deconstructed Peanut Butter Cheesecake – chocolate ice cream, peanut butter ice cream, honeycomb

Best eaten with a little bit of everything on your spoon, as the peanut butter was extremely rich on its own.

Chocolate Brownie – salted caramel, popcorn, vanilla ice cream

These brownies were phenomenal – extremely smooth and highly decadent. They tasted amazing on their own, and the other additions were merely added bonuses.

Arroz Con Leche – coconut rice pudding, saffron spiced pear, cinnamon, walnut

Creamy and satisfying.

Overall:

Always a great experience. The food, service and ambience is brilliant, and the grilled corn is still my absolute favourite in Melbourne!

The Black Toro

79 Kingsway, Glen Waverley, VIC

(03) 9561 9696

http://theblacktoro.com.au/

The King

All Australian pasture fed beef patty, tomato, butter lettuce, hand made mac & cheese croquettes, American mustard, special burger sauce

The fantastic mac & cheese croquettes undoubtedly added something special to this burger.

★★★★☆

Queen Bee

Hand made chickpea patty, tomato, butter lettuce, American cheddar, special burger sauce, pickles

It had been a while since my last veggie burger experience and I’d forgotten how great they can be when the right ingredients are used.

★★★★☆

Miss Elizabeth

All Australian pasture fed beef patty, Swiss cheese, truffle mayo

I pretty much inhaled this burger! Deliciously simple and definitely crave-worthy.

★★★★☆

Saint

Two all Australian pasture fed beef patties, tomato, butter lettuce, bacon, American cheddar, raw onion, chipotle mayo, pickled jalapeños

One heck of a tasty and good looking burger!

★★★★☆

Fries

If you like McDonald’s fries, then these are for you.

★★★☆☆

Potato Gems

I know this may sound a bit weird, but these humble potato gems were the epitome of potato gem perfection! Perfectly seasoned and unbelievably crunchy on the outside with soft fluffy potato on the inside.

★★★★★

Frozen Custard

Salted Caramel, Mixture of Chocolate/Cheesecake/Peanut Butter, Kinder Surprise

★★★☆☆

Overall:

Royal Stacks is one of Melbourne’s newest burger joints and I was fortunate enough to be invited to one of their launch nights last week. This American-style fast food eatery is Dani Zeini’s latest venture (in case you didn’t know, he’s the guy behind Dandenong Pavilion, Grand Trailer Park Taverna, Easey’s and Truck Stop Deluxe) and needless to say, I had high expectations. But of course my expectations were met, as the food here was pretty darn tasty! Each burger was consistently good and you could tell that the beef they used was of high quality. It turns out that all of their beef is all Australian, pasture fed, GMO free with no added hormones or antibiotics and is minced fresh daily. The locally made bread is baked fresh daily and is free from any additives, while the gelato and frozen custard is sourced from 7 Apples. If the CBD is a bit tricky for you to get to, don’t stress because a Brunswick store and a Dandenong store will be opening within the next few months. So head to Royal Stacks where the food is fit for a king (or a queen)!

Royal Stacks

470 Collins St, Melbourne, VIC

(03) 9793 2133

http://royalstacks.com.au/

*Disclaimer: I dined as a guest of Zilla & Brook and Royal Stacks.