Its been years, and I mean YEARS since I worked at Crows Nest. Maybe because I went there 5 days a week for several years, I have no urge to go back regardless of the occassion. Don't get me wrong, I loved the company and the people I was working with, I also loved all the food and shops around there, but I'm just a bit Crows Nested out. So when the Counter opened, and I found out its in Crows Nest, I just couldn't be bothered going.
So one day, when we were organising for a catch up with a friend visiting from the States for a few days, The Counter was one of the options. If I didn't go for an occassion like this, I would never go. So a date and time was set for the big meet!
Going to Crows Nest brought back so many memories. I still know where to catch the train, which carriage to ride in so it stops right at the escalators, which street to take to by pass the traffic and take the least inclined hill. We arrive at The Counter where some old fashion shops used to be.
Perusing the menu gave me a head spin! OMG! So many choices! I mean, its not like I didn't know how the ordering system works. I had also studied the menu on the web beforehand. But now that I actually have to place an order, I couldn't decide! I ended up changing my mind about 6 times before I blindly jotted down my order.
Apple pie shake I was tossing up between this and the chocolate peanut butter shake. I kinda wished I went with the peanut butter option as I found this shake to be a bit disappointing. I was hoping for a chunky shake with pieces of pie crust and actual bits of apple. Maybe the girl making the shake got distracted and left it blending too long, but there was no texture in the shake. It also didn't really taste like apple pie, more like a vanilla thick shake. My friends who ordered before me reckons they had a few small pieces of apple, but definitely not as chunky as we had hoped.
Fries - Normal type and sweet potato fries We ordered a 2 plates of fries before our other friends arrived. Both were good, and I really liked the aioli, but I didn't find it any special. Maybe because I've had really really good sweet potato fries when I was in US, so I didn't find it anything special. My friends loved the sweet potato fries even though it was a bit too salty.
Now I'm not even going to try and explain what these burgers were. Especially since they're all custom made with whatever you want. Plus, most of us had actually forgotten what we ticked by the time the food came out! hahaha
Bunless burger My burger! Here's my towering monster! It was the biggest burger of the table. Boy am I glad that I ordered the smallest patty! I basically got a beef patty, with mixed lettuce, tomatos, boiled eggs, bacon, mushroom and grilled capsicum all topped with blue cheese and ranch dressing.
In hindsight, I should've stuck with normal cheese as I found the blue cheese used here to be way overpowering. Compared to the ones I've had in the US, which are quite smooth and mellow, The Counter's cheese is what I'll describe as "in your face pungent".
The ingredients were all very fresh and tasty, the patty had a good bite to it and the burger was huge! (I.e. I was too greedy with the ingredients). I don't think I've ever left a burger unfinished, that is until this occassion. I had a heap of bread and toppings left over on the plate whilst I waved my white flag of defeat.
So how did the burger rate? It was a good burger in a good setting. A great place to visit if you want a relaxed catch up with friends over burgers rather than at a fast food restaurant. However, with that said, I wouldn't say this is the best burger I've ever had. It might have something to do with the toppings I selected, or it was over-hyped for me. But basically, there was just something missing. For me, I would prefer to go to the local milk bar/corner shop and get a greasy burger with the lot and eat sitting on a park bench. Something to do with the generic ice berg lettuce, onion, tomato, pineapple and beetroot shoved between a cheap crappy bun and greasy but utterly delicious patty with bacon and eggs all topped with tomato sauce. It's not going to win any beauty contests, but I firmly believe its whats in the inside that counts. And this generic, greasy road stop burger is what I prefer. But obivously I can't have a girlie nights catch up squatting by the side of a road shoving the stuff into my face. And that's where The Counter fits in. I won't be rushing back for a burger, but I definitely will be up for it if a bunch of friends wants to catch up over burgers!
The Counter Burger118 Willoughby Rd
Crows Nest NSW 2065
Ph: (02) 9436 2700
http://www.thecounterburger.com/