DOES the world need another burger bar?

It’s a philosophical question Plato might ponder if he was still alive, along with ‘Did Today Tonight actually exist or was it just shadows flitting across a cave wall?’ 

I’m a bit of a Fred Flintstone in the pro-burger camp, so I grabbed my club, leopard-skin jeans and yabba-dabba-dooed it to HomeRun in Mt Hawthorn.

Situated at the quieter end of Oxford Street, the burger bar is part of a nice group of cafes and restaurants including Yelo, Casa Perth, Nu Noir Coffee and The Bodhi Tree.

On a stinking hot summer’s day, the spacious gaff was super cool with plenty of tables and chairs, including some by the window, where you could watch life unfold outside (I think I saw Perth MP John Carey riding a BMX made from lego).

There were the obligatory murals on the burger bar wall, but they were pretty cool, including one of a monkey wearing a baseball cap. 

The menu had a range of beef and chicken burgers, fried chicken, sides, desserts (cookie pies, brownies) and some amazing looking shakes. It was a nice size of menu with decent variety.

In these tough economic times, HomeRun deserves brownie points for having a lunchtime special (cheeseburger, fries and a soft drink for $17).

I imagine it’s what most folk would get during their lunch break, so I ordered that, plus three chicken wings and a side of onion rings (and a defibrillator just in case).

As I waited for my meal to be cooked, I could hear the clatter of wheels as a distant skateboarder attempted a stunt in the abandoned concrete jungle across the road.

Covered in graffiti and overgrown weeds, the old Midway taxi rank has now became a mecca for urban art and skateboarders.

Some might call it an eyesore, but it adds a bit of sub-culture grit to the area.

The friendly man behind the till was soon over with my order.

This cheeseburger was simple but perfectly executed: an amazingly soft and light bun, a tasty smashed patty, smattering of dill pickles, and some ketchup and mayo.

It was brimming with flavour and one of the best cheeseburgers I’ve had. I’ve never really been into smashed patties, but this might have finally converted me.

The chicken wings were huge and piping hot. The batter had a dark, spicy coating which gave the chook a slightly exotic middle-eastern air. At $10 for three giant wings, they were great value.

The quality remained high with the crispy mound of onion rings ($12.50) which tasted incredibly fresh with a light, non-greasy batter.

I’ve been reading about potato shortages in Australia with cafes in Perth sending staffers out to buy frozen chips from the supermarket, but no such worries here. The thick-cut chips were spot on and tasted super light and non-greasy with a lovely sprinkling of rosemary and maybe a hint of smoked paprika.

HomeRun launched in Fremantle a few years back and it did so well it opened another outlet in Mt Hawthorn in September this year. I can see why, as the burgers are so good even Plato might have ditched his cave theory and gone stuff it, I’ll just have a quarter pounder instead.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK

HomeRun Burgers
376 Oxford Street, Mount Hawthorn
32 Market Street, Fremantle
homerunburgers.au