Perth Voice Interactive

THE MATILDAS feel good factor had slowly washed over me.

No, I haven’t put a poster of Sam Kerr on my bedroom wall – I’m in my late 40s and that would be all wrong – but her World Cup antics did inspire me to take my two young kids to see Perth Glory Women on Saturday night.

They were playing at Macedonia Park, the home of Stirling Lions, who have strong historical links to the Macedonian community in Perth.

So it was only apt that I try some local Balkan-style food before watching the game.

Opened in 2014 and a bit of a favourite in Osborne Park, Red Chilli Burger Bar is known for its ‘Balkan-Euro’ Pleskavica patties, with the secret family recipe dating back to the 1970s in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia.

Sadly the heart and soul of Red Chilli and a favourite with regulars, Baba (grandma), passed away in 2022. But her recipes live on at the burger bar, which in 2021 expanded to include the small bar Chich (slang for uncle in Macedonian).

The takeaway menu had a mouth-watering range of beef, chicken and veggie burgers including the pljeskavica (beef patty) with a nice range of toppings including spanish onion, sweet pickle sauce and Dijon mustard, all served in a grilled Turkish bun.

The marinated chicken burgers looked appetising too with a nice topping of avocado, herb garlic mayonnaise and spanish onion.

There was a good effort on the veggie front with three burgers with black bean or chickpea patties.

There was also a number of sides including beer battered chips, sweet potato fries, chicken wings and a range of dips.

It was a dedicated burger bar and they had pretty much gone all in on the burgers with a smattering of sides.

After fielding a million questions from my kids about the offside trap, VAR and Cooney-Cross’s favourite brand of shampoo, the food arrived in the nick of time.

My kids shared a plain jovan with cheese ($16) and a side of beer-battered chips ($7.50).

The Pljeskavica patty was perfectly cooked with a trace of pink in the middle. The ground beef was high quality and packed with flavour with a slightly spicy reprise. 

The Spanish onion, tomato and lettuce were super fresh and the Turkish bun added an exotic, sultry twist.

At first I thought the burgers were a bit on the small side, but the Turkish bread was deceptively filling and the patties are thicker than Sloth in The Goonies.

The masterstroke was the tomajo sauce – a sort of slightly spicy mix of what tasted like ketchup and mayonnaise.

The kids loved it and kept banging on about it.

The accompanying chips were thick, crunchy and had a nice depth of flavour from the beer batter.

Meanwhile, I was tucking into my side of chicken wings (half a kilo for $17.50).

These had a deep smoky flavour and a sweet, sticky BBQ glaze.

When the two combined in your mouth it was Hillbilly nirvana and I could picture myself on the back of a ute in Alabama, polishing my gun and dreaming about a Donald Trump renaissance.

These were delicious, superior wings and there were plenty to go around.

My original Chich burger ($16) didn’t hit the same heights.

I really enjoyed the chilli flakes scattered throughout, but unfortunately the Pljeskavica patty was a bit overdone and didn’t have that great a texture.

Ashame, as the rest of the burger, including that grilled Turkish bun, was superb.

With our bellies full, it was off to Macedonia Park, where Perth Glory put Adelaide United to the sword 2-1.

It was a family-friendly affair and you could sit on the grassy bank and enjoy the action just a few feet away.

“Dad, do you think Sam Kerr likes Pokemon?”

Red Chilli Burger Bar/Chich Small Bar
232 Holub Ln, Osborne Park
chich.com.au

by STEPHEN POLLOCK