I'm so envious of everyone I can see on Instagram right now taking some time off and going on a road trip! But recently seeing a friend's roadtrip to Bateau Bay to try the Carl's Jr outpost there made me laugh and remember my time there. Thankfully when I went, we didn't go just to try this as it wouldn't have been worth the 1.5 hour drive out of Sydney. But it was still lots of fun to conveniently cross this off the eats list too!

Carl's Jr isn't available in Sydney so when they decided to open up a store in the Central Coast, many were flocking to try the American fast food chain! The day we went it was super empty as the hype has since long passed.





For a fast food restaurant, it's very clean and sleek looking. There is lots of space and a nice atmosphere. Additionally, the service I received was really nice too and the food, as expected, was fast!

There wasn't anything in particular that I wanted to try here nor had I heard any "must try" items so we went with one beef and one chicken burger. Patrick noted that he had tried Carls Jr in Japan and it wasn't anything special except for the hand scooped ice cream shakes so we made sure to get one of those.











So driving all the way to Bateau Bay for Carl's Jr? I wouldn't recommend! But making it a stop on your road trip to spend some time on the Central Coast? Do it!

Recently there's been a new burger place which I've really wanted to try out after seeing so many fantastic reviews and hype on Tomato and Instagram. Imagine my surprise when receiving an email inviting me to dine there before I could even make it there myself! In the words of my friend, Terry... "LUVS IT!"

The place in discussion is Chef Kerby Craig's UME Burger on Wulgul Walk at Barangaroo. It is the sister restaurant to Bar Ume at Surry Hills and aims to bring the amazing Ume burgers and sides to this beautiful waterfront location. So perfect for all those lucky enough to work around the area or keen foodies looking for a picturesque feed and location.

Getting here is really easy thanks to the Wynyard walk. On this day I've decided to invite my sister and her boyfriend along to try out these burgers with me. I had been encouraged to bring friends along to try more burgers and also received great recommendations from friends who have dined at Bar Ume!


The outdoor dining area is shared with Belle's Hot Chicken next door and it is very busy with the from workers in the area. Although, it looks super empty in my photos because I took them AFTER I finished my meal which was around 2PM. Thankfully at around 1PM we find good table and seating as lunch hour is rushed through (the turnover is fast) and some people opt for take-away over dine in.














I hope you all enjoyed reading my review and experience at Barangaroo's Ume Burger! I really enjoyed the food and the influence of Japanese cuisine on the burgers, drinks and sides. It made for a delicious lunch and I do recommend everyone give these burgers a go if they can. The service at Barangaroo spoilt the experience for me, but given that this is usually a quick-paced dining environment for some people the taste of the food matters more so take what you can from this blog post. For me, I won't be rushing back any time soon. Friends of mine who had dined at Bar Ume, said the service and feed was impeccable at the Surry Hills location so I would rather go there.

Riding past this place nearly everyday on the bus to uni (yes I'm that lazy) has made me real curious as to who is succeeding in the former Soul Origin's place on Broadway. The outside always looks bright and friendly as the place has a nice orange theme to it and the doors are wide open.

Originally I was going to stop by with Francis sometime but on this random unplanned event, my sister and I were the ones stopping by as the $5 mid wings and $5 popcorn chicken signs caught our eyes!



We had actually just eaten a late lunch with my friends Vanessa and Claudia but upon looking over the menu board, everything actually still sounded so tempting and delicious. Walked in for some $5 chicken but ended up ordering a burger and concrete shake as well because we're already here so why not! The food is very American themed/inspired.



Service is very quick and friendly, but it's a shame there is no option to upgrade the drink in the +$5 combo (chips and drinks) to a concrete shake. A concrete shake by the way is their soft serve textured shakes that come in some fun and unique flavours such as Peanut Butter Butterscotch, Nutella, NY Cheesecake and Coffee.


There is limited seating available by the counter and window and I can see it getting a little cramped once the place gets busy. Luckily we're here around 6pm when it's quite empty on this day. You're given a number from the counter and they bring out the food to you when it's all ready. On every table, there is a ketchup bottle hahaha







In the end we walked out of the Hub House Diner with a take-away box in hand full of chips which we happily nommed on the train home. Our little dining experience was really fantastic here and I really hope to come back to try their other burgers such as the Just Jack and Phat Chicken! A friend of mine also recommended the Veg Burger which I would also love to try.

All students around this area or even workers and passerbys, I encourage you to try out this fast food place! Let me know if you do, or if you have and how it went for you. Keen to return.



TL;DR:
Price: Bit pricier than normal quick eats
Quality: Good
Service: Good
Ambience: Bright and friendly, fast food vibes