ADDRESS: The Sydney Room, Level 5, Westfield Sydney, cnr Market and Castlereagh St, SydneyWEBSITE:charlieandco.com.auTHE overwhelming feeling I had upon leaving Charlie & Co. Burgers was shame…mainly ‘cos I left so much food on my plate. What a waste.
While I recommend that anyone going to this upmarket eatery should do so on an empty stomach, don’t be like me and assume your stomach can deal with what your hunger thinks it wants.
The place was half-full when I arrived, but quickly filled up with lunchtime customers. So that was a good sign. However, queuing to be attended by a waiter before ordering a mere burger seemed a tad pretentious…as did the faux newspaper that serves as a menu.
Anyhow, upon being ushered to the counter by the polite waiter, I ordered my lunch: Classic Fried Chicken Burger ($16), Parmesan and truffle fries ($8), Onion rings ($7) and a small Coke ($2.50).
When I went to pick up my order I instantly realised I’d f*cked up. While the burger looked manageable, the fries and rings were clearly designed for group snacking. I should’ve skipped the rings (even though I have a weakness for them) and just stuck with the fries. But, frankly, I doubt I would have finished them either.
Getting to the meal…the burger – two fried chicken fillets topped with lettuce, tomato, and herb and garlic mayonnaise – was okay. The fried chicken (basically a glorified chicken schnitzel) was nicely spiced when eaten by itself, but got lost when mixed with the strongly flavoured mayonnaise.
The fries tasted amazing at first – the parmesan mixed with truffle dressing was quite decadent. But you really don’t need too many of them before you start to feel a bit queasy from the richness of it all.
Sadly, once I ate some the onion rings (which tasted primarily of salt and batter), I couldn’t taste much of anything anymore.
Despite my best efforts, I’d barely made a dent in my side orders after 30 minutes, by which time the rings were cold and greasy (bleh) and the fries weren’t quite so inviting anymore. In the end, I finished the fillets and had to even leave part of the bun behind.
There was a time – not all that many years ago – when I would’ve made a valiant attempt to clear everything on my plate (my mother’s stern reprimand, “There are children starving in Ethiopia!” ringing in my head), but not now. What’s the point of eating till I’m sick?
Despite having spent $33.50 for lunch – Ouch! It hurts just writing that! – I walked away from my half-eaten meal without so much as a backward glance. I left Charlie & Co. Burgers bloated, burping garlic and onion…and wishing I was a Catholic so I could go church and cleanse myself of this lingering guilt.
