It's not an understatement to say that Raph Rashid paved the way for Melbourne's food truck culture. Beatbox Kitchen and Taco Truck were among the first food trucks to get an actual following with fans who would stake out the spots where the trucks would park weekly.
For those fans who aren't chasing Rashid's famous Raph burger, Beatbox burgers can now be found at the beatbox Kitchen shop in Brunswick, where Rashid has also opened All Day Donuts and fried chicken joint Juanita Peaches. The permanent burger joint is simply fitted out, with the chip shop-style kitchen out front and communal benches and a ping pong table towards the back for a pre-burger game.
Rashid's approach to his burgers appears to be: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". The signature Raph burger is as good as it was in the early truck days, the beef pattie served pink with a caramelised crust and topped with cos lettuce, tomato, onion, cheddar and Stereo sauce (a mixture of mayo, dill pickle, cayenne and lemon juice). It's a no-fuss burger, and we appreciate a good burger that won't leave sauce and juices trickling down to your elbows while you eat.
Since Melbourne reached 'peak burger' a while ago at the height of the dude food trend, simple burgers with minimal ingredients have been making a return. Beatbox's shop-only menu items include a $6 cheeseburger and its veggie patty counterpart the veg supreme, that is clearly made for when the burger hunger is real but the wallet is a little skint. A little smaller than the Raph, you might need two of the cheeseburgers if you're really hungry, which the kitchen has planned for by offering the $16 Burger Plate option on the menu, with two cheeseburgers and a side of green beans or fries.