Just when you think that some of the shine has gone off the burger trend, Betty's Burgers opens their first Sydney outlet and queues form immediately for the beef burger with cheese, their crispy chicken number, and a mushroom burger to rule them all.
Seriously, veggos: this is your time to lord it over everyone, because here they sandwich a mix of gouda and Gruyère between big, flat, juicy field mushrooms and then crumb and deep fry it so that the shell is crunchy and the cheese molten. It's lightened and brightened by the requisite lettuce and tomato and delivered in a soft, white, sweet bun spread with the house secret sauce (a spiced mayo situation).
The beef burger is savoury, well seasoned and juicy – some might say too juicy – so don't eat it over light coloured trousers or with a date you're trying to impress. Pickles don't come as standard, but the burger benefits from that three-dollar investment to cut through the beef, cheese and creamy sauce.
Someone tell Lorde that these are onion rings worth adding to her secret review Instagram. Single, sweet rings of soft, white onion are armoured in a smooth, crunchy batter that's cooked until golden brown, making fine bedfellows with the Sriracha mayo.
There's a cute, vintage vibe to the fitout and the pastel colours and staff uniforms are reminiscent of an old ice cream shop, which is handy since they also do custard ice cream in chocolate and vanilla. It's firmer than a soft serve but extra melty and creamy, and you can also get it whizzed into a thickshake or smashed together with cake, lollies, popcorn, fudge sauce, fairy floss and marshmallows.
The outlet is along the (very) long eastern side of the new ICC, so keep walking along beside the park and you'll find it next to the Guzman y Gomez. Eat in at one of the tables along the promenade or take your booty out into the park for an inner-city picnic. The addition of Betty's Burgers has certainly increased Darling Harbour's pulling power, but if you have a strict lunch break it's worth avoiding peak hours, because we all know how much Sydney loves a burger.
