Here at Best Place For , if we want to eat the Best, we have to follow the Best.
So high on our list of Instagram burger heroes is Sir Eatsalot himself, @issac_eatsalot. With so much Burger goodness to follow, here’s some tips from the man himself ….
Issac you’re the most prolific and biggest Burger person on Instagram in Australia with thousands of dishes and hundreds of thousands of followers. How did this all start for you? What was the moment that this went from a bit of fun to become this big?
To be honest, I wouldn’t say I was either, there are a lot of great Burger accounts out there and claiming to be the most prolific or biggest would be like claiming to be the favourite child.
I have been doing it for quite some time now though you’re right and it’s been a bit of an evolution. Initially my Instagram was a generic personal account. Then it became more of a chef’s account around 2014, sharing creations and chocolate work.
Then I started pushing competitive eating hard as a hobby and doing Burgers and over the top foods in 2015/16. And it was the big Burgers that really took the world by storm.
For context you’ve completed over 4,000 reviews, so what’s your Burger preference? Beef vs. Chicken? Cheese? Stack size? Bacon? Bun type? Condiment/sauce game? Spice? Anything funky? Is there anything that should just never go on a Burger?
This is easy. We call it the Triple Patty Effect. A good triple-patty Burger with an epic smash patty providing this sheen, scale like crust and melted cheese whilst still barely holding shape in its square slice. It’s big enough to be showcased and impressive but small enough people want to eat it themselves!
You are incredibly deep with the number of Burgers across Sydney, Melbourne and NYC. The question everyone wants to know from the biggest Burger expert — who wins? What are your top 5?
A ridiculously tough question, there are so many good Burgers out there that there will be some, I’m forgetting for sure. I’ll answer this question based on two criteria – the Burgers I crave, and/or order the most, or have had a resounding effect on me upon eating them for the first time. On their day they’re all 5’s but consistency plagues us all. So I don’t like giving one specific rating to a venue.
Click though to the full list to add some of these to your own burger hit list.
I have seen you do a lot of traveling, what was the best Burger you had in a random out of the way place you never expected?
For two of my favourite Burgers to be in Albion Park on the NSW South Coast and make that list above is a bit wild and really fairly obscure. And Romans in Footscray I wouldn’t have picked as being a real contender before I actually started to get into the Burger.
There are some pretty uncommon meats people cook with. What’s the most uncommon Burger you have had that was great?
I’ve eaten plenty of game meats – ironically I’m quite a purist when it comes to protein. I have had Bison Burger in the US before. I still don’t think I’ve had a famous Camel Burger from Lakemba so there’s one for the Must Eat list you should make.
Do you cook homeburgers? Anything you have bought that you’d recommend for that in terms of sauces or kit?
A really good quality flat top barbecue for a smash patty. I use the Beefeater 4 burner BBQ from Bunnings. Cook and scrape off the non-stick residue that you buy it with. Get yourself a nice wide utensil for smashing and a sharp straight scraper to get under the smash and flip, and get into it.
Burger sides – what’s the Best you have had?
Beef Massaman Smashed Fried Chat Potatoes. As crazy good as it sounds. It was in a pop up place in Mascot called Bovine Burger Syd. It was there for a few months and now is looking for a new spot.
We can see the Eatsalot brand is expanding now with @i_snack_eatsalot and you also got some outstanding desserts in your main feed — what were some of the best sweets and snacks you have put down over the years?
The iconic Chocolate Dessert with a sinking centre from Bennelong at the Opera House. The Snow Egg at Quay at the Rocks before it closed to renovate, and a selection of desserts at Heston Blumenthals Fat Duck Melbourne popup. I’ve also had plenty of fun with local more casual Dessert houses like Bay Vista Parramatta and Sir Braxton in Rockdale or a cheeky Donut from the Donut Papi guys.
What’s plans for the Eatsalot and Chew Crew Media brands? Who are you looking to work with and what’s the best way for those people to get in touch?
I’ve been really fortunate over the years to always work with really great people and really great products. Obviously, Burgers and casual fast food is my strength or forte, before I moved to Sydney I didn’t even drink coffee let alone review or create content of it. I’ve recently had an account manager come on board in Perth so expansion is always on the cards. All my contact details are listed on my personal account as well as my business account (@the_chew_crew).
Is there anything else you want to shout out or let people know about?
I think the only thing I really want to share — and its clichéd — but so relevant to 2020. Find strength in adversity. I was working a go nowhere job in a kitchen when my son was born 27 weeks premature and my wife was diagnosed with an advanced stage 3 cancer. It caused a pivot to adapt and four years on that pivot was one of the best decisions of my life. Whether it’s COVID or personal reasons – twists and turns don’t always mean they’re setbacks. Also, hard work will outweigh good looks every day.
Click through to the profile of @issac_eatsalot to see all the great eats he’s tipped us above.
