Grill’d Ambassador Lola Berry with celebrity personal trainer Dan Adair
There’s nothing like a good burger, one that barely fits in your mitts or your mouth, the crunch of fresh ingredients and soft bun giving way as you bite into it, catching driblets of juicy goodness before they stain your shirt. Yep, there are a multitude of places which fulfil that burger ideal and Grill’d have positioned themselves amongst the top of the lot. Not only has the chain differentiated itself with its ‘real food’ philosophy and community spirit, it may just have cracked the ‘healthy eating’ stigma in the new Nourish & Flourish burger, specially formulated with the help of audaciously vibrant author of The Happy Cookbook Lola Berry.
Usually the term ‘healthy’ paired with the word burger incites a round of groans and expressions of scepticism from folk when they hear it, but after having sampled the goods they may find themselves pleasantly surprised. Grill’d have taken their ‘paddock to plate’ philosophy seriously, sourcing fresh ingredients from local producers including 100% grass-fed lean beef (no hormones or antibiotics) from G & K O’Connor, traditionally baked buns from Baker’s Crust (no multipliers or bread improvers) and Cos Lettuce from Hussey & Co delivered to stores within 12 hours of harvest.
To celebrate the healthy menu item launch the restaurant’s Crown Street location held a tasting hosted by Grill’d Marketing Manager Alastair McCausland with appearances from Lola Berry and Product Manager Shane Pigdon who spoke of the trials and tribulations in formulating the product and the passion that’s brought them to this point. The winning component of the burger is the Low Carb Super Bun a healthy, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, low-carb combination of free range eggs, almond meal, coconut cream, honey, tapioca flour, and psyllium husk. How low on carbs? Less than 9 grams, which happens to be less than a sushi roll. It almost sounds too good to be true, something so free of everything would surely taste like cardboard right? Well after 47 attempts to get it right, the outcome is pretty tasty.
The bun is quite thin but not overly dense which is great because it actually allows the filling to shine through, so all you get are big juicy mouthfuls of that lean beef pattie, avocado, Dijon mustard, dill pickle, shredded carrot, cos lettuce, tomato and egg mayo that it’s stuffed with. The almond meal and coconut cream in the bun add a lovely creamy nutty flavour which seems to accentuate everything else that’s going on in between. It’s all rounded off with a nice bold kick from the Dijon Mustard and the sweet vinegary crunch of dill pickles. The best part is feeling like you’ve eaten something wholesome and energising that’s genuinely delicious, without having to deal with that bloated feeling a massive floury bun full of greasy ingredients induces.
Guests were also served a trio of Grill’d chips on the side, including their infamous herb crusted potato chips, sweet potato chips, zucchini chips and their delicious array of flavoured mayos (hot chilli, herb, sweet chilli). Zucchini is a notoriously soggy bland sort of vegetable so extra credit goes to the team for turning out a mega crunchy flavourful chip coated in a gluten free mix of tapioca, corn and rice flours. Lola has also introduced a SuperPower Salad to the menu which includes classically light and nutritionally sound ingredients such as grilled chicken breast, avocado, cos lettuce, carrot, Spanish Onion, beetroot, cherry tomatoes, almonds and mint and olive oil dressing. This wasn’t available on the night but honestly there wasn’t going to be much room between the satisfying burger and chips.
Rounding off the event was a short clip highlighting Lola’s trip out to the local farms which supply Grill’d in which she re-iterates the importance of making healthy choices easier and more accessible to the public. “I love a good burger, and I wanted to give myself permission to eat one, so I teamed up with Grill’d to create a burger you could eat and feel like you’ve done good for your body. The Nourish & Flourish Burger is a very clean and nourishing meal that contains ingredients from local provedores. The pattie is 100% grass fed, so you know you’re eating the best lean protein available. You’ll be getting essential, good fats from the avocado, your veggie intake will be topped up with fresh salad ingredients and, finally, you’ll get a little, tangy kick from the Dijon mustard.”
Given the trend towards healthier lifestyle choices as people become more aware of what they’re consuming and the increase in dietary intolerances, it’s been a clever move for Grill’d to continue to improve the nutritional content of what they serve and of course a great fit with their values and community spirit.
The Nourish & Flourish Burger and SuperPower salad rolled-out in Grill’d stores nationally this past Tuesday, June 30th. Check out http://www.grilld.com.au/ for a full list of stores and menu. Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it!
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