Grill'd - Belconnen Westfield

I must tell you that the newly refurbished Belconnen Westfield is truly stunning. It looks brighter and better with more shops, eateries and beautiful 'artsy' seating areas that i immediately fell in love with. I'm glad that i no longer have to take 3 hours trip down to Sydney to satisfy my cravings for asian bread and bubble tea, as they have Top Bread and EasyWay there. That's a great improvements for Canberra! YEY!

Oo..sorry for going off-topic and not mentioning what i was doing in Belconned Westfield. I was there for a Media Launch for Grill'd (Westfield Belconnen, Level 3 - Next to Target (02) 6251 1588) which only opened on the 31st March. Grill'd has some energetic vibe that just makes the whole place very inviting. It is well furnished with nice wooden tables, colourful chairs and fun wall arts (designed by a Melbourne artist) which altogether guarantees a fun and relaxing dining experience for both adults and children.

The event started with a few introductions, an overview of the company and its vision - to deliver tasty and yet healthy burgers which are 'made with love'. We were first introduced to the Thick-cut Hot Chips which came out pipping hot and accompanied by three different dips: Herbed Mayo, Tomato Relish and Sweet Chilli Mayo. My favorite dip out of the three was the tomato relish as it went the best with the chips; herbed mayo and sweet chilli mayo were good but they didn't blend as well with the chips.

Hot Chips with 3, erm...only 2 sauces in this photo (1st: sweet chilli mayo 2nd: herbed mayo and the tomato relish is missing)

Not long after, we were introduced to the two most popular burgers at Grill'd: Almighty (Grilled 100% lean beef, tasty cheese, crispy trim bacon, free range egg, slices of beetroot with salad, relish and herbed mayo) & Simon Says (Grilled chicken breast, avocado, crispy trim bacon, salad, relish & herbed mayo). The Almighty does look like your average Australian burger as it has slices of beetroot in it; the beef pattie was lean but its juicyness and flavours were not compromised. The burger overall tastes good and promises to fill you up! 'Simon says' tasted nice but nothing particularly stood out to me.

I like how the buns (baked daily) are toasted just before they come out so they are nicely soft and crispy when served. Thumbs up for the relish & herbed mayo as they definitely add that extra yummy factor in the burgers.

Apart from beef burgers and chicken burgers, Grill'd also caters for lamb-lovers, vegetarians and steak sandwich-lovers like me. For those who are gluten intolerant, Grill'd also offers gluten-free options. I tried a bit of a Morrocan Lamb (grilled lean lamb pattie with roasted peppers,tzatziki, salad & relish) on a gluten-free bun and it was delicious. The pattie was juicy and did not have an overpowering 'lamb' taste and the bun was alright (decent for being gluten-free).

For the vegetarian choice, i tried the Garden Goodness which consists of a premium quality veggie pattie with beetroot, tasty cheese, avocado, salad, relish & herbed mayo. It was quite nice, although i do like my meat in burgers =P

One of my favorites was the Front Bar Steak Sandwich (Grilled scotch fillet, gree range egg, rocket, tomato, spanish onion, mustard, beetroot, relish, herbed mayo on ciabatta). The scotch fillet was juicy and tender and the ciabatta was very good; the mustard definitely added a nice kick to the sandwich without being overpowering. Like!

From top going clockwise: 1) Grill'd menu 2) Wall art at Grill'd 3) Front Bar Steak Sandwich 4) Mini Me Pack for Kids (7 & under) - consists of grilled mini burger (beef or chicken), cheese & tomato sauce with mini chips and juice box Center) Simon Says Chicken Burger

There were other burgers available for tasting but due to it-ran-out-when-it-got-to-me (or almost) reason, the following burgers didn't not make it to the photo session. Also, I wasn't able to try all of the burgers due to my limited stomach size, so some reviews are based on other fellow tasters' opinions.

Mustard & Pickled (Grilled 100% lean beef, Dijon mustard, dill pickle, tasty cheese, salad & relish) - apparently really good by a fellow taster, i wasn't too willing to try this one because the Dijon mustard was rather intimidating.

'Hot' Mama (Grilled 100% lean beef, roasted peppers, dill pickle, tasty cheese, tzatziki, salad & harissa paste) - it was one of those burgers that i wanted to try but it ran out, favorited by two fellow tasters. 

Simply Grill'd (Grilled 100% lean beef, salad, relish & herbed mayo) - tasted like a simplified version of the Almighty, suitable for those who just want a simple and hearty burger.

The Zen Hen (Grilled chicken breast, tangy satay sauce, coriander, shredded carrot, salad & herbed mayo) - my least favorite burger and i think it's because the satay sauce didn't quite blend in with the herbed mayo, making it a bit strange (taste-wise). It tasted like a fusion burger but not a particular tasty one.

Tuscan Delight (Grilled chicken breast, roasted peppers, basil pesto, tasty cheese, salad & herbed mayo) - i was too full to try this one and no particular comments were made about it.

Burgers aside, there are also salad choices for those who don't quite fancy burgers. I tried three different salads including the Chicken Caesar Salad, Grill'd Chicken Salad and Mushroom & Feta Salad. In terms of looks, the Chicken salad was perhaps the most attractive of them all with rough-cut croutons and a luscious sunny side up laying on a bed of baby cos and bacon. Grill'd chicken salad tasted ordinary and the chicken felt rather dry. On the other hand,i really liked the mushroom & feta salad as the mushroom was deliciously juicy (and big) and it went well with the feta.

From left to right: 1) Mushroom & Feta Salad 2) Chicken Caesar Salad 3) Grill'd Chicken Salad

The Burger Tasting Event at Grill'd was good and definitely covered a variety of burgers from their menu ranging from the most popular ones to the unique ones including the gluten-free and vegetarian choices. I also hearted their awesome thick-cut hot chips which can be accompanied by Grill'd's own unique dips. Great work to Grill'd for offering salads to cater the 'non-burgerERS' (made up word here!) and Mini Me Packs for the little ones. Not to forget that everything is made with low-fat (the meat and cheese), highest-quality and freshest ingredients which is nutritious and good for you!

Thanks to Grill'd Canberra Team and Threesides and for organizing such an awesome event!

Great news for Southsiders: Grill'd is opening early June 2011 at Woden Westfield