You just can’t let a claim like that go untested.
And indeed it was because of this bold call that we came to be sitting, beeper in hand, in Charlie Black – a bistro/bar (they’re calling it a brasserie) situated on a corner block of Manuka’s Furneaux Street.
It feels a bit like an upmarket student bar. The split-level inside space is dark and almost moody, save for the huge TV set screening American sitcoms lining one wall, with its red/black colour scheme and a couple of retro lounge chairs thrown into the seating mix. It sprawls out into a street-side courtyard that often plays host to (rather loud) live music.
Aside from the burgers, the menu, which is sprawled on blackboards around the gaudy black-and-white-marble fronted bar, features your typical bistro offering of pizzas, pastas, steak and schnitzel.
The Charlie Black Beef Burger sets expectations soaring, promising “everything but the kitchen sink”. It probably shouldn’t have set the bar quite so high – it’s a fairly standard-size burger containing beef, egg, bacon, salad (including beetroot) and chilli sauce. So there’s certainly a few things missing besides the kitchen sink. That said, it scores big points for the crusty-but-still-squishy bun and fresh, good-quality salad ingredients. They’ve also nailed the all-important bun-patty ratio so it all melds together nicely. My companion’s only complaint (other than the size) is that they’ve been a little heavy-handed with the chilli sauce.
Vegie burgers can be oh so bad, which makes Charlie Black's quite respectable version all the better. I’m always suspicious of ‘vegie patties’, often quite devoid of any flavour except salt. This patty is of the better ones, but it's really the lashings of roasted eggplant, zucchini and capsicum that make it. There’s also some feta lurking in there, though it lacks the creamy bite of a really good one, and the whole thing is topped with a pesto-smeared bun. All burgers are served with some golden, chunky chips.
Vegie burgers can be oh so bad, which makes Charlie Black's quite respectable version all the better. I’m always suspicious of ‘vegie patties’, often quite devoid of any flavour except salt. This patty is of the better ones, but it's really the lashings of roasted eggplant, zucchini and capsicum that make it. There’s also some feta lurking in there, though it lacks the creamy bite of a really good one, and the whole thing is topped with a pesto-smeared bun. All burgers are served with some golden, chunky chips.
As for the venue as a whole, it’s hard to know where Charlie Black sits and that’s probably because it feels like it’s trying a little too hard to please everyone. Compared to its showy new rival, Public Bar, just down the road, it’s a little less yuppie, a little more family-friendly, a lot less expensive – but at the same time considerably less crowded – at any given time.
However, while the sign might stretching it a little (Brodburger's owners shouldn't lose too much sleep), Charlie Black is churning out burgers that aren't too shabby at all.
However, while the sign might stretching it a little (Brodburger's owners shouldn't lose too much sleep), Charlie Black is churning out burgers that aren't too shabby at all.
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