Where: Targa (11 Marvell Street, Byron Bay, NSW)

For: Lunch

What: Targa Beef Burger

From the Menu: Beef Burger with Monterey Jack cheese, tomato, pickled zucchini, American mustard and bacon (add fries +$3.50)

Cost: $16

The Review:

On the road this week to Byron Bay and sought the recommendation of a (quasi) local for the best place to get lunch. That recommendation was for Targa and it did not disappoint.

There were many meals on the menu that appealed but my eyes kept coming back to the beef burger. I ordered it without tomato (I do not eat tomato on burgers – it is a texture thing) but added the fries that the menu offered.

This burger was very good. The beef patty was cooked perfectly; it was just a little pink in the middle. I loved the addition of the pickled zucchini which added an interesting flavour and texture to the burger. The condiments (including a tomato relish which was not listed on the menu) were perfect: the zing of the relish combined with the mustard to enhance the flavour of both the beef pattie and the bacon.

One underrated aspect of any burger is the bun upon which the burger is served. The bun with this burger was excellent. Clearly it had been freshly baked and it did not fall apart as some burger buns can when the burger is rich with condiments.

I can not fault the burger. If I had to be critical the only disappointing (and it was a minor disappointment) aspect of this meal was the fries. Given the quality of the restaurant I was expecting something hand cut when it came to fries. What was served were frozen fries from a packet. It is a very minor complaint because I did eat all of the fries: I just was expecting something different.

On the Side:

I paired this dish with a fresh vegie juice which from the menu consisted of beetroot, apple, ginger, carrot and lemon. It was exceptionally good!

Will I be back?

Yes. There is much I want to try from the menu of Targa.

The Last Word

I love it when a recommendation from a friend turns out to be exactly as the friend stated: Targa and its beef burger were both excellent. The restaurant is well fitted out and the staff friendly. The prices across the menu are extremely reasonable. The beef burger I had could not be faulted. If you are in Byron Bay you should check it out!