Third Wave Cafe
Shop 1, 189 Rouse Street, Port Melbourne
03 9676 2399
American, BBQ
$$$
Food
- Ribsy Burger with Lettuce & Onion Rings
- Gourmet Burger
- Oh Mamma… Burger
- Smoked Mac and Cheese
- Beef Brisket Loaded Fries
- Nutella and Peanut Butter Pie
- Ice Cream Sandwich
The Good
The Gourmet Burger was quite tasty. Sandwiched between the seeded brioche, we found an absolutely enormous patty made of porterhouse and pork neck mince. Well seasoned and loaded with a variety of greens, the 250g monster patty was packed with flavour and exceptionally juicy. This all sat on top some fresh greens and raw onion. Coupled with the basil mayo, the flavours worked rather well together and made for a tasty and meaty burg. However, it’s certainly far from “the best burger” I’ve ever tried.
Ribsy Burger didn’t disappoint either. Generously loaded with BBQ smoked short ribs as well as crispy streaky bacon, the burger was made even taller by the stack of fried onion rings. The beef ribs were flavoursome and tender, but not quite melt-in-your-mouth. However they provided good flavour and were well complemented by the crispness of well-fried strips of bacon.
We also enjoyed the Beef Brisket Loaded Fries. Served in a cute yet functional casserole dish, the chips were kept nicely warm till the end of our meal. While the chips were nicely fried and had a soft fluffy inner, they were not as crunchy as we’d prefer. However this was saved by an abundant amount of cheese liberally melted on top. The chunks of Beef Brisket added good flavour to the fries, though they were definitely a tad drier and tougher than expected.
The Mediocre
The Smoked Mac and Cheese definitely needed improvement. While there was a lot of cheese, and yes it was nicely melted, the quantity is no substitute for quality and what we received was definitely lacking in flavour. Furthermore, the macaroni itself wasn’t well seasoned and we also failed to get any smokey aroma throughout as advertised. Rather bland and a tad disappointing.
The Bad
The Nutella and Peanut Butter Pie was lacklustre at best. While I wouldn’t go so far to say it was bland and tasteless, both the Nutella and the peanut butter flavour was definitely lacking. What you do get was a mushy and thick mixture that was loaded onto a soft and unremarkable biscuit base. This of course, was not helped by the scoop of cheap vanilla ice cream on top, which mostly consisted of sugar and failed to offer any depth in flavour nor creaminess. Bland on bland is the only way to describe this.
We had high hopes for the Ice Cream Sandwich, but were once again disappointed again. Presented on the plate were two, store-bought waffles that were soft and soggy. Sitting between them were two more scoops of that cheap tasteless vanilla ice cream. Drenching it in honey and chocolate sauce simply couldn’t hide the poor ingredients on the plate, and simply didn’t do anyone any favours.
The Verdict
Admittedly, this revisit was a lot, in fact much much better than our last. On this occasion, the burgers were actually made with care and skill, and as a result, quite tasty. However, the sides and the desserts let much to be desired.
While I do recommend trying the burgers here, simply don’t bother with the desserts as they aren’t worth a dime, or your calories for that matter.
Would Penguin Eat Again?
I’d definitely be back for more burgers. The other stuff? Maybe not.