Bills – Surry Hills, Sydney
Did your heart just skip a bit? Mine sure did when the waitress brings out these oh-so gorgeous wagyu beef burgers and lay it down in front of us.
We were spending Saturday afternoon checking out some of the exhibitions at 2 Danks Street Galleries and when it comes to lunch, the Danks Street Depot next door seems to be the obvious choice. Unfortunately a 40mins wait for a table is not what I am ready to anticipate. So, we hopped back into the car and went for Plan B. Well not that “plan B“, but the popular breakky joint, Bills, just down the road on Crown Street in Surry Hills.
Bill Granger, the celebrity chef, the entrepreneur, who is famous for his cooking books, and also has his own TV shows, and his world renowned Bills restaurant has expanded to 3 locations – Surry Hills, Darlinghurst and Wollahra. Bills somehow has become a Sydney icon, even Nicole Kidman has mentioned it on Oprah that having breakfast at Bills is one of her favourite things to do in Australia.
Bills at Surry Hills is just as busy when we arrived, but at least the stream of customers seems to come and go constantly and tables always available in short wait. The restaurant is petite and tight squeeze, we managed to waddle our way through the crowd to our table in the center. Three large blackboards on the wall with a good selection of wine list from all regions around Australia, or if you fancy a bit of sparkly, the choices are never disappoint.
Hot chocolate with Callebaut - 4.00
The waitress comes to take our drink order while we decide what to have for lunch, I simply can’t go pass Bill’s signature hot chocolate with Callebau. The chocolate buds are sticked to one side of the glass and slowly melting into the hot milk. It turns into seductive chocolate drink with a quick stir, it is rich and intense, will definitely bring a smile to your face and mend those broken hearts. I was hypnotized by watching the cocoa powder slowly sinking to the bottom like quick sand (Or those tacky Sandbilder).
Wagyu beef burger with beetroot, tomato relish and zucchini pickles - 19.50
The great selection of food on the lunch menu makes me mouth salivates. Surprisingly me and The Pom had both our mind set on the wagyu beef burgers, too easy. Somehow the burgers take the longest to come out as all other customers already having their food who arrived after us. When the burgers came out of the kitchen definitely caused a bit of stir in the restaurant and suddenly a lot of onlookers have their eyes fixed on our table, admiring the monstrosity. It is totally worth the wait!
The burger is standing tall with a nice chunk of wagyu beef pattie inside, sauteed sweet onions and Heidi Gruyere cheese melted on top (extra $3.80), then sealed proof with a nice soft bun, which is a bit charred on edges which I don’t mind at all. The salad on the side is an explosion of psychedelic colours; the fresh red beetroot is sweet and with a bit of crunch to it, nice change from those overcooked floppy ones with red juice dripping everywhere, and the zucchini is pickled and spiced up in turmeric and turns “Kapow!” fluorescent yellow!
Wagyu beef burger with Heidi Gruyere cheese (extra 3.80)
The tomato relish is more like a chilli jam, hot but not overpowering, a perfect dip to go with the herbed french fries. I was actually tempted to order the herbed french fries ($7.00), thank god I didn’t! This fries are almost as good as those from Macdonald’s, but with less salt and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
The solid tough Heidi Gruyere cheese is very thick and hardly melted, but it is so creamy and nice nutty flavour. The Pom has chosen the simple cheddar which is totally melted and wrapped around the pattie. I only had a small sample of the wagyu beef burger from Becasse – Plan B at the Taste of Sydney media launch which I really didn’t think much of it. Surprisingly I actually quite enjoyed this wagyu burger at Bills, which is juicy and tender. I think I will definitely need to go to Plan B next to do a comparison.
We didn’t stay long while customers still pouring in. More galleries to go, and I already had my mind set on next place to visit for some sweet sweet chocolately lurve. 
Bills - Surry Hills 359 Crown Street Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia
opening hour: every day from 7.00 to 22.00 T: +61 2 9360 4762 W: www.bills.com.au
A Table For Two (ATFT) is Billy Law's food blog that features best eats in Sydney and around the world with drool-worthy food photography to salivate your appetite. I also throw in a smidgen of my food and travel photography for good measure. Billy Law also happened to be a contestant on MasterChef Australia 2011. 
i heart your pictures (they take a bloody long time to load but they’re so clean and lovely that i’m deeming the wait-time worth it). and oh(!) how fun is the callebut hot chocolate. though one (meaning me) always manages to look like a spaz when desparately trying to scrape the last bits of choc off the side of the glass (and everyone else is being oh so stylish!)
shez’s last blog post..bar reggio
Beautiful pics. Is the burger bigger than it looks ? It looks quite small for $19.50, but by the sounds of it , it was well worth it regardless.
I had one today for lunch, but it was too soggy as they used turkish bread instead of a burger bun!
Howard@eatshowandtell’s last blog post..Nonotori, Osaka (Japan)
OOhhh I must go back for that hot chocolate!!! I agree with Howard, that burger looks really really really really small O_o Like asian sized burger small… but it sure looks so tasty!
FFichiban’s last blog post..St George Open Air Cinema – Mrs Macquarie Point, Sydney
@shez: Oh sorry! LOL I “upsize” the images to fit to the new layout, I will try to lower the quality next time to it loads quicker
The hot chocolate callebaut is to die for… surprisingly there is not much scraping needed.
@Howard@eatshowandtell: The burger is smaller than usual, imagine like a MOS burger.
$19.50 for the burger, salad and a general portion of the french fries, I think is reasonable.
@FFichiban: @FFichiban: Let’s just say is an “elegant” size. (like MOS burger). Yeah I would like to see what u think of the hot chocolate next time when you are there.
Nice looking pics, but the size of the plate kinda makes the burger look more like a “slider” than a real burger. Perhaps a fork or even a hand might help to make the relative size more apparent.
Nate’s last blog post..Malaysian Honeycomb Cake Recipe
Wow, tiny burger. Judging from the sauce dish, it looks even smaller than a Mos burger. No doubt, quality over quantity.
Now that’s two places I have to try out for wagyu burgers
I’ve never tried their wagyu burger there for the obvious reason. Small! LOL But i guess I should give it a try after your post. Speaking of burgers, I was addicted to Blue cheese burger and Teriyaki Tofu burger from Burger Bar in Surry Hills. Hellooo cholesterol.
Yas’s last blog post..Dinner @ Blancharu
I love bills. I’ve only been to the one in darlinghurst tho. Have to visit this one next time i’m in sydney. Oh my, I think the next time i’m coming, I need to have a consultation session with you on where to eat. Your taste are just amazing. Great photos as always =)
asti’s last blog post..Valentino cake – DB February 2009
I heart the wagyu burger at Bills…just delicious, and in spite of the size incredibly rich and satisfying
Reemski’s last blog post..Tiger,Tiger Coffee Bar
damnage! whoa
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