Hello Sam is the brainchild of Katherine Sampson, a food retailer with 20 years experience, who two years ago saw a run down cafe in South Yarra as an opportunity to create a vintage burger joint that filled the gap for those of us who wanted something a little classier when it came to hamburgers.
“I was in sandwich bars for 19 years, I started a franchise called Healthy Habits and after selling it and taking a break, I decided to start a different business. What’s amazing is that I was selling food between two pieces of bread and now I’m still selling food between two pieces of bread – although now it’s brioche buns! I never thought in a 100 years I’d be running a burger cafe” contends the passionate owner / operator of Hello Sam.
“We specialise in Gourmet Burgers served on French style brioche buns, with handcrafted products and house-made sauces. All our burger patties are fresh and hand pressed in store. No frozen patties at Hello Sam,” she adds.
During August, Hello Sam are launching six new burger flavours that include double and triple patties, a Mexican burger with salsa and corn chips and the new ‘Uncle Sam’ – an American style burger with dill pickles. So head to Hello Sam’s Facebook page; facebook.com/HelloSamCafe to find out more about the launch date.
While most burger joints have a token and uninspired option for vegetarians, Hello Sam has three vegie options which include spicy tofu, grilled mushroom and the very popular black bean with blackened corn. Gluten free and vegan rolls are also available, and for those suffering from gluten intolerance, it’s great to know that all the patties are gluten free.
Aside from the burgers, the sides that are available at Hello Sam’s are a major attraction on the menu.“The beer battered chips are fabulous but just as popular are the beer battered onion rings that come with house made garlic aioli.”
Hello Sam’s reputation for the Southside’s most interesting and tasty hamburgers seems to have come to the attention of some fairly important local foodies. “The winner of Masterchef, Ben Owens, came in for a burger the other day with his girlfriend – it was pretty cool,” Sampson grins.
If the 24-year-old bobcat driver was looking for inspiration on the burger front he certainly came to the right place. Sampson worked hard when developing the menu for Hello Sam. She now explains what the top three most popular burgers are at Hello Sam.
“Number one would be the Too Cheesy. It is 100% angus beef patty, grilled cheddar ale melt, lettuce, tomato, red onion, tomato relish and a two mustard mayo. Then the second most is a chicken burger, the Chipotle Bandido: grilled marinated fillet, lettuce, tomato, red onion, guacamole and chipotle mayo. Also our namesake burger Sam The Man is incredibly popular especially with the guys. It is an angus beef patty, grilled cheddar ale melt, egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, beetroot relish, tomato relish & two mustard mayo.”
To celebrate Hello Sam’s relationship with Beat Eats we are offering readers a complimentary beverage with any burger purchase, choose a craft beer, a soft drink or even a glass of wine.
BY FAT PRESTON
