Have you ever seen Back to The Future II? The scene where Marty walks into the cafe and The Power of Love by Huey Lewis and The News is playing on the crackly speakers? Well that’s literally what happened to me when I walked into 8bit Burger Bar (except the speakers were high quality).
As I stepped through the door I was immediately hit with a wave of happiness radiating from the venue and was greeted by a waft of freshly grilled buns and melted cheese on greasy beef patties.
The joint is arcade themed, decked out with pixelated fonts and pictures and toys of nostalgia ‘90s gaming characters like Pac-man and Super Mario. You can’t help but feel like you’re Wreck-It-Ralph who just jumped into a video game. I notice pops of golden yellow everywhere, the tables, the chairs and of course the crunchy double beer battered chips.
It is an open kitchen so the burger connoisseurs at work are on show for everyone to see. It is not uncommon to loving gaze over at them stacking a burger with the usual suspects (lettuce, tomatoes, chipotle mayo and more) only to be caught out staring with drops of saliva running down your chin.
About an hour has ticked by and I’m still waiting for my order, though I must say, it has my most enjoyable wait for food ever. The ‘80s tunes kept rolling and watching the never-ending burger making was mesmerising. Everyone has their own task. One person is responsible for grilling the buns and frying bacon, another takes care of saucing the burgers and another wraps the burgers in the signature 8bit. pockets.
The burgers are served on small metal trays – American high school cafeteria style – something about it makes it so much more fun to eat. As we see a tray coming towards us our excitement levels peak and my tastebuds have woken up just in time for a feeding session.
I take the time to look at the package I have just been delivered. The burger looks exactly like a Krabby Patty from the Krusty Krab: a beef patty, cheese and all the trimmings. The burger is perfectly tucked into the 8bit wrapper without a condiment out of place. I firmly grasp the burger in my hands and feel the warmth of the soft bun against the palms of my hands. I take one bite of the whole burger. The bun is as soft as clouds and the beef patty as juicy orange flesh. It’s a challenge to take a bite of the burger without either getting grease around your mouth or mustard on your left cheek. I think watching the stress of the kitchen and the care taken into the art of making the burgers takes the taste to the next level.
With a fully satisfied stomach, 8bit won’t disappoint satisfying your inner burger loving, arcade game playing needs.
8BIT
8 Droop St, Footscray
(03) 9687 8838
eat8bit.com.au
twitter.com/eat8Bit
facebook.com/pages/Eat8bit
instagram.com/eat8bit