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News Articles
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Trailblazing dining venues: How a burger joint helped MoorabbinFat Bob's Burger and Grill restaurant is part of a new wave of hospitality and entertainment culture in Moorabbin's industrial area. It’s not hard to see why Bob Pankhurst raised eyebrows when he announced he wanted to open a burger bar in the thick of industrial Moorabbin. Indeed, today, as noisy utes and vans whizz past the factory buildings, showrooms and wholesale suppliers Pankhurst’s gourmet burger restaurant is sandwiched between, the setting speaks much louder as a destination for hard blue-collar workers than as a likely night spot for discerning burger and beer hounds. But from where he stands, Pankhurst says the decision to bring Fat Bob’s Burger and Grill to the industrial space always felt like a no-brainer.... read more |
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2015 Savour AustraliaTM Awards for Excellence – Victoria |
Winner: 2015 AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCEFat Bob's Bar & Grill has won the Burger Cafe in Metropolitan Victoria category in the Victoria & Tasmania Savour Australia™ Restaurant & Catering HOSTPLUS Awards for Excellence 2015. More than 170 local restaurants, cafes and catering businesses were judged across 35 categories, with the winners announced at the Awards for Excellence ceremony held at Peninsula, Docklands. The Awards for Excellence is a nationally recognised, independently judged awards program that celebrates exceptional service and culinary talent across Australia. The Awards for Excellence is an authoritative guide to Australia’s best restaurants and caterers, recognising and promoting industry best practice. The Awards for Excellence, now in its 17th year, is judged by an independent team of trained judges who anonymously visit the venues to determine the winners. The scores are based on the entire dining experience from food to the customer service experienced when the judges anonymously dine. |
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Melbourne's Top 10 – 2014"Melbourne's Top 10 Burgers for 2014 are here." "These guys have one of the best balanced burgers going around. It's creamy, sweet, soft, salty and all wrapped up like Christmas." |
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13 Melbourne Burgers to Eat NowWhy should inner-city dwellers have all the fun? Fat Bob's is bringin' it to the burbs, with neon lights and some of Melbourne's best burgers flying off the grill. The Jackie O gets a lot of (well-deserved) hype, but in honour of the summer holidays and with Australia Day just over the horizon, we're honouring the Fat Bob. Fat Bob involves a whopping 180g grass-fed beef pattie, cooked to pinkish perfection, with beetroot, tomato, Spanish onion, melted tasty cheese, bacon, pineapple, egg, cos lettuce and tomato sauce, on a soft, toasted bun. Perfect. Just perfect. |
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Fat Bob’s | MoorabbinIf you consider yourself a burger connoisseur of sorts then chances are you’ve already heard about Fat Bob’s. Perhaps you’ve already been? But for those who haven’t, this deceptively large diner is definitely worth the trip. Not only will you feel like you’ve stepped into a US diner the moment you walk in, but the food absolutely lives up to the hype! If you love your burger crumbed, you have to try the glorious panko crumbed Victa featuring Asian slaw with coriander, Japanese mayo and bbq sauce. The crumbs are to.die.for! If you’re a bit more of a grilled chicken burger kinda person, the Hudson is for you. Enjoy bacon, avocado salsa, tomato, cos lettuce and the delicious Fat Bob special sauce. Either way you go, you won’t be disappointed. That’s a promise! |
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Bring your appetite to Susie Wong and Fat Bob's - Coxy's Big Break Coxy checks out some of the best eats in Melbourne
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Fat Bob's Bar and Grill may well be an oasis in the depths of Moorabbin's industrial centre. Its small entrance gate is flanked by owner Bob Pankhurst's sign shop Moorabbin Signs and a warehouse, but walk inside and you'll be greeted by the dazzling lights of neon signs and the scents and sounds of burgers frying that will get visitors rushing to get a seat. Bob Pankhurst had been in the sign-making business for 30 years before a trip to the US in 2011 inspired him to combine his three passions – burgers, beers, and vintage signs – into a business. So with the help of Michael Hoyle, a friend with experience in hospitality, Fat Bob's was born. Chef Victor Knox's menu features burgers ranging from the classic to the more adventurous. One of the most popular options is the Jackie O, a classic burger consisting of a 180g beef patty, Fontina cheese, Spanish onion, mustard, ketchup and Fat Bob's special sauce. |
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Burger, he wrote: Melbourne's top 10 new burgers Our love affair with the humble hamburger shows no sign of waning. It's astounding the number of burger joints already open for business, and when it seems we've reached saturation point, more burger mavens can be found feverishly setting up shop. Fat Bob'sAmid the industrial backblocks of Moorabbin, Fat Bob's large warehouse space has been painstakingly decorated with vintage signs, reclaimed furniture and collectibles. Its popular Jackie O burger comprises a 180-gram grass-fed beef patty, tomato, Spanish onion, fontina cheese, cos, mustard and Fat Bob's tangy mayo special sauce. For a textbook Aussie burger experience, try the Fat Bob burger with pineapple, beetroot and a runny-yolked fried egg. It's family-friendly and there's a kids' menu with suitably sized burgers. |
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ManSpace TV on GO!Hosted by Dan Anstey and Shane Jacobson, the ManSpace team travel the country to find Australia's most impressive man caves and its avid male collectors; examining what it means to be an Aussie bloke in the complicated, modern technological world. |
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Melbourne's top 10 best burgers1. Jackie O ($15.50) at Fat Bob's It's an adventure to find Fat Bob's hidden in an industrial estate in Moorabbin, but it's not just about the unusual location. When you get there, the burgers are great.. With its vintage neon signs and All American vibe, in Fat Bob's case it's the destination, not the journey. MAIN EVENT: The Jackie O takes a 180g beef patty (made from grass-fed happy cow) cooks it medium, melts fontina cheese over it and whacks it between a toasted pain de mie bun (from Bakery Lievito) filled with tomato, lettuce and onion. Mustard, tomato and Fat Bob's special sauce (a chutney and mayo mix) add zing to this beaut burger that delivers from first bite to last. ON THE SIDE: Zucchini chips are a guilt-busting addition, and there are 20 beers from around the world to wash it all down. DON'T WANT BEEF? Kewpie mayo, slaw and coriander give an Asian twist to the Victa, a chicken burger with a difference. |
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Could Australia's Best Burgers be Hiding in Moorabbin?"A recent insurge of popularity to one of Moorabbin's most industrial areas has probably got a lot to do with the opening of an authentic and very funky American Diner called Fat Bob's Bar and Grill. Set back off the street down a small laneway, it's easy to miss unless you have an idea as to where you are going. This place may be not much eye candy from the outside, but wait till you get inside. It is amazing. Owner Bob Pankhurst has spent a lot of time collecting over the years and there are retro, vintage and collectible signs all over the walls and the ceiling as well and a great selection of license plates in the bathroom too. Some of the signs you may recognise from your own childhood or from television and as the neon lights flood the air of this eclectic wonderland you will be transported to another era. It's a real buzz to sit amongst it on your converted tram seat or circular module and soak up the music, the atmosphere and the signs that seem to be forever changing and fighting for your attention...." |
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Melbourne's Top 10 – 2013"From its creaminess to its amazing pattie, this is a bang-on awesome burger with just enough of everything there to make you think about ordering another one." |
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Burger kings: the best hamburgers in AustraliaAn unashamed exercise in dude-food, American-style diner Fat Bob's is one of Melbourne's latest burger destinations. Although it's in a slightly unusual location – a laneway in a Moorabbin industrial estate – the Fat Bob burger is worthy of the name: 180g of grass-fed beef, beetroot, tomato, spanish onion, tasty cheese, bacon, pineapple, a fried egg, cos lettuce and tomato sauce. |
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It seems an unlikely place, but a warehouse diner in Moorabbin is turning out some of the city's tastiest burgers. Sandwiched behind owner Bob Pankhurst's sign shop in an industrial hub, the garage-style space is like the lovechild of Jack Rabbit Slims and a Texan roadhouse. Signage collector Pankhurt has created a dazzling neon wonderland, lining the joint with vintage beer, fuel and buzzing fast-food signs. Leather booths and communal tables add to the Southern diner feel; a vibe that's backed by friendly staff who are genuinely glad you've found this off-the-map gem. While chef Victor Knox's menu spruiks popcorn chicken, zucchini chips and other fried delights, it's the burgers that are really drawing the crowds. Pillowy buns and smoky, pink-centred patties come wrapped in foil for easy, sans cutlery feasting. The standout here is the Jackie O, teaming grass-fed beef, cheese, tomato and cos lettuce with a splodge of creamy-tangy 'special sauce'. Or if you're feeling particularly patriotic, the Fat Bob burger bears the Aussie accoutrements of beetroot, pineapple, bacon and egg. The bare wooden tables are topped with the only dining accessories you'll need: coasters to plant your craft beer upon, and a box of napkins for sopping up those juices that are running down your chin. Good stuff. |
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Navigation tip Set the GPS; it's hidden in the backstreets of an industrial estate. If there were prizes for most unlikely restaurant location, Fat Bob's would romp it in. The American-style diner is hidden behind a signwriting workshop and surrounded by tile showrooms, party suppliers and car detailers in a one-way street. If anything, the location has helped spread Fat Bob's reputation. In a dimly lit man cave kitted out with vintage signs, pedal cars and an old Golden Fleece petrol pump, families, couples and groups gather for mighty burgers named after some of the brand names on the walls, including the Simplex, with cheese and tomato sauce, and the Victa, with crumbed chicken, Asian slaw and Japanese mayo. The fridge is stocked with craft beers and nostalgic Oz rock provides the soundtrack. Worth it just for ... the vintage neon and tin signs. |
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Would we recommend: Go Now!After being inspired by a recent trip to the U.S where Fat Bob found himself surrounded by many of the loves of his life – more specifically burgers, beer and vintage signs – Fat Bob returned to Melbourne and set about creating his own man cave. Along with the help of his friend Michael, Fat Bob's Bar & Grill was born. Located down a lane-way, squeezed between 2 warehouses in Moorabbin's industrial area, you are instantly teleported to another era and continent, with a seriously impressive collection of vintage signs of all shapes and sizes gracing the walls. You'd be convinced you're in the States hanging at a local Hot Rod restoration garage that conveniently sells burgers and over 20 different beers. We grabbed a booth and eagerly awaited the Jackie O that came with a 180g of grass fed beef pattie cooked to medium, tomato, Spanish onion, Fontina cheese, cos lettuce, mustard, tomato sauce and Fat Bob's special sauce. |
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The American Dream - Down UnderCongratulations, Bob, on realizing what you wanted to do – and doing it! We wish you every success and look forward to seeing you again. Would that we could come for visit and a burger at Fat Bob's. Who knows, maybe you've influenced us to travel to Australia someday! In the meantime, we're thrilled to share your story and your pictures. |
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