Beer and burgers. Burgers and beer. Whichever way you look at it, it's a pairing that just works. And nowhere in Australia has the pairing of two of man's finest inventions been elevated to such heights as Brother Burger and the Marvellous Brew, a diner that is not only named after them but revels in their wondrousness.
Launched in 2012 by Marcelo Tummino, a man whose Melbourne CV includes icons such as the European Cafe and the Melbourne Supper Club, it's a venue dedicated to the best of both worlds. Its burger patties are conjured from 100 per cent wagyu beef and its beers are plucked from the finest craft breweries around Australia and overseas.
What's more, most seats in the house offer a view of the chefs creating their succulent treats in the open kitchen while, even if you'd somehow missed the "Marvellous Brew" of the title, you know you're in a dedicated beer venue from the moment you discover that monolithic room divider is actually a glass walled beer fridge for the kegs delivering beer to the bar's nine ever-rotating taps. Presentation is key too, with burgers and sides arriving on metal platters and bowls and the pots of beer taking the form of squat goblets.
The concept (other than serving awesome burgers and beers), according to Marcelo, was to create a place for "convivial, relaxed drinking" that was "an extension of peoples' every day lives; nothing too formal".
That's been achieved by creating a series of intimate spaces and areas where larger groups can gather, mostly using rather grand recycled furniture collected by its owner, a self-confessed collector and hoarder. The expanses of bare brick and reclaimed timber are broken up by eye-catching flourishes too: the glowing orange "HAMBURGERS" sign overhead; a gleaming brass wall made by Mr Tummino Snr.
It's not just burger and beers, either. The menu is filled with quirky additions, such as Devils on Horseback and housemade Chiko Rolls, there are beef-free burgers, pulled meats, "sangers" and lavish milkshakes - even vego options too.
Located in Brunswick Street in the heart of Fitzroy, it all adds up to a great place for anything from a quick bite and beer on the run to a relaxed catch up with friends to the kind of bar where you can pull up a pew and work through a few beers with mates, safe in the knowledge there will be something new on tap next time you drop in. Marvellous indeed.
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