2 weeks Ago By Tomas Telegramma
It’s midday. I’m still in bed. And in my hungover haze, I’m convinced only bacon and eggs will do.
But, naturally, there are some stipulations. Flabby bacon fat might ruin what’s left of my day. Ditto, a rogue yolk pop.
And it’s certainly not the time for brioche (is it ever?). Enter Walrus , Brunswick’s American-inspired diner, and its brief-meeting bacon, egg and cheese roll. “It was initially based off New York’s bodega rolls,” co-owner Miles Davis tells Good Food.
“Every single corner store sells [a version of] these.” Walrus’s interpretation has become its second most popular item (after the secret-recipe pancakes) and the best handheld, hangover-busting breakfast I’ve had all year. It’s also the latest sanger to catch the attention of Sandwich Watch , a column dedicated to the essential sandwiches you need to know about.
Bacon you want to bring home It may or may not be the hangover talking, but this bacon is a textural extravaganza. Leading local butcher Hagen’s Organics supplies the streaky stuff (made from free-range pork belly) and the Walrus team sizzles it first in the oven, then on the flat-top grill. Poking out of the roll, the bacon is brittle-presenting.
But once you crack the caramelised crust, the fattiness prevails: it’s still juicy and chewy-in-a-good-way. A cheesy egg-splosion There’s no risk of yolk running down your arm, but beware another kind of eruption. These eggs – from Great Western farm Green Eggs – are beaten, cooked in a pan to keep them contained, then folded into a neat square-shaped parcel around a slice of classic American cheese.
With the residual heat it quickly morphs into molten yellow lava, and blobs will likely emerge on your plate as your bites burst holes in the folded eggs. On a roll A bulbous, sesame-seed-crusted Kaiser roll, from a family-run Vietnamese bakery in Pascoe Vale, is Walrus’s vessel of choice. And it’s an excellent choice as is, with a decent ratio of crunch to chew.
But when it’s toasted on the flat top, it not only gets all golden but, Davis says, “picks up the flavours of everything else”, cooked strictly in ghee, not any kind of oil. You’ll become one with the roll’s greasy sheen, then undoubtedly leave your fingerprints on the stainless-steel napkin holder as you scrounge for extras. Hash it out Davis toyed with the idea of making diner-style shredded hash browns in-house but ultimately decided to leave it to the king of the freezer aisle: McCain.
Get one (or two) hashies on the side of your roll and go bite for bite; they turn a little soggy inside, steaming up against the egg and amid the liberal squirt of Heinz tomato sauce. How do I get one? The bacon, egg and cheese roll ($15, $19 with one hash brown) is available to dine in or take away at Walrus. 3 12 Sydney Road, Brunswick, daily from 8am to 3pm.
The $2 optional extra that makes this anchovy sandwich worth crossing town for.
