I’ve driven past Colin & Co on King William Road on many occasions, and I’ve been a bit reluctant to visit this place based on my experience at their Grenfell Street store. I’m pleased to say that the two stores are actually different. The Grenfell Street store is more of a shop where people just pop in and out, whereas the King William Road location is a proper cafe.

There’s a decent breakfast and lunch menu, as well as a selection of salads, sandwiches and sweets. The cafe is fully licensed and they have a small selection of wines, beers and ciders if you fancy a drink with your meal.

The decor at this place is modern and contemporary. I like the polished concrete floors and the way the dining area moves out into the undercover enclosed verandah. Plastic blinds protect customers from the elements and there are indoor heaters to keep everyone nice and warm. There’s an abundance of natural light that flows through and the place just has a lovely relaxed vibe.

For lunch, I had Col’s Lamb Burger. The meal came out 15 minutes after ordering and was average in presentation. The burger itself was about to collapse but I managed to re-skewer it for photographic purposes.

The lamb patty was well marinated, tender and succulent, and perfectly cooked. The meat had a nice pinkish centre which is the way it should be. While the patty had a nice thickness, it didn’t have the same diameter as the bun. This meant that there were some bites of the burger with no meat. I also thought that the meat could have been more refined. There were a few gristly bits which I absolutely loathe.

The sweetness from the pickled beetroot and ripe tomatoes was balanced out by spiced yoghurt. The yoghurt also prevented the burger from tasting too dry. The rocket was fresh and crisp, and it was all held together in a nice firm bun. The house made chips were very similar to wedges, and could have spent a bit longer in the deep fryer. Some pieces had a slight crunchiness while others were just soft. Each chip was well cooked through as they had nice soft fluffy interiors.

The staff were friendly and the service was fast and efficient. Drinks arrived promptly, plates were cleared as I finished and the staff actually looked happy working there. The atmosphere was relaxed and cosy, and the pricing is fairly average. The breakfast items range from $5-$25, and lunch ranges from $10-$25. The cost of my meal set me back $17.90 which was acceptable because it included a serving of chips.

Verdict: Not the best burger I’ve ever had, but it was fairly decent.

WHERE: 123 King William Rd, Hyde Park