Short stories: Alfred’s Kitchen, Guildford
Alfred’s Kitchen in Guildford is a legend in Perth, famous for its burgers and secret recipe pea and ham soup – open for dinner, supper and attacks of the late night munchies. Join the queue, place your order and wait for your number to be called.
It’s a roadside takeaway joint, utilitarian and slightly grungy, with wooden benches and an open fire out front. Behind the shop, the Midland train trundles past. To be honest, it’s not the most comfortable place to eat, especially because it’s so popular – there are no tables, and if all the seats are taken, you’ll just have to stand, or eat in your car, because let’s face it, you’ll want to tuck into your burger while it’s hot, fresh and at the peak of deliciousness.
We picked up our mates from Perth domestic airport on a Friday night and took them straight to Alfred’s. Waiting wasn’t so bad, as we had lots to chat about. Once the burgers were in our hands, the wait was forgotten and the talking temporarily became a lot less important.
Friend Craig’s hamburger with cheese and baconDoes Alfred’s deserve its reputation? Well, Jac’s Hawaiian Special (ham, egg, cheese, pineapple and mayo salad) could’ve used more ham, but for the rest of us, all smiles and no complaints. Caroline had the hamburger with cheese (“wonderful”); Craig, the cheese and bacon hamburger (“pretty damn good!”); me, the hamburger with egg and pineapple (“Oh yeeeaah, baby!”). It’s hard to beat a well constructed, well cooked hamburger, and at the risk of overloading on superlatives, the beef pattie was superbly juicy, flavoursome and seriously one of the best I’ve tasted in a while. We also shared a serving of nicely cooked chips. I haven’t stopped thinking about that burger since my first bite, and as usual, I’m already visualising my next visit.
Are you an Alfred’s fan?
Alfred’s Kitchen
James Street (near corner of Meadow Street), Guildford – see Alfred’s Kitchen map
Open 5pm to midnight Sunday to Thursday, 5pm to 2am Friday and Saturday
I’ve also written about our visit that same weekend to Run Amuk Hotdogs Unleashed.
