At the 2013 Taste of Melbourne, Daniel Wilson and his Huxtaburger team launched a burger that was half fanciful bird-flip to foodie excess and half cheeky celebration of exactly the same thing. The Douche Burger: wagyu eye fillet topped with a slab of foie gras and fortified by cherry ketchup and rich green peppercorn mayo.
While the Douche was a playful – and successful – concept, you’re not going to see it as a regular feature on any of Wilson’s menus any time soon – but this year, Wilson and his team have a much grander vision in mind.
Punters at the Taste of Melbourne will be able to get the first taste of Mr Claws, a brand new lobster roll concept from the Huxtaburger team (Wilson says “Keep your ears to the ground!” when pressed on the exact whens and wheres of the upcoming Mr Claws restaurant).
From Mr Claws' Instagram. Opening somewhere in 2014?
Inspired by the New England classic that’s recently had half of London swooning over its high–low charms, Wilson says “There is nothing like it here. We wanted to bring a luxurious product to the masses.”
Mr Claws will be serving soft rolls (roasted with clarified butter, natch) stuffed with chunky pieces of lobster coated in a choice of three dressings: miso and wasabi, xo sauce or buttermilk ranch. And for their Taste of Melbourne ‘icon’ they’ll be dishing up a fancy lobster Waldorf salad. All of the lobster is sustainably caught in the north east of North America.
Big chunks of lobster crammed into a roll? What's not to love?
Wilson will also be overseeing the Huxtable and Huxtaburger stands at Taste of Melbourne, where you’ll find crisp Marianvale blue Murray cod and green mango salad; cold-smoked Ōra king salmon with pickled onion, capers and creme fraiche; and twice cooked duck leg with Sichuan chilli oil, cashew butter and pickled daikon; plus mini versions of the Huxtaburger, Sondra and their newly-minted fried chicken burger, Clair.
Taste of Melbourne is held on the lakeside lawns of Albert Park, November 13th–16th. Buy tickets here.