Sydney Burger opens in West Hempstead

Sydney Burger looks like one of the many halal burger joints that dot the streets of Nassau County, businesses that are the heartbeat of the late-night dining scene. But there's something different going on here. 

An illustration on the wall shows what appears to be a 50-foot burger with a fried egg, bacon, pineapple rings and a red ingredient that looks almost like sliced beets. It turns out, this is how burgers look on the other side of the world, Australia.

Beets are a beloved but controversial hamburger topping in Australia, and thus you won't see them on the menu at Sydney Burger. The signature smash burger ($14.49) is a petite ground beef patty topped with three layers of melted cheese that mask the relish and housemade roasted tomatoes. The most iconic ingredient is the fried egg, which is perfectly rounded. There is no ketchup in sight, although the caramelized onions (a classic Aussie ingredient) add sweetness. Overall it's a nice hybrid between the Australian behemoths and smaller old-school American hamburgers. 

Owner Sydney Gouda was born on the South Pacific island of Fiji but grew up in Brisbane, Australia. He worked as a sous chef at the now-closed 21 Club in Manhattan. He opened his first restaurant Sydney Burger in West Hempstead is his first restaurant; Gouda has already followed it up with a chicken joint Birdies Hot Chicken in Brooklyn. 

The restaurant also carries other Australian items like roast capsicum sauce (pepper sauce), chicken salt (for the French fries), Australian ginger beer and a bacon jam made from beef. Gouda offers burger specials with venison and kangaroo meat when he can get it from his distributor. He also bakes his own brioche that he uses for an Aussie meat pie. 

The regular menu is full of mashups like a croissant smashburger, loaded bolognese fries and an ice cream sandwich tucked into a brioche bun. The spicy chicken sandwich ($9.49) is also on the smaller side but features a perfectly cooked nugget of chile-seasoned chicken breast. But the best thing might be the cheezy fries ($7.49) which are drenched in a flour-laden nacho cheese sauce. They are so decadent and delicious, they demand to be finished. 

Sydney Burger, 149 Nassau Blvd., West Hempstead, 631-888-3797, sydneyburgernyc.com. Open 11 a.m. to midnight daily. 

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.comAndiBerlin

Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.