Buns & Balls, Potts Point

Yes you heard right... Buns AND Balls. Get your minds out of the gutter people - we're talking burger buns and meatballs here! And that's exactly what the new Buns & Balls in Potts Point offers - a selection of tasty meatballs and juicy burgers.

Fresh juice cocktails: Pineapple, ginger beer, vodka and bitters (left) and Watermelon, lime and vodka (right) - $12

Of course before we get into the buns and balls, we have a couple of drinks. At Buns & Balls, they have freshly made juice cocktails and we choose to sample the pineapple, ginger beer, vodka and bitters one first. I'm not a huge fan of ginger but thankfully this isn't too gingery, and it's also not tooth-achingly sweet because of the acidity from the pineapple juice. The watermelon, lime and vodka cocktail is equally as refreshing and is perfect for the upcoming warm summer nights.

Balls! Clockwise from top right: Spicy chicken, Barramundi croquette, Beef & pork, Crispy tofu (all $9 per serve), and Spicy Louisiana wings ($1 per wing)

We tried a selection of the meatballs on offer, as well as some of the spicy Louisiana wings. I enjoyed the barramundi croquettes with tartare sauce which reminded me a little bit of fish fingers. The crispy tofu balls were bathed in the deep fryer for a nice crispy outside and firm tofu on the inside. Both the chicken meatballs and wings used the same hot sauce and blue cheese dipping sauce, so they tasted very similar, though I preferred the wings to the chicken meatballs. The beef and pork meatballs with napoletana sauce and grated cheese on top were by far my favourite, reminding me of a classic meatball made by an Italian nonna!

Char-grilled cheese burger - $10

We try two of the buns. The first is the char-grilled cheese burger which has a Wagyu beef patty, cheese, tomato, grilled onions, pickles and Buns & Balls' burger sauce. I like the glossy sesame seed bun which is nice and soft, but I find the patty a little too charred on the outside which gives it a bit too much bitterness for my liking.

Grilled chicken burger - $10

The chicken burger is right up my alley though. I usually avoid ordering chicken burgers in fear of getting a dry, stringy chicken breast fillet but this grilled chicken was tender and succulent. The chilli sauce was amazing, as it should be if it goes on thousands of Oporto's burgers everyday! Gary Linz, one of the owners of Buns & Balls, was the founder of Oporto and so the sauce has found its way onto the chicken burgers here. With the mayo, cheese, tomato and lettuce, it's a winning combination and a must try.

Desserts!

We're reaching exploding point but then dessert arrives and miraculously we all find room in our separate dessert stomach. We've received a shared tasting plate of Buns & Balls desserts to sample the range, but usually the desserts are ordered and served separately.

Ice cream block - $14

The ice cream block is really a ice cream cookie sandwich. It's cut in half and perfect for sharing between two. Two large choc chip cookies sandwich a thick slab of vanilla ice cream. The cookies are partly soft, partly crunchy so be prepared for the ice cream to ooze out when you reach the crunchy bits!

Doughnut bites - $8

The balls don't end at the meat variety, because there are doughnut balls for dessert! These are served with either a raspberry jam or a warm belgian chocolate. The mini doughnuts are perfectly crisp and are similar to the Chinese doughnuts you have with congee (but sweet rather than savoury). They're even more amazing when slathered with the warm melted chocolate. Despite how full we are, we manage to polish them off with no problems!

There's a relaxed and fun vibe at Buns & Balls with the $10 burgers, $12 cocktails and arcade games which makes it a cool place to hang out with friends. We'll definitely be back for juice cocktails and for more juicy buns and tasty balls!

Penguin says Feed Me dined courtesy of Simon Hancock and Buns & Balls

Buns and Balls
33 Bayswater Road
Potts Point NSW 2011
Ph: +61 2 9326 9054
Open Tuesday to Friday from 6pm; Saturday to Sunday from 3pm


View Larger Map