Flavour Report with Derek Goforth: Alex Stellmach, formerly of AJ’s Cafe, starts new smash burger venture

I have to be honest, when I heard AJ from AJ’s Cafe had sold up shop and was moving into a new venture, I was gutted. AJ’s Cafe only ever offered a positive experience, with their Aussie take on German food, great coffee and exuberant service from Alex Stellmach himself. But I need not have worried because the new venture Alex has chosen is just what Geraldton needed — its very own smash burger hotspot. Alex has set up his little one-man show in the BCF carpark for now and has already generated a huge amount of buzz on social media. There’s plenty of room to park and suits people either driving in and out of town or making a special visit. Alex’s street food is keeping it very simple, offering four burgers at the moment: the smash burger, the onion smash burger, the chicken burger and an exciting veggie burger. This time, we opted for a smash and an onion smash, but we were hungry, so we went double on both of them. At $20 a burger, it’s about right for the marketplace, and considering it’s prepared right in front of you with fresh, delicious ingredients, we felt it was decent value for money. The smash and the onion smash are both served on a mini panini bun with salad, pickles and sauce to round things off. Both burgers were a decent handful, but as with all smash burger experiences, prepare for a bit of a messy feed. We shared the burgers around a few people, and Alex was keen on as much feedback as possible to help him iron out the kinks. But to be honest, we were over the moon with the offerings. The burgers were caramelised and just oozed beefy goodness. The onions were just charred enough to give a nice smoky edge, and the pickles and sauce rounded things off nicely. I would heartily encourage a visit — it’s so important we support new ventures like this. I would also encourage giving Alex some feedback. He’s a man who always looks to improve, has a passion for our community, and loves giving us the best feeds. Maybe prepare for a bit of a wait, but as with all good things, it’s worth it.