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Just Open: Kustom Burger, Thornbury

Tim Grey

Diner fare: Kustom's burgers include grass-fed beef patties.
Diner fare: Kustom's burgers include grass-fed beef patties.Tim Grey

Kustom bit of his Thornbury diner while working night shifts driving a forklift down at the docks. From the dashboard bar to the fender light-fittings, Hendrie has made it by hand.

Also handmade are the burgers, championing local and organic. The F150, for instance, is a 150-gram patty made from grass-fed chuck, bacon, lettuce and American cheese on traditional seeded bun. There's nothing in the patty except beef - chef Peter O'Neil has mince delivered daily, throws it by hand then chills it overnight to bond the proteins, only adding salt and oil once it hits the grill. The cheese, meanwhile, is imported from the US - it's the same stuff they use at the In-N-Out.

The F150 can, of course, be hotted-up; an F350 delivers an extra 200 grams of beef, free-range eggs and a brioche bun if you really insist.

From the dashboard bar to the fender light-fittings, everything was made by hand.
From the dashboard bar to the fender light-fittings, everything was made by hand.Tim Grey
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Hendrie's favourite is the Impala Chicken, with organic Lilydale southern fried chicken, chipotle mayo, slaw and cheese on an old-school bun. The secret is in the chef's herbs and spices, which remain hidden even from Hendrie. "Pete won't even let me know," he says.

For vegetarians, the mushroom burger includes Pete's secret spices, jalepenos, slaw and cheese.

There's no booze at the moment, but there is cherry-flavoured Dr Pepper, spiders and a selection of neon-coloured milkshakes on offer.

And, diners can work off their burger with a loop or two around the slot-car track, which is mounted on the back of a truck.

Kustom Burgers, 861 High Street, Thornbury, Victoria. Open 11am-9pm Sun-Wed, 11am-10pm Thurs, 11am-1am Fri-Sat.

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