Background

For owner Kieren, a burger is not just a burger; it’s a rich combination of the finest ingredients, fused together to form the perfect sensation in your mouth. This is coming from a man who has worked for 20 years cooking in the hospitality industry.

“I can’t count how many places I’ve worked for before this,” says Kieren, “Hotel Tivoli, Union Hotel… It gave me a chance to try a variety of cuisines. Italian is probably the one I’ve had the most experience in.” No doubt this understanding has given his burgers a unique twist as he cooks up his every day specials with ingredients such as gnocchi, rosemary pot roasted lamb, prosciutto, and duck egg gribiche, just to name a few.

During his work at the Gilbert St. Hotel, Kieren met his wife, Emily Brown, who worked as a Restaurant Manager for three and a half years at the popular Melt Pizzeria before starting 127 Days with her husband.

127 Days in the Past

“We were about to give up,” Kieren told us, “We’d been looking for a place to open a store for 3 years with no luck, I almost moved up to where my family lives in Queensland.”

When he and his wife came across the location in Croydon, it was a ‘Con & Poppy’s Snack Bar’ that had been run down to the ground. The paint was peeling, the hinges were rusted, the flooring was torn. Nevertheless, he took the shop under his wings, and in just under a month, turned the place into a trendy urban hangout.

They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but 127 Days’ menu certainly was. Kieren had a clear goal in mind: to make sure there was something for everyone. From the old fashioned cheeseburger to his more refined creations like Squealed with a Kiss with pulled pork and apple slaw, his menu has served him well to this day. After one year of business, the only thing that has changed since the opening is the addition of The Mushroom Melt.

“The Mushroom Melt was a one day special I offered. After it received a 9/10 score from The Best Burgers in Adelaide, our business boomed overnight. People were begging us to put it on the menu permanently, so we listened.”

127 Days in the Present

Listening to customers, Kieren does best. It only takes one scroll down their Facebook page to see the amount of care and passion that goes into this restaurant. Weekly specials? How about a secret ‘Speakeasy’ burger special that changes every day?

The Mushroom Melt (Angus Beef, Roasted Mushrooms, Jack Cheese, Bacon, Caramelised Onion, Rocket & Truffle Aioli) with Hashtag Fries and a drink – $16.00 combo

From The Bad Mother Clucker to The Godzilla, the chef has his loyal fans checking in every morning to see a photo of his latest creation captioned with his finest puns. “I have to eat the Speakeasy burger for breakfast every morning,” he said with a chuckle, “So I’m basically on a burger-a-day diet.” If he had to choose a favourite on the menu though, it would always be the daily Speakeasy.

When we asked him about some of the challenges he had faced since opening the business, it seemed like a constant battle, “There’s a tough expectation when it comes to burgers. The base ingredients are expensive, but in the end, it’s a burger. You’re expected to sell them cheap.”

The Cure (2 x Angus Beef, 2x Bacon & 2 x Cheese with Pickles, Onion, Sauce & Mayo) – $13.00

With so many burger joints popping up in the last year during the height of Adelaide’s burger craze, Kieren admits that if he had bought the store now, it wouldn’t be a burger bar.

Nevertheless, 127 Days has faced the competition with open arms. The store is packed to the brim every lunchtime, the number of times the restaurant has sold out on a Friday or Saturday night has driven regulars into the habit of ringing up to place an order.

“Our buns are made fresh every day,” he said, “We never store any overnight. Some customers don’t really understand this, but I will never compromise the quality of our food. I’d rather tell them that we’ve sold out than give them an experience that isn’t our best.”

Cheese Arancini – $6.00