A man with a hangover must eventually ask - what can I eat? Photograph: Getty
You don't need to resort to fast food to quell your hangover. Everything from salads to yum cha can help ease the pain from your partying.
It's the morning after. It's a long weekend and you've been over-ambitious on socialising and not very religious ... at all ... and as you peel back dry eyelids and come to terms with your pasty mouth, you may lie in bed contemplating what was the night before. You may also wonder why you ended up drinking your body weight in beer, wine and martinis.
Here are some tips on dishes that you may be craving and the places to find them on public holidays.
Burgers
This is not a list of the best burgers in Australia, but these are burger joints that will fill you up with good quality ingredients and tasty fillings. There are some decent vegetarian choices too if you don't feel the need for a stiff protein fix straight up.
Mary's CBD on Castlereagh Street in Sydney opened in November 2014 after the success of their Newtown outlet. Naturally, it serves the benchmark cheeseburger that started its popularity. The fluffy light buns, Gippsland beef and load of salty fries on the side satisfy the carb cravings and will take your mind off the aches and pains. Their vegetarian Shroom burger stuffed with grilled garlicky mushrooms is another sure antidote for throbbing heads and sore stomachs.
I imagine many a headache has been cured by Chur Burger in Brisbane and Sydney. Their pulled pork burger with Chur BBQ sauce, red slaw and lashings of fennel mayo will take your mind off your suffering.
In Melbourne, it's hard to go past Danny's Burgers on St George's Road in North Fitzroy. The low-key room with linoleum flooring, a handful of bar stools and a small telly on the wall has been flipping burgers since 1955. It's by no means on-trend, but its timeless and I've found the Works burger is a sound solution to a hangover. Filled with beef, cheese, egg, bacon and salad, it's certainly filling. Danny's is a small bright room and they'll forgive you if you keep your sunglasses on while you order .
Mary's CBD, 154 Castlereagh Street, Sydney
Mary's, 6 Mary Street, Newtown
Chur Burger, 20 Constance Street, Fortitude Valley 07 3319 7890 and 48 Albion Street, Surry Hills, 02 9212 3602
Danny's Burgers, 360 St Georges Road, Melbourne, 03 9481 5847
Fried chicken
Is it the crunch, the fat, the protein or the salt of fried chicken that tempers a weary head, or all of the above? The resurgence of our love of fried chicken (did it ever really go away?) has given us more choice and reason to seek out the deep-fried bird for some restorative eating after a big weekend.
Mr Miyagi a 'modern Japanese' diner in Melbourne's Windsor, has their own take on the classic Japanese dish of Karaage - fried chicken pieces - with their Miyagi Fried Chicken (MFC). It's simply seasoned, served in bite-sized pieces with some Kewpie mayonnaise on the side.
Belle's Hot Chicken in Melbourne's Fitzroy could hit the spot for its well-cooked chook (it's a two-day process to cook their birds) and has a splash of heat with chilli sauces at levels described as Southern (mild) to Hot to Really F**kin' Hot. There are chicken and waffles - a dream of fat, dough and salt - only on weekends, and an interesting selection of beers, if the hair of the dog is part of your cure-all.
Mr Miyagi, 99 Chapel Street, Windsor, 03 9529 5999
Belle's Hot Chicken, 150 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, 03 9077 0788
Salads
While there's no deep-fried crunch or fatty, salty aftertaste, seeking out a stack of vegetables will do your hangover good and be gentle on the digestive system that you tried to destroy the night before.
Jimmy Grant's, the souvlaki joints around Melbourne owned by George Calombaris's Made Establishment group, do a delicious Cypriot grain salad full of freekah (a cereal made from green wheat), lentils, fresh herbs, seeds and yoghurt, and the bonus is that there's always a souvlaki to order afterwards if this doesn't satisfy.
Vegetable juices and smoothies in recyclable jars may start the healing process at the Nelson Road Tuck Shop. Their salad combinations will have you feeling pious and a little cleaner and clearer. Their lunches, based on a build-your-own concept, allow you to choose a protein of the day, perhaps roast chicken or pork and match it will piles of salads built on the likes of kale, quinoa, beets and changing seasonal vegetables.
Jimmy Grant's locations in Melbourne CBD, Fitzroy and Ormond
Nelson Road Tuck Shop, 60 Bronte Road, Bondi Junction, 02 9387 6505
Yum Cha
To sit quietly and have people wheel trolleys of food to your table makes complete sense when you feel as though a concrete mixer has dumped its contents between your ears. Enter the realm of yum cha dining where the simple act of pointing to a dish will have it popped in front of you. No thinking required.
Staff at Crystal Jade in Melbourne's Chinatown push trolleys laden with plump dumplings, rice noodles and chicken feet to your table. It's a big restaurant, it's busy and the tea is constantly topped up. Easy.
Marigold on George Street in Sydney is another yum cha favourite with its plush interior and generous portions of chilli whitebait, scallop dumplings and barbecued pork.
There are those who have asked to have a trolley parked next to their table at the Golden Unicorn in Sydney's Maroubra. The bustling venue will sate any hangover with tea or a Tsingtao beer as dishes of salt-and-pepper prawns, pipis in XO Sauce and wok-tossed beans will get your constitution back on an even keel.
Crystal Jade 154 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, 03 9639 2633
Marigold Level 4 and 5, Citymark Building 683-689 George Street Sydney, 02 9281 3388
Golden Unicorn Level 2/193 Maroubra Road, Maroubra, 02 9344 9278
Eggs and coffee
An egg on toast and a strong coffee, business empires have been built on such things, and when you're feeling shabby, few ingredients can renew your faith in the day ahead better than some protein, carbs and caffeine.
Hammer & Tong in Melbourne's Fitzroy offer 'eggs on toast' on their menu, done how you like them and their extras include such flavours as kale, peanut and sriracha praline, Istra bacon and avocado and labneh spread. Avocado has become the other staple next to the egg in the cafe culture landscape.
In Brisbane, Ashgrove's U&I Espresso serve the Joe Special - a mix of mashed avocado and grilled halloumi on sourdough - poached egg optional - and there's their well-made coffee from Dramanti, an artisan roaster based in the Brisbane suburb of Wynnum.
It's next to impossible to enjoy a hangover, although it is reasonable to enjoy some good food to nurse yourself through it. Of course, if none of these suggestions work, take a couple of painkillers and go back to bed. Happy Easter.
Hammer & Tong Rear 412 Brunswick St, Fitzroy 03 9041 6033
U&I Espresso 215 Waterworks Road, Brisbane 07 3366 8252
