I've made it my life's mission to suss out perfection in a burger. Never once passing up an opportunity to lay claims on one, even if it means back to back meals of epic waist expanding proportions.
Lest we forget, a good burger is a thing of beauty; and likewise, a lacklustre rendition is one that spits at the iconic stature of this food item (it even has its own emoticon. So go figure). Moving on, I've brought 4 reputable local burger joints to court, putting them in front of a gruelling palate jury, conducted mainly by yours truly. You can take my views with a pinch of salt, hell, you can cuss under your breathe for all I care; but here I am just giving you my two cents worth.
Better yet, I implore you to be your own judge.
Wildfire along Evans Road gets the ball rolling. Possessing some magnetic powers provided by the bright lights streaming from glass panelled walls and a charming alfresco rear to boot; the casual eatery draws in the working crowd looking for a no-frills joint to just chill and perhaps enjoy a good burger coupled with a cold pint or two.
Did I mention their far-flung collection of craft beer bottles? That point alone weighs in heavily on the scale.
I digress, focusing on the meat issue, the Triple Bacon Burger sounds like the real deal - Buttery brioche buns that took a quick swim in the fryer, fat streaked bacon, melted cheese and a 120 day grain fed beef patty. Unfortunately, what let the burger down was essentially the crux of its constitution, the beef baby, dry and tough with zero habitation of salt whatsoever. So what, if that smoked bacon was exceptionally crisp, or that I chomped down between gulps of the amazing Seabuckthorn IPA, there was no escaping the issue of the elephant in the room.
The Works ($23+) was handed the same fate, the bells and the whistles creating an illusion of prosperity amidst the thorny situation. Guacamole, gloriously umami-fied beer caramelised onions cascading over the meat, baby spinach, bacon, rosti, parmesan crisp and onion rings, all excellent, all except for that beef patty.
No words.
Wildfire
26 Evans Road
S(259367)
Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 10 30pm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEATliquorsin has garnered a lot of hyper up praise within its short occupancy of now-defunct Life is Beautiful outpost at the foot of Duxton Hill. It's neon-lit interior and graffiti littered walls definitely abets the UK burger chain's bad-ass reputation. But looking past all the grunge and make-believe filth, as well as that finger-licking good Gunpowder Shrimp ($20.50) (MMmmmm), it was all about the burgers.
Dirty Chicken Cheeseburger ($19) is indeed a 5 napkin burger, one that would require mustering all pinnacles of strength to snap a photo before digging in with no holds barred. The buns are exceptional, slightly sweet with a resemblance to french pain de mie. Essentially, that's half the battle won right there, however, the slabs of fried chicken cried out for a heavier touch of seasoning; the distinct lack of attention to sauces (plain mayo employed) passing this off as a mere posh cousin of a chicken Mcspicy (sans the fiery kick) with an additional slice of cheese overhead. MEH.
The Bacon Cheeseburger ($24) poses an equally messy affair, thank goodness for the wax-paper lined trays that comes in useful for catching the torrents of juices slipping through the crevices. Once again, a satisfying burger that could have used a little super-sizing given its hefty price tag.
The perfect finale to a night on the lash, capped off with some lethal cocktails from the bar.
MEATliquorSin
99 Duxton Road
S(089543)
Opening Hours:
Tues - Fri: 5pm - 2am
Sat: 5pm - 3am
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And at Montana Brew Bar, we exercise a little wallet-lovin' with affordable burgers that don't stinge on flavor.
Launched just 2 days ago, the line-up of 5 new burgers on the dinner menu definitely makes one think twice about hitting the posh-er side of town for their burger fix.
The Umami Burger ($14) for one, lives up to its name; first and foremost, it was visually flawless - the sweet potato buns possessing just the right amount of heft to contain the explosion of beef, grease, miso shitake mushrooms and cheese. One can't help but laud the clever insertion of bonito flakes into the mix, ramping up the 'umami' experience by several notches. Definitely a juicy, messy monster to lose yourself in.
The other burgers include the following below:
Double Bacon Cheeseburger ($13) - a greasy beast delivering a massive thwack of satisfaction. Ooo, look ma, caramelized onions *shudders with ecstasy*
Pesto Chicken Burger ($13) - for non-beef eaters, this is a poor substitute. But kudos to the joint for catering to their needs. Honestly poor bastards, you don't know what you're missing out on.
Truffle Egg Burger ($15) - I wanted this to meld together happily. Unfortunately speckles of curry powder and strong wafts of white truffle oil just don't float my boat. Bite me.
Thai Lemongrass Prawn Burger ($15) - an innovative fusion item that appeals to those with a sweet tooth (or those with an obsession for highly instagrammable foods), the green curry mayo and mango red onion slaw had its moments, however, I just can't get around the overly syrupy like architecture of this burger.
Just for my readers out there, here's some good news! Follow @montanabrewbar on Instagram to get 10% off burgers and 20% off craft beers till the end of July!
Montana Brew Bar
1 Selegie Road
#01-04
POMO mall
Opening Hours:
Daily: 8am - 9 30pm
(food menu only available at 10am)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then, there was you.
Three Buns at Potato Head Folk. Always delivering such sweet nothings to my lips.
A riot of meat and salacious condiments in between glossy, sweetish, sesame seed freckled brioche buns. The result is slightly perverse, one that would make you purse you lips and throw your head back in silent reverence of the package in your hands.
Try keeping it together as you work your way through the Honky Tonk ($19), featuring a double whammy of buttermilk fried chicken, tangy country slaw and all this blanketed by a deluge of big poppa hot sauce. Then get this, move on to steal a bite of your companion's Smokin' B-Boy ($28) while he isn't looking; there might be a possibility that heads will roll; but hey for what it's worth the combination of beef patty, double smoked cheese, dingley dell beer & treacle cured bacon, smoky mayo and crisp onions makes it one of the greatest burgers you'll ever taste.
Three Buns, I want your meat in my mouth.
Potato Head Folk
36 Keong Saik Road
S(089143)
Opening Hours:
Tues - Sun: 11am - Midnight
last orders: Tues - Sat: 11 15pm
Sun: 10.15pm
No comments:
Post a Comment