Five Guys in Singapore

Five Guys,  a popular American burger joint has landed in Singapore on 16 December 2019, after Shake Shack, the other popular burger joint. They have more than 1600 outlets worldwide and is famous for serving burgers, hot dogs, fries and milkshakes. They serve only the hand-formed burgers cooked on a grill along with fresh-cut fries cooked in pure peanut oil. The patties have a good ratio of lean to fat meat. The buns are baked fresh by a local bakery.

The burgers, fries, and drinks are to be ordered separately as there are no set meals. Customization can be done for burgers and hot dogs with no hidden cost. The choices for burgers are Hamburger ($13),  Cheeseburger ($15), Bacon Burger ($15), and Bacon Cheese Burger ($17). The choices of fries are the original or with Cajun spices, starting from $7 then $9, and $11 from the hand-cut potatoes. When selecting toppings for the burgers and hot dogs, you go with your choices or simply go with the "all the way" option to have everything included. Some of the most popular toppings are lettuce, pickles, grilled mushrooms, and grilled onions. The famous shakes at $10 can be further customized too, like selecting between with or without whipped cream and mixing in the bacon bits, salted caramel, strawberry, banana, and chocolate with no extra cost. They are to cook everything fresh and not using frozen ingredients.

We decided to go with their Bacon Cheese Burger, regular fries, and coke. There is the free flow of peanuts to keep you occupied while waiting for your number to be called. Your order will be packed in the brown paper bag. 

The "all the way" option came with lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, mushroom with mayonnaise, ketchup, and mustard. 

The burger came with double patties and 2 slices of cheese in between the juicy patties. It was good though not mind-blowing but it is definitely one of the better burgers but it is the expensive ones. 

I would not mind eating it once in a while but not too willing to queue for it. 

FIVE GUYS

68 Orchard Road #01-23 Plaza Singapura SINGAPORE 238839

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Fatburger Singapore : disappointing experience

Fatburger, an iconic burger from Hollywood that founded by Lovie Yancey in 1952 has recently opened its door in Singapore. Moe Ibrahim, CEO of Deelish Brands tied up with FAT Brands, a US franchise company to secure the franchise rights to bring in the Fatburger to Singapore. The first location is Kinex Mall, the former OneKM Mall and the other location is Velocity in Novena Square at the end of September. 

Every burger comes with mustard, pickles, relish, onions, mayo, lettuce, and tomatoes, which is part of "The Works". It can be customized by adding beef bacon, cheese, onion rings, eggs, BBQ sauce, thousand island dressing, and even American-style chili. It was mentioned by the CEO during his interview with the lifestyle section of The Business Times that they work with a local butcher to prepare the ground beef according to their specifications. They also import high-quality beef and grind it twice to achieve the desired fat content. It was also mentioned that every Fatburger is lean and they are also working with a local baker to deliver fresh brioche and wholemeal buns daily. Every meal is supposed to cook-to-order using the freshest ingredients and traditional cooking methods using the chilled and not frozen beef with a ration of 80 percent lean meat to 20 percent fat. You are able to choose from brioche, wholemeal and gluten-free buns.

The burger comes in different sizes from Single ($7.90), Double ($10.90), Triple ($13.50) and Quad ($15.90). There is also Skinny Burger ($7.50) that replaced the buns with patties and Western BBQ Burger ($9.90) that came with onion rings and beef bacon with BBQ sauce. There are choices of Fat Fries ($3.90), Skinny Fries ($3.90), Sweet Potato Fries ($5.90), Onion Rings ($5.90) and Chili Cheese Fries ($5.90) for sides. The add-on items like beef bacon, cheese, onions rings, and eggs are available at $1 each. An option is available to top up $4 to make it a meal which includes free-flow of soft drinks and a choice of fries.

Fatburger is co-branded with Buffalo's Express for its chicken wings and sandwiches. There is the selection of Bone-In Wings (from $5.90 for 6 pieces), Boneless Chicken (from $8.50 for 6 pieces), and Chicken Tenders (from $6.50 for 3 pieces). There are Crispy Chicken ($7.90) and Grilled Chicken ($7.90) for sandwiches. There are a total of 7 sauces to go with starting from Death Valley, Hot, Cajun, Thai Sweet Chilli, Teriyaki, BBQ, Lemon Pepper or simply have it plain. 

We ordered the Single Burger with Sweet Potato Fries and Soft Drink and Double Burger with Onion Rings and Strawberry Milkshake as well as Bone-In Buffalo Wings (6 pieces) for a total of $39.10. The service was personalized. They asked for your name and even have it printed on the receipt and they will call you by name when they served it to your table.

The Strawberry Milkshake is made with hand-scooped ice-cream but it is not as thick and creamy as expected to be. The other flavors are Cholocate, Vanilla, and Oreo. 

The first bite was a disappointment. The patties were so well-done thus it tasted dry. Having paid so much, I expected it to be better. Shake Shack has always cooked their patties at medium when it comes to the degree of doneness, which is different than most of its competitors. 

My dining companion said, "It reminded me of the Double Whopper that I had at Burger King just recently. The patties were equally dry. This type of quality is more acceptable at a cheaper price. It does not quite make sense to pay so much for such a lousy burger." He continued to say, "I would rather go to Macdonald's and order one of those burgers listed in their Signature Collection, it is cheaper and tastier." He said, "This is so not worth it and probably one of those overrated meals that I had had."

The Double Burger was equally disappointing. I have tasted it before when I was in Macau, it was much better then. I hope this is a one-off due to the probable inconsistency as they are newly opened and still adjusting. 

The onion rings are made from scratch daily, it is dipped into their special batter and fried to perfect crispiness but a little too greasy. 

When I asked for the recommendation, I was told that Bone-In Buffalo Wings are the classic choice. I opted to have it with the hot sauce. The heat was quite mild and it was tasty, the carrot and celery sticks that served along were a bit dry though still crunchy.

Overall, this newly opened burger joint somewhat reminded me of Wendy's and they did not quite make it in Singapore. 

FAT BURGER

11 Tanjong Katong Road #01-70/71/72 Kinex SINGAPORE 437157

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

[Japan] Shake Shack : my favorite fast food joint

Shake Shack is likely to be coming to Singapore. If you wonder what exactly is Shake Shack, it is a fast-growing American fast food restaurant chain based in New York City. It started out as a humble food cart outside Madison Square Park in 2001 serving only hot dogs and it moved to a food stand in 2004, it included burgers, hot dogs, fries and milkshakes to its menu. It has over 170 outlets in America and overseas. It is rumored to be opening at the upcoming Jewel Changi Airport in early 2019. 

I had it for lunch when I was in Tokyo just recently. There are a total of 9 outlets in Japan and 5 of them are located in Tokyo. I went to the outlet at Ebisu in Tokyo. The restaurant was almost full during lunch on a weekday. I ordered their signature Shack Stack, ShackBurger, Crinkle Fries, Strawberry Milkshake, and the Shack-made Lemonade. Their beverage menu is customized to the local flavors of the city, just like the special Hong Kong Milk Tea Shake together with 3 different Hong Kong style frozen yogurt desserts at their outlet in Hong Kong.

The Strawberry Milkshake is thick and creamy with a well-balanced sweetness. Their milkshakes have been reviewed as one of the best. The Shack-made Lemonade consists of Shack-made syrup in original or featured flavor. The featured flavor then was raspberry. 

ShackBurger comes with single or double Angus beef patties topped with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce, sandwiched between the potato buns. It is a no-frill cheeseburger that done really well. The quality of ingredients determines the taste of the burger which set apart a great burger from a mediocre one. The ShackSauce is none other than mayonnaise, dijon mustard, ketchup, cayenne pepper and pickle juice put together. 

Shack Stack is actually the combination of Cheeseburger and Shroom Burger. It consists of an Angus beef patty and a deep-fried breaded portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheese. It was placed on a melted cheese then topped with lettuce. tomato and the ShackSauce, sandwiched in between the potato flour buns. 

The Crinkle Fries is one of the popular items on their menu, it is the must-order to go along with their burgers.

I am eagerly waiting for their opening in Singapore. 

SHAKE SHACK

Ebisu Minami 1-6 Shibuya-ku Tokyo JAPAN

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Yellow Submarines Cheesesteak : The Better Cheesesteak Experience

After the absolutely disappointing experience at The Cheese Steak Soup located at Kallang Wave Mall, i am still on the hunt for the best possible Cheesesteak in Singapore. And, it brought me to Yellow Submarines at Toa Payoh Central. I was there slightly after lunch on a Saturday, the place was not as crowded as expected. The ordering counter is at the level 1. You are expected to place your order and made your payment right there. A receipt will be given with a number stated on it and that shall be your collection number when it flashes on the LED panel. 

There are quite a few sets on the menu board for selection. I went for the Yellow Submarine Classic (Set 1) set meal for $9.90 and Philly Submarine (set 2) set meal for $10.90. You could choose to have beef or chicken and i opted for the beef for both sets. Cheese fries and drinks are included in the set. You are expected to collect your drink first then the rest later. 

The number flashed in a bit on the LED panel for collection. The cheese fries were served in a paper cups and the sandwiches were nicely wrapped.

The cheese fries though not particularly crispy, it did not turn too soggy either even after left for a while. It was served with a generous amount of cheese sauce and quite a bit left over at the bottom of the paper cup even when done eating with those fries.

Yellow Submarine Classic consists of thin slices of beef Sirlon served with their specially blended cheese sauce and caramelised onions in a bread roll. First impression was the cheese sauce tasted a little like those made from powdery cheese rather similar to that particular type of cheese sauce for Cheese Fries. I liked the beef slices much more as compared to those shredded beef used in those sandwiches mentioned in that disappointing experience.  The beef slices here were bigger, juicer and tender. A good amount of Cheese was added with a rather tomato-ish sauce.

For $9.90 a set, i felt it is rather good value as compared to the $34 for 2 sandwiches, 2 drinks and 2 sides mentioned in this unacceptable experience. 

Could you see the amount of cheese in it as compared to this? Now, tell me which one would you choose? I guess the answer is rather obvious.

Their Philly Submarine ($7.90) was overall acceptable. It is only $10.90 if you order it as a set. The options for their sets include the beef too and not just chicken.

A substantial portion of same beef Sirlon slices and caramelised onions together with provolone cheese were sandwiched in between the bread roll. You could even see the cheese slowly pulled apart in the sandwich. I strongly felt that cheesesteak can never be called a cheesesteak is not enough amount of cheese is added to be so. Would you even bother to try if you have to pay an extra for more cheese to be added or ask for cheese sauce to make it a cheesesteak? I believe in paying for what it is truly worth and not topping it up with extra cash just to get what you expected it to be. 

More pictures of the Philly Submarine. What an appetising sight with cheese shown in the sandwich in all these pictures. 

A rather big slice of beef spotted in this picture.

Though not addicted yet but i gotta be caution as habit is slowly forming to loving their cheesesteaks.

This might not be the best cheesesteak that i ever tasted but it was much better than the other that i tried in Singapore. If you too, craving for cheesesteak then perhaps you should give Yellow Submarines a try and totally forget about going elsewhere unless you want to have a bad experience. 

YELLOW SUBMARINES CHEESESTEAK

Block 177 Toa Payoh Central #01-110 Singapore 310177.

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 10.30 pm

The Cheese Steak Shop : Philadelphia is Disappointed With You

It took me quite a while to locate the shop, though they are located at Kallang Wave Mall but do not try looking for them in the mall. Exit the MRT and do not enter the mall but keep going straight, it is right at the corner. I was there on a Sunday and there was a promotion of 1-for-1 sandwich going on when you liked a particular FB page. Even so, the place was almost empty with just only 1 table occupied then. This is supposedly the franchise of the original The Cheese Steak Shop from the USA that started in 1982.

While standing in front of their service counter and looking at their menu board, a service staff came over with a menu and quickly ushered me to the table just next to it. The same staff took our order  at the counter later. I asked him whether i could upgrade it to a set by paying the extra. He said yes. I took notice that there is a Daily Special for selected Chicken Cheese Steak with a side and drink for only $8.90. 

I wanted 2 sets and i should have 4 sandwiches since i have liked that particular FB page together with that particular post and shown it to the service staff. I decided to go with Deluxe Cheese Beef Steak ($10.90), Garlic Cheese Steak ($10.90), Mushroom Cheese Steak ($10.90) and Barbeque Cheese Steak ($9.90). I initially wanted Steak Hoagie ($10.90) and Spinach Cheese Steak ($10.90) but i was told that some ingredients were not available at that time. 

As for drinks, i went with 2 large Pepsi at $2.70 each. For the sides, i decided to try their Cheese Fries ($3.90) and Twister Fries ($2.90) as recommended by that service staff. The total bill came to an unexpected $34.00. When done a check, i realised the drinks and sides are not part of the set but ala-carte orders. When i questioned the service staff, he kept apologising and no explanation was given. The least that he could have done is to explain why he did not include the drinks and sides as part of the set as we clearly communicated upon placing the order. He should really be honest about it even if there is no sets available for Cheese Beef Steak or the 1-for-1 promotion is only applicable for ala-carte order. This is bad customer service. 

The drinks came first. It was served in tall plastic cups instead of those disposable cups. 

The 2 different types of fries came next followed by the 4 different types of sandwiches.

The Cheese Fries and Twister Fries did not taste as special as expected. The thickly cut fries were rather soggy when left it for a bit. Those Twister Fries were just normal. You should just forget about ordering their fries. 

The presentation of those sandwiches was pretty shabby. As for the beef, it looked more like beef stripes or even towards shredded beef and not those slices of beef that are expected of a proper original Philidelphia style Cheese Steak sandwich. 

The Garlic Cheese Steak was not amongst the favourite. I felt those bits of garlic did not enhance its overall taste much thus not very special. This was partly so as too little cheese was placed underneath the pile of beef stripes and slices of onion. The cheese could only be tasted at both ends but was missing in the centre part of the sandwich. 

The Deluxe Cheese Steak was not the favourite too, the paste sauce was a bit overpowering and too little cheese added so very little cheese taste to the extend that you could hardly taste any and somehow reminded me of eating a pizza sandwich.

The Barbeque Cheese Steak did not fare too well either, the barbeque sauce was again overpowering and with too little cheese added. I could not help but wonder why is this even called a cheese steak when not much cheese taste is detected. They should just called this a Barbeque Beef Steak Sandwich.

The Mushroom Cheese Steak was the better one amongst the 4 different types that i ordered, but again not much cheese taste as not enough cheese was added to be called the Cheese Steak. I have no doubt that it would definitely taste much better if more cheese could have be added and perhaps they should really do it the traditional way by placing the cheese on top rather than at the bottom. 

Some pictures to show the miserable bit of cheese added to the sandwich.

Could you see any melted cheese in there? Where is the cheese? With such a premium price charged for the sandwich, there is absolutely no reason to have so little cheese added to each sandwich.

Again, only a bit of cheese spotted at the side.

In this picture, only a bit of cheese at the end of the sandwich. Honestly, these sandwiches do not deserve to be called Cheese Steak since too little cheese was added to make it to be one. By the way, this was half of the Mushroom Cheese Steak, it was the one with the most cheese and even so, not enough was added.

"Caution: May be habit forming". I seriously doubt so.

It was just slightly after 2pm, the place was almost empty. I guess most Singaporeans are not lover of Cheese Steak or maybe they shared the similar bad experience too?

As for their tag line 'We're Bringing Philly to you", what i have tasted did not even remind me a bit of the truly great Cheese Steak that i had eaten in Philadelphia. It was an absolutely disappointing experience though i could felt the owner must have a great passion for Cheese Steak to start such a shop.

And NO, it is definitely not worth the value, i would rather go for a sandwich at one of those Subway outlets anytime.

THE CHEESE STEAK SHOP

No 1 Stadium Place #01-10 Kallang Wave Mall Sports Hub SINGAPORE 397629.