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)

EL Carbon Grill House : newly opened in Ang Mo Kio

This Western food stall has just opened on 7 October 2019 in Food Loft, the newly opened coffee shop at Ang Mo Kio Central, directly facing the Ang Mo Kio MRT station. There was an article by The Straits Times featuring Chef Syahir Bin Osman, 23 and the Mibrasa oven at Elfuego, an eatery by Collin's at Jewel Changi Airport dated 9 September 2019. There was also another article on the Facebook page of Elfuego on 17 October 2019, mentioning this young chef is trained in Mibrasa oven. He was there when we were there on both occasions. 

My dining companion asked, "Did you see that special oven in their kitchen?" And, that is a Mibrasa oven. It is a closed barbecue grill oven that allows the user to control the flow of air accurately through the grill changing the intensity of the embers. It can be done through the hot charcoal by shifting the ashtray and the damper. The ashes of the charcoal are contained in the tightly closed catchment and doors to retain the charcoal flavor that would infuse the process of food grilling in the oven. It is different from the normal convection oven.

We ordered the Crispy Chicken Cutlet ($7.50) and Charbroiled Chicken Chop ($7.50). I was given a buzzer for collection later. The Crispy Chicken Cutlet consists of a piece of fried chicken with a portion of mesclun salad, corn on the cob and fries together with cheese sauce and possibly Garlic Aioli though it did not have much garlic taste. The chicken was coated with herb seasoning and deep-fried to the perfect crispiness. This is the signature dish on the menu of Collin's with exactly the same presentation at a higher price. 

 My dining companion said, "The taste of the herb seasoning is quite mild as you did not taste much of it. It is still quite worth it as compared to those choices at the other hawker Western stalls." He also said, "I would rather have it with the Aglio e Olio then fries." We did manage to change the fries to pasta when we went back for a second time. 

The Charbroiled Chicken Chop was served on a pile of Aglio e Olio with corn on the cob and mesclun salad. It was slightly too charred but it managed to crisp the skin, the crispiness lasted even till the last bite, it was moist within. 

I liked it so much and ordered it again when we went back and hopefully, this will be their usual standard.

This is a cheaper alternative to Collin's by a group of young and energetic chefs. They are in the midst of getting the Halal certification. 

EL CARBON GRILL HOUSE
Block 721 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 #01-2823 Food Loft SINGAPORE 560721
Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 11.00 pm (Daily)

Seletar Western Food : old-school Western food

The coffee shop is located at the Seletar Hill, amongst the row of shophouses along Jalan Selaseh. This Western food stall is a popular choice amongst the residents of this quiet estate. The usual waiting time during peak hours can be up to an hour. It is the corner stall at this quiet coffee shop and it has been around for about 20 years but the current owner is only at it for about 4 years after taking over from the original owner when they decided to retire. 

Most of the other stalls were already closed when we were there at about 5 pm on a weekday. When I was there to order, the uncle was serving an elderly customer that likely to be a regular. He went to where he seated to take his order. I waited for him to get back. I ordered Chicken Chop ($6) for myself and the Chicken Cutlet ($6.50) for my dining companion. I then pointed to the table right at the corner. We waited for about 15 minutes for it to be served. 

The Chicken Cutlet consists of a piece of deep-fried breaded chicken served with a bun, baked bean, fries, lettuce, and cucumber. My dining companion started with the bun. He said, "This one tasted better than its looks. Though they deep-fried but it was still soft and not greasy." He said after trying the chicken, "The seasoning is quite light thus it tasted a little bland." He continued to say, "Overall, it was okay."

The Chicken Chop was slightly charred though it did not taste crispy, it was served with the brown sauce and the same sides. I finished it even though it is not amongst the best that I had tasted. 

This is an interesting find in an old school coffee shop.

SELETAR WESTERN FOOD

2 Jalan Selaseh SINGAPORE 808433

Operating Hours: 4.00 pm to 9.30 pm (Daily)

Shaker Lakers : East meets West

The stall is started by Gillian Pua, 43, a former technologist that used to be in the IT industry for more than 18 years. Her business partner is Michael Quinn, 42, an Irish national and a permanent resident in Singapore. He has been working in New York for more than 12 years and is married to a Singaporean. Both of them met at Marche at VivoCity. Michael was the Restaurant Manager then and Gillian was working there whilst in between jobs. They started talking about running a hawker stall for about 8 months before realizing it on 9 August 2019 after experimenting with the recipes. They decided on starting a hawker stall as it is an economical choice as compared to operating a cafe. The stall is based on the East meets West concept serving the Western and also the local dishes. They hope to create a new food concept using Asian flavors with Western cooking techniques. 

The main menu consists of Beef Burger ($7.50), Fish and Chips ($9) and Aglio Olio with Bacon and Mushroom ($7.50). There are also interesting choices like Lakers Chicken Merah with rice ($6.50), Hainanese Pork Chop with Rice and Egg ($6.30) and Sambal Prawn Linguine ($8). The prices are kept affordable and everything is made from scratch at the stall. 

I ordered Lakers Chicken Merah with rice for myself and Beef Burger for my dining companion. I was told to come back in 10 minutes for collection. 

Beef Burger consists of a thick patty with cheese, served together with tomato and lettuce, accompanied by potato wedges.  The barbeque sauce was served in a saucer and my dining companion assumed it was tomato sauce so he just left it alone. While eating his burger, he said, "The beef patty though thick and juicy but it did not have much taste." He only realized that saucer was barbeque sauce after he finished the burger, he said, "It should be tastier after added that in." 

He continued to say, "The best burger from a hawker stall is still those from Hammee's at Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre."

Lakers Chicken Merah is based on a Peranakan recipe from Gillian's family. It is a homely dish of simmering fried chicken in spicy tomato sauce. The sauce tasted more like the sambal chilli that is usually for the barbeque stingray and it was different from the usual Ayam Masak Merah. There was a subtle heat from the chillies but not much of sweet and sourish taste.

Interestingly, it was served with 2 pieces of ladyfinger coated in batter then deep-fried. The rice was slightly dry.

This is an interesting stall that is worth revisiting. There are other dishes listed under the "Chef Recommendation" on a standing whiteboard displayed in front of the stall. 

SHAKER LAKERS
51 Yishun Avenue 11 #01-24 Yishun Park Hawker Centre SINGAPORE 768867
Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 2.00 pm / 5.00 pm to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Ashes Burnnit : a new muslim-owned burger joint

Lee Syafiq, 26, the owner, started this burger joint on 16 September 2019, taken over the stall where Burgs by Project Warung used to be. He is the co-founder of Burgs by Project Warung, a local burger brand that he started 3 years ago with 2 partners. He used to work for Terra Tokyo Italian, one Michelin-starred restaurant and he met one of his partners there. Syafiq was there to take my order. I asked, "What do you recommend?" He replied, "Do you eat beef? if yes, you might want to try the Truffle Mushroom Burger. If not, the Best of Both World Burger to try everything."  I decided to order Fried Chicken Burger and the Best of Both World Burger. He asked, "Single or double patties?" I said, "Single for the Fried Chicken Burger and double for the Best of Both World Burger". 

While waiting to pay, I asked him, "Is this stall related to the previous one?" I continued to say, "I saw the announcement of the Facebook page of Burgs." He replied, "I am one of the co-founders of Burg. " He also said, "We ever tried to launch a different menu when running Burgs but it caused confusion to our customers. That is the reason we set up this stall to differentiate from them." He said, "We are different team but under the same owner." Nonetheless, a post was issued by Burgs by Project Warung on their Facebook page, claimed that they have ceased operation at Golden Mile Food Centre and they are not affiliated with the current stall. What exactly is going on? Theoretically, it was right to say that it is a different team but the same owner as he co-founded Burgs. 

A buzzer was given after paying up and it buzzed in just a while. Both burgers are served with fries. The Best of Both World Burger is $9.00 for the single patty and $11.50 for double patties. It consists of 2 handcrafted beef patties, smoked turkey bacon, parmesan mozzarella cheese that is added to the mac n cheese as described on their menu board. 

I felt the beef patties were a bit too dry and not as flavorful. It is a unique creation but it did not taste too special and not quite memorable. I did not like charcoal buns, the texture was not fluffy enough and a little too dry.

My dining companion said, "The texture of fries is crispy but it did not seem to have much taste. The mac n cheese also did not have much cheese taste." 

The Fried Chicken Burger is $5.90 for the single patty and $7.90 for the double patties. The burger consists of a piece of fried chicken as patty served with sriracha mayonnaise and lettuce. 

My dining companion said, 'It is the sauce that makes it special, other than it is just a normal Fried Chicken Burger that did not quite stand out."

There are other interesting burgers on the menu, like Ashes Smash Cheese Burger, Truffle Mushroom Burger, and Grilled Chicken Burger as well as the Froissant, icecream-filled croissant to try.

ASHES BURNNIT

505 Beach Road #B1-24 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Big Boys Western Sizzling Hotplate : so so Western food

This Western food stall is started by an ex-chef from The Ritz Carlton in the food centre at Beauty World Plaza that opened on 8 December 2018. I have been waiting for the hype to die down before trying it. We decided to go for lunch on a Friday. We were there at about 1pm. There were some customers waiting to collect their orders at their stall. I asked, "Do I need to join the queue to order?" The friendly chap replied, "We are not taking orders now as the waiting time is about 1 hour 30 minutes." We went to eat Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle and Wanton Soup from Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Noodle Rice while waiting. My dining companion went back about 30 minutes later and he managed to order the CornFlake Chicken ($7.50) and Grilled Chicken Steak ($6.90). Each main is accompanied with a choice of side, the selection includes fries, rice or pasta. There is also black pepper and mushroom sauce to choose. A buzzer was given for collection and it buzzed in 10 minutes. It looked exactly like those not quite appetizing pictures that were circulating on social media. 

The CornFlake Chicken is one of their signature dishes and probably one of the most popular choices. The size was much smaller, not as massive as shown in those pictures on social media. My dining companion took a bite and said, "It actually tasted better than its look, even so, it is just average tasting." He added, "The texture of the fried chicken was nice but not much flavor." The fried chicken was coated with a layer of batter added with cornflakes and deep-fried to the desired crispiness, though special but not quite memorable. The turmeric rice was served with black pepper sauce, I neither love or hate it.

This is amongst one of the worst chicken chop that I had eaten. It was served sizzling hot on the hotplate but it had not been char-grilled long enough to char it and to allow the smoky flavor to be infused, it tasted quite bland with soggy skin. That might be the likely reason why it was served so fast? It tasted quite mediocre, just like those from the usual Western food stalls. The mushroom sauce was a little runny with not much flavor. My dining companion said, "I like the fries though, it is quite crispy." Those fries were coated with a layer of batter before deep-frying for a crispier texture.

My dining companion said, "The only thing that reminded me of The Ritz Carlton is the level of service. The chef is quite friendly though and he even made an effort to apologize for keeping me waiting for the food. I had recently dined at Colony, a cafe in The Ritz Carlton and its attentive service is part of the memorable experiences."

I did not like both dishes, in fact, it is as disappointing as Chef Choo's Signature at Golden Mile Food Centre that I have tried recently. 

BIG BOYS SIZZLING WESTERN HOTEPLATE

144 Upper Bukit Timah Road #04-25 Beauty World Centre SINGAPORE 588177

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 8.30 pm (Daily)

Chef Choo Signature : affordable Western hawker food

Chef Choo Siew Leong, 32, the owner, used to be working in Regent Hotel and Grand Hyatt before starting this stall. He is experienced in Western and Italian cuisine. His dishes are supposed to be of the same standard and quality that are comparable to those by 5-star hotels and restaurants but at affordable prices.

I happened to go during lunch and there was already a crowd gathered in front of this newly opened Western hawker stall. There are a total of 11 items on their menu. There are 4 different types of pasta dishes, the Sizzling Seafood Spaghetti ($6.90 for 1 pax and $12.90 for 2 pax), Spaghetti Carbonara ($5.50), Spaghetti Bolognese ($5.50) and Spaghetti Agli-olio ($4.00) followed by Chicken Chop ($4.90), Norwegian Salmon ($5.90), Pork Chop ($5.90) and Hot Plate Seared Beef ($5.90). I decided to try Chicken Chop with garlic rice and Hot Plate Seared Beef with Onion & Garlic Rice. I was told to come back in between 20 to 30 minutes to collect. I went back 30 minutes later but it was not ready yet. Chef Choo looked up while cooking and said, "好吃的东西是值得等的" (good food is worth waiting). I said, "I will come back later." I happened to be seated at a table near the stall and a few minutes later, the white-haired lady signaled me to come over. Both dishes were ready.

My dining companion had the Chicken Chop with garlic rice, it was served with a sunny-side-up egg. He said, "It actually tasted quite average, the rice was just plain rice served with the garlic sauce. The underneath of the egg was rather charred though it did not affect the taste. The chicken did not have much flavor." The presentation did not look quite appetizing. 

I was not impressed with the Hot Plate Seared Beef with onion and garlic rice too. Those slices of beef were tender with a rather slight smoky flavor. The sauce tasted just like the garlic sauce that was served with Chicken Chop.

I tasted a similar but better dish by chef Sebastian Ho when he was still running Sebastian Fusion, a hawker stall in a coffee shop. He is currently the owner of At The Myo, a cafe nestled in Everton Park. 

CHEF CHOO SIGNATURE

505 Beach Road #B1-45 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE 199583

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 8.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Triio's Corner : Pork Burger, worth a try

We were there for lunch on a Sunday. We decided to try the Pork Burger ($6.50) and Chicken Burger ($5.50). Luke was there, manning the stall all by himself. He sent the food over when it was ready. He came over and joined us at the table later. He asked, "You are a food blogger? I saw you taking pictures." I nodded my head and said, "I have a food blog."

He told us that he is working with his friends and they are his bosses. He asked, "How was the food?" My dining companion replied, "I think a bit too much sauce. You could not really taste the flavor of the patty. The pork patty is actually quite nice though." Luke told us that mayonnaise is used and the other sauce is their homemade honey sauce. Luke said, "Some customers actually preferred to have it with more sauce so it is a little difficult on our part." 

I said, "Pork Burger is not too common in Singapore." Luke replied, "Actually not many know that we serve Pork Burger." He pointed at the standing banner outside the coffee shop and said, "Our friends suggested we should make a banner to promote the Pork Burger." I also said, "The food presentation is impressive." And, Luke replied, "We managed to get those trays online and they even provide the engraving of our stall name for free. The previous owner actually left us some plates which we did not like."

I asked, "There is no beef burger here?" He replied, "We have actually working on the beef burger but have yet to launch it." He also said, "There are another 2 Western food stalls in the food centre so business here is quite competitive. But we have been around for about 1 year and it has been sustainable so far." He also mentioned, "We have very little control of the quality of the burger buns as we get them from the supplier, it can be inconsistent at times."

I said, "Paying $4.50 for an extra patty is a little on the high side but again, the rental in the coffee shop is usually higher as compared to running a stall in the hawker centre." Luke said, "We usually recommend to go for the double patties as you could actually taste the flavor better." He also said, "We actually made everything from scratch and we could only make so many at one time, it is very much for the efforts rendered." 

He mentioned, "We are in the midst to revamp the menu. We might replace the baked beans and garlic bread with rice. We might also reduce the prices further to make it more affordable." My dining companion said, "The pricing is reasonable and the portion is quite filling too." Luke said, "Our Chicken Cutlet is quite popular and its size is actually bigger than my face."

Their burgers might not be amongst the best that I have eaten but I could taste the sincerity amidst these.

TRIIO'S CORNER

Block 19 Toa Payoh Lorong 7 #01-264 SINGAPORE 310019

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Hammee's : a Cheeseburger experience

Kelvin Hong, 31 and Vivian Tan, 25, this young couple is the owners of this unassuming stall serving only burgers which opened on 29 November 2018. They used to sell white bee hoon at another hawker centre prior to opening this stall. Their menu is simple, consisting of their signature Cheeseburger for $6 and a Double Cheeseburger for $8 with an option to add smoked bacon for $2. They have recently introduced a premium burger that consists of a thicker patty with lettuce and tomato. There is also Chicken Burger with an option to between the original flavor and the spicy flavor. Each order of burger is served with fries. They used to serve wings and waffles but have since stopped doing so. 

I was there at about 12.30 pm and there was just another customer in front of me. Vivian was there to take the order. I decided to go with Double Cheeseburger ($8.00) and added smoked bacon ($2.00) together with the original flavor Chicken Burger ($5.50). I was told to come back 30 minutes later with the wooden clip that has got a number on it for collection. While waiting, there was a delivery guy sending over a few boxes of burger buns from Bakery Artisan Original (BAO) followed by another guy delivery a box of Cowhead cheddar cheese. We happened to seat right in front of the stall. Vivian came over to check our number. She served the Chicken Burger first. She said, "The Double Cheeseburger is coming up soon." She sent it over about 5 minutes later. 

Chicken Burger though did not taste as memorable as the Cheeseburger but it was still pretty good. The chicken thigh is pounded using a meat mallet and marinate overnight to infuse the flavor before deep-frying. It was served with the homemade coleslaw and their special sauce, sandwiched between the buttered and toasted buns. 

The well-seasoned chicken patty was fried well to the ideal crispy state. The homemade coleslaw added textural contrast and also a refreshing twist. The fries though lightly sprinkled but it did not have much flavor. 

The beef patty is handmade with a combination of chuck, brisket, and short rib for a good leanness-to-fat ratio. It was then grilled to the desired doneness before serving on the buttered and toasted buns together with their special sauce, caramelized onions, pickled jalapeno, melted cheese, and grilled bacon. Beef tallow is added in the cooking process to giving it the flavor.

I asked my dining companion, "How is this Cheeseburger in comparison to the In-N-Out Burger?" And, he replied, "This is good even though the In-N-Out Burger is slightly superior in taste as their thick cheddar cheese is giving its more flavor." He continued to say, ""Their buns are much better than those used by the In-N-Out Burger though." The buns have a desirable softness and toasted well to have a slight crisp on its surface. 

This Cheeseburger is making the taste of In-N-Out Burger so forgettable. Their burgers are comfy food that is free of artificial preservatives. Burgs, a Muslim owned burger specialty stall at Golden Mile Food Centre with their other stall at Viva Business Park is another cheap and good burger to try. 

HAMMEE'S

31 Commonwealth Crescent #02-93 Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre SINGAPORE 149644

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 5.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)