Have you recently noticed the big uprise of burger places in Naxxar? We have! There seems to be no end to the unending appetite for burgers from the Naxxar people if we have to count all the XL size burgers that are popping up every week or so. Some restaurants have taken the bigger-is-better philosophy to heart, crafting heavyweight lunch options that make you wonder if you’re tough enough to eat it all. One such place is Caesar’s House. Renown DJ Steve Caesar opened this Naxxar lounge bar some 6 odd years ago with the aim of creating a pre-clubbing venue with good music and food. Years later, his dream is still very much alive, and Caesar’s House is becoming a necessary pit stop for many burger lovers. The 37-year-old Stephen Cesare (real birth name) began DJing when he was 17, but what many might not know, is that he also likes to dabble in the kitchen. Indeed he created many of the comfort food, platters and burgers that his patrons consume.
The Caesar’s Palace is the biggest burger on the menu. It’s made from two patties, each one made from 250gr of cube roll cuts. There’s actually 2 sizes of this burger, the normal and xl with half a kilo of meat… but we don’t even need to reveal which one we went for! The brioche bun is also filled with mozzarella slices, lettuce and tomatoes and an inhouse sauce. It’s then topped with five onions rings and two mozzarella sticks! Eat it all in one go and you get to see Steve Caesar perform live on the deck that adorns the entrance of the lounge. The 125gr costs less than a tenner, whilst the XL one will lighten your pockets with around €12, so there’s no excuse to go to McD rather than here.
We all know that there is such a thing as too much beef, but sometimes more of a good thing is a stupendous idea! There’s some good percentage of cube roll cuts in the patty mix, which makes this one a seriously delicious burger. Cube roll comes from the innermost part of the rib. It is a tasty and tender cut of the animal, partly thanks to the marbling. The patty is grilled, creating a noticeable crust, and is finished in the oven. The intensity of the beef flavour shines through thanks in large part to this beautiful crust that blankets the exterior. The crispness from the crust finds textural balance with the soft toasted brioche bun. This beef also browns up beautifully, with a flavour lacing all the way around the edges.
What happens when cheeseburgers take a trip to Italy? They come back with mozzarella instead of American cheese. Mozzarella melts beautifully on pizzas and lasagnas, so why don’t we see it used more often in today’s burgers? This cheese has a soft, moist texture and is full of milky flavour. These slices of mozzarella melt so well, it looks like they were painted on with great attention and finesse.
We all know that the french fry is a burger’s most inseparable friend. Second best are the onion rings! There are many in the culinary world who believe that the onion ring was invented in Dallas in the 1920s. There are 5 onion rings and 2 mozzarella sticks atop this burger. They provide a good crunch and are of the lighter, airier variety. However, we missed those thick onion rings with chunky breading. Maybe even the beer flavoured ones would have been a good fit here, to up the ante some more. The burger is seriously missing pickles too, as they would have added a nice bit of tang and made this one a hands-down 5★ offering.
So how do you eat such a tower burger? You don’t want any of the sauce to start spilling onto your plate or clothes. Savouring this burger without making a mess can be tricky, but there are several strategies from gripping the burger with all fingers from the sides to manage the condiments, to cutting the burger into sections like a pie or using utensils and take it down one small morsel at a time. We put all the deep fried stuff inside the burger itself making it more impossible to fit even into Franc Debono‘s mouth! Then we had a good go at it… you know a burger does not always have to be a clean experience!
Steve Caesar has come up with a beefcake of a burger that no one should be ashamed to admit that they ate it all, whether they’re a pig or a T-Rex! Tripple Whopper and Big Tasty move away, there’s now a new big favourite in Naxxar!
