In the early days of 2018, we visited Gyros & Churros, a new eatery set up on the ashes of the legendary White Arrow, one of the most iconic students’ snack bars from yesteryear. DJ Cyprian & tattooist Matthew had taken over the place, stripped it inside out and renovated it into a modern eating place, with a unique concept: merging Greek and Spanish street food. It proved to be a hit with both students and neighbourhood families. Back then, they had what they coined as The Gyros Burger, a pita bread wrap that had all the classic flavours of the Gyro, yet ticked all the boxes of the crucial elements that made a burger: meat, condiments and sauce, encased in some form of bread. It got top marks from us and ended up being one of our favourites during our #StrangerBurgers (burgers with a difference) week. But things change…
It’s now 2019, and things have indeed changed… but for the better! Gyros & Churros has been taken over by new management, and the whole menu has been fine-tuned and improved by the culinary team of Marco Lombardi, Matthew Bugeja and their kitchen brigade. And indeed they have started 2019 with a welcome blast-forward for their brand, as they have now introduced four burgers. These are traditional burgers with a beef patty and a bun and not gyro flatbread. And hence, it’s time for the #MaltaBurgers team to go check what Gyros & Churros are up to this time around.
The Wasabi Burger is the most inventive burger on the new burger menu. Wasabi is that green paste you get served on the side with your sushi. It’s a herb native to Japan, similar to horseradish and mustard, with a somewhat matching sharp and spicy taste. Here it’s used as part of a slaw, with equal quantities of shredded celeriac and sweet potato, and is spiced up with fresh ginger, turmeric, parsley and mayo. Replacing the more traditional coleslaw is quite an intriguing and unconventional move from G&C, but that’s how you shake things up in burgerland. The Wasabi-feel is well dosed and provides a mellow kick that is mostly felt through your nostrils rather than your tongue’s taste buds. It’s not overly spicy and the burn is short and sweet, travelling through your sinuses and igniting your hotter senses, thus creating a mouth-watering, enticing, and inviting sensation. Its aroma is pleasing and works well with the combination of ginger and turmeric. It does take over the whole flavour of the burger, and that’s something you want if you love Wasabi or are a burger adventurer, always chasing the latest trend.
The patty is made from 200gr of chuck roll beef and incorporates other seasonings to highlight the quality of the meat. It’s grilled and finished in the oven, depending on the requested temperature. The beef has been coarsely minced and has a loose and crumbly texture. Even though the meat has a substantial texture it melts in your mouth. The char marks, browning and holding consistency of the patty is gold standard level, with a size and thickness that are perfectly proportional to the rest of the burger.
The brioche bun that holds all the ingredients is lightly coated with sesame seeds and has the perfect texture to melt into the patty, creating a unified bite with every taste. It’s filled with sliced tomatoes and crispy fried onions that provide a good amount of crunch. A very generous portion of the wasabi flavoured slaw goes on top of the beef, and all is finished with a drizzle of honey, parsley and crushed walnuts, for another layer of extra nutty crispiness. All these condiments subtly support and enhance the overall flavour of the burger, as is the slight sweetness from the honey, which is a true touch of elegance. This burger is truly its own Eureka!
For those who like to nibble on fries, G&C have you sorted out in a big way. They have a selection of loaded fries, anything from cheesy fries with paprika, to the superb pulled pork ones with spring onions. Do you fancy pizza loaded fries with slices of pepperoni, salsa and loads of heavenly cheese? No problem, G&C have them too! These Fries are the real deal for those hungry Junior College students who will not shy away from a hanzirata! This fries dish is meant to be shared between 2 or 3 people, but there will always be those hungry piggies who will eat it all on their own! Our new favourites are the Sweet Potato ones, which are well-balanced with cheese, paprika and parsley. After all that food goodness, you might also want to try one of the four lemonades, which are served in a signature bulb-like bottle! The watermelon one has a very strong red colour and a potent swirling effect that is a vision to behold! This is a very welcome and refreshing option after a burger and fries and is something cool from the usual cola.
But wait, there’s even more! There’s no way we’re leaving G&C without the mandatory churros! Churros are South and Central American doughnut sticks, that were primarily introduced in Malta to the masses by G&C. This sweet treat is fried in oil and rolled in cinnamon sugar. And this time the mad inventors at G&C have come up with what they call a Churro Dog! It’s a hot dog style, large-sized Churro stuffed with ooey gooey creams and topped with chocolate. These are similar to the South American churros which are typically filled with rich dulce de leche. There’s one with Kinder Bueno, an Oreo dog, a KitKat churro and another with White chocolate Kinder Bueno. The Bueno churro dog has a Kinder Bueno filling, a chocolate drizzle and kinder Bueno pieces on top. The other three are all different, so there’s no other option but to taste them all and make your mind, which one is your favourite sweet treat.
The burger game at the Junior College area has been single-handedly dominated by NYB for many years. But these days things are changing, and if Gyros & Churros keep on churning out burgers and an array of other comfort food at this rate, there’s no doubt that what started with a Wasabi burger and a cinnamon stick might well turn into a nation wide phenomenon.
