Some see burgers as a revered form of sandwich bliss, whilst others are content enough with a quick satisfying bite from an express food joint. For many chefs, a burger is a vehicle for copious creativity and full-on flavours, a form of food that can be stripped down to the basic elements of meat, cheese, bun and a couple of condiments, yet create a sensation just as flavorful and satisfying as the most abounding gourmet meal. And that’s what we found at the end of this summer season at The Mill, an ex-corner snack bar right next to Mcast in Naxxar that until some 3 months ago was still selling sandwiches and soda. Today it has been turned inside out and painstakingly transformed into a very chic gastropub.
Chef Chris has spent 15 years working in kitchens of all sorts. His aim at The Mill is to create a full burger menu, where simplicity is the key. Such a case in point is Ryan’s Burger, a duplex patty tower made from two 200gr beef patties, cheese, onions, gherkins, lettuce, tomatoes and bbq sauce. Our first conspicuous question: Who is this Ryan? The burger is named after big-eater Ryan, a popular character at The Mill, and is built for real SAVAGE eaters! If you like massive, tasty burgers, this is the one to go for! Will we manage to eat it all?
This burger is definitely all about the meat. The two beef patties are made from 200gr of short rib, brisket and chuck roll. This mix creates an 85% beef vs 15% fat patty that has an ideal fat-to-meat ratio and makes for a well-balanced succulent burger characterised by that strong chargrill taste that we all love. The patties are seasoned with just rocksalt & fine pepper so you can enjoy all the goodness of our local beef at its best. Chef Chris has tried 12 different types of patty combinations before finding this right mix. Indeed the patties have a good amount of crumble and stability and are well grilled from edge to edge with a crispy charred surface, and a moist luscious centre. Sometimes we come across patties with a texture that is too fine and feels like beef pate. Too rough and the patty will look like a flattened meatloaf. Too chewy, and it feels like you’re munching on an old tire! This beef has a springy bounce to it, with ample texture to seduce your mouth. Indeed, it’s all about the grind. It’s not overpacked or too dense, and there are enough air pockets filled with juice that are naturally redistributed and recirculated within the meat. We were able to take a bite or three without it falling apart piece by piece.
Both patties are adorned with melted Edam cheese. A nice delicate cheese is always a burger favourite, especially when it’s slightly salty and nutty. But putting too much or too little cheese is always a juggling feat and can be a deal breaker for many. Luckily that’s not the case here! The cheese is topped with deep-fried crispy onions, slices of pickled gherkins and a chipotle bbq sauce. The sauce is smoky and sweet and teases your palette with the slight heat of the peppers inside, hailing it a cut above the rest of other more standard barbeque sauces. It also adds more depth and compliments the other veggie toppings without making the burger too messy. The lettuce and jumbo tomato slices at the base of the burger are handpicked directly from the local Pitkali market. Using fresh lettuce, tomatoes and onions help bring a crisp texture and flavour depth that makes this burger scream fresh. The tomatoes bring a moderate level of acidity and somehow help prolong that lingering taste of the beef. Balancing the tomato with a leaf of lettuce and the beef delivers a non-stop explosion of sapidity!
The brioche bun squeals for attention as it has been adorned with extra coloured sesame seeds! It serves its purpose well, but we wish that the sesame seeds would adhere more to the top of the bun and not spill all over. There’s also a jumbo gherkin on top, with a bucket of solid fries as main accompaniment.
The Ryan burger has a sort of magical cohesiveness between the amount of meat, toppings and bun. In the end, we managed to eat it all with some extra encouragement! It has an own identity in this very competitive world of burgers and is the perfect end of summer burger and highlights the benefits of mixing good cuts of beef to create a champion patty. We now wonder how The Mill will manage to surprise us again, with their forthcoming Winter menu…
