Chilling by the Sliema seafront

We all need a little bit of spice every now and then and for us burger lovers, that often comes in the form of meat between a bun. Some demand every element in their burger to be outright spicy whilst other can barely handle Hot Cheetos. For the latter, Spicy burgers have a bad reputation of turning those of us with sensitive taste buds into crybabies. That might be because for the past few years, the likes of the Reaper, Scorpion, Ghost pepper and what-have-you, have been terrorising the faint of heart! But fear not, now there’s a new spicy burger in town, that aims to change that conception.

Juan Diego Grech has been working in and out of kitchens for the past 6 years. One year ago he took over the position of head chef at Torri and together with his culinary team of burger makers, he has conceived a chilli burger in the middle of one August heatwave day. His aim was to make a hot burger that can be enjoyed by all. Did he succeed? We went to Sliema seafront to investigate further…

Historically known as the De Redin Tower, Torri was one of the thirteen towers built along Malta’s coastline during the mid-1600s. In the 1870s this tower was used for coastal service and was manned by members of the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery under the supervision of the Police. In the mid-1920s it was converted into a provisional kiosk, and it has been used so for the next thirty years. Extensive restoration works were carried out at the beginning of the new millennium bringing the tower up to its current state. New management reopened Torri last February, and the tower was cleared from the inside and new architectural lighting installed. What a history!

Inside the Chilli burger, there’s a 240gr beef patty, made from chuck roll, and seasoned with thyme & sweet onion. The patty is massaged with sunflower & olive oil before it’s grilled. Chuck tends to be on the lean side, but this patty is devilishly juicy. The patty goes on top of a toasty brioche bun, laden with tomato slices. Next up, there’s a layer of spicy caramelised onions that add a good crunch and chunks of vanilla-poached chilli peppers. These chillis are cultured in-house, and grown in the many planters found around Torri! They also add a bit more colour and design and structure to the whole burger. The vanilla flavour is very contrasting with the strong chillies, and we believe that they add a unique dimension that is seldom tasted in local burgers. It kind of works wonders here and enhances the overall burger experience. This burger does smell great! These veggies are melded in place with a smoked cheese fondue made from mozzarella, parmesan & nutmeg. This mellow cheese sauce is tasty and the slight fruity sensation helps cool down the chilli heat. This sauce is so good that we wish that the whole burger was covered in it! The final burger element comes in the form of a large heap of rucola, which adds a clean, peppery taste that contrasts the richness of the meat.

This is a chilli burger, and as such, there’s an evident percentage of fieriness present. However, this heat helps to push the other ingredients to another level of flavour. Once each bite goes past your throat, the heat gives way to rich, meaty, cheesy flavours, with a very uncommon vanilla aftertaste that is bound to please. Mind you, this is far from the chilliest burger we’ve ever come across, but the main concept is all about balance. This was made for those who like to savour their burgers without having their mouth scorched, even if it is laced with sublime chilli peppers. And if you’re still ultra sensitive to chillies, we have a quick hack… just put the coleslaw that comes as a side, inside the burger itself! For those who always kept back from trying out spicy burgers, now there’s a safe option to finally go for it!

Chicken & Chips @ Queen’s

Hands up all those Millennials who love the McChicken!
Fried chicken seems to be the most popular burger option after the undeniable beef. It’s a favourite of many Maltese as much as it is in Kentucky.

Today we spotted a new International franchise in town, that has a chicken burger hidden amongst their potato fries menu! Truth is, we came for the fries, but were intrigued by the chicken burger! Queen’s Chips is an Amsterdam style chip shop that opened its doors last July, on National French Fries day, right next to Paceville’s Burger King. How will their chicken burger fare against the palate proven offerings from other established express burger joints? Even though we’re awed and distracted by the aroma of fries, we’re driven to find out!

Queen’s Chips started as an Italian franchise and shortly became renown for its paper cone Dutch-style fries. Just in case you wonder, it has no affiliation with the pastizzeria in Hamrun! They only have one chicken burger on their menu, so you don’t have to spend endless minutes wondering what to order! And their chicken burger focuses on the essential basics, as it’s made from a crispy minced chicken patty, sandwiched between a soft, pillowy bun, and layered with fresh Maltese lettuce. But here’s the twist, that’s going to propel this burger ahead of other express burger joints. Queen’s Chips have upped the ante, by letting you choose the burger sauce from a selection of 20 wild flavours! And when we say Wild, we do mean it. There’s everything from a whisky sauce, to curry ketchup, Moroccan, black pepper, Algerian and Tartar, just to name a few.

The chicken patty is made from 120gr of breaded chicken fillet, fried at 175°C. It has an oblong shape and is enormous when compared to something like Burger King’s Crispy Chicken offering, as it hangs out lasciviously from both ends of a standard-sized bun. Patties are fried in an own container, so they do not spoil the oil and mix with the fries. Queen’s Chips are using very modern friers, with automatic temperature control to keep the oil stable whether they are doing 1 or 5 burgers at a time. This yields a chicken patty that is moist and tender, and most importantly, very consistent. The consistency is that of white meat that has been ground fine and shredded all the way with no chewy knuckle bits and with a crunchy seasoned batter shell, that sports a golden colour ready to dazzle and delight. The breading is crispy enough, making it edgier than the classic McChicken. The batter is most probably made from wheat or corn, with a dusting of very light spices. The crunchy and uniform breading and tasty chicken inside checks all the prerequisite boxes for great flavour.

The slightly savoury bun is very fluffy and seedless. It squishes under very little pressure, but all it needs to do is hold the lettuce and chicken, and it does a good job at that. Apart from the chicken itself, the sauce is the second most exciting element. These signature sauces are made in Belgium and they pair well with the kick of the chicken’s seasoning. Any of these sauces seem to compliment with a touch of creaminess and controlled messiness! We tried the Cheesy Crazy (to experience the maximum messiness effect) which has a very strong cheese aroma. If you like American cheese with your chicken burger, this is the one to go for. There’s also the more classic tartar sauce, with onion, parsley and mixed herbs. But really, the obligatory game here is to never choose the safest option and go berserk in your choice!

The burger is presented in wrapping paper, to avoid sauce spills. This minimalist approach works perfectly in like with Paceville’s mood & environment. It also looks much more triumphant that those McD mashed burgers, where you wonder if the prep guy angrily smashed both fists into the bun, before lovingly wrapping it in paper!

As if not content enough with the burger, we also tried out the Kentucky chicken strips. And boy, we’re so glad we did! Chicken strips are the most glorious incarnation of handheld fried chicken. They’re heftier than nuggets and simpler to munch on than wings. We couldn’t resist from pimping up our burger and incorporate these strips INSIDE the burger itself, to build our own one-of-a-kind QUEEN’s MEGA burger! Now we’re talking big-league business!

These strips are made from fillet pieces, or what looks like the white meat that is located on either side of the breastbone. Unlike the burger patty, they have a plump texture and lumpy chunks of Kentucky flavoured seasoning that gives KFC a good run for their money, as they have a true and certain distinction with a more verve spiciness. There’s a superlative crunch from their thick breading, without any overpowering of the overall chicken flavour, which is slightly salty and rich. The consistency of the crispness is huge. A sort of buttery taste develops after the first 3 bites or so, something which we liked and urged us to consume even more of these. These chicken strips are quite hefty and burly, and there’s a considerable amount of chicken with a fibrous texture in each one. We could barely fit 2 inside our burger. They are a chicken meal by themselves, even without the aid of dipping sauces. Not that you should skip on the sauce. It’s just that between one saucy strip and another, sometimes one needs to enjoy the taste of the naked chicken piece itself.

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Just like us, you will most probably stop by Queen’s Chips for the inhouse specialty, the fries. And they won’t disappoint. When it comes to fries, this is where the similarity with any other express food joints ends. If you plan on ordering a large portion of chips, think twice, because their large is nothing like anything you’ve seen… it’s large as in 1 KILO large! The small and medium are 250gr and 500gr respectively so they might be more manageable for us mere humans! The potatoes are imported as whole fresh potatoes from Holland. Dutch potatoes are known for their unique characteristics, energetic flavour, compact texture and an ideal consistency for frying. They are fried in 2 stages in sunflower oil before making their way into your mouth, thus earning them the nickname of Double Dutch Fries! They are first fried at a low temperature to remove excess moisture from the potatoes. After a resting period of 20 minutes, they are fried a second time for a short timespan, this time at a much higher temperature to create a thick chip that is moist from inside and crispy on the outside, making them the definitive must-try french fries in Paceville, and overall Top 5 potato chips material.

Do you know why the Dutch can eat French fries with mayonnaise and not become obese? It’s all in the daily biking! Speaking of mayo, you can also add extra extravagant sauces to your chips, and we suggest the Samurai, which is a pinkish dry and spicy sauce or the Curry ketchup, with its oriental spiced flavour. Even though we loaded them with sauce, the fries didn’t get soggy so easily, and that’s another attribute that scores high in our books. And just like in Holland, we predict that these will dominate the Paceville street food scene by the end of the year!

As if the fries were not enough, here’s an extra bonus from Queen’s Chips… Crunchy churros covered with white or standard chocolate sauce! These big sticks of cinnamony-sugary heaven are very popular all over Latin America and Spain, but in recent years they have spread all across Europe. They are made from fried dough and taste similar to fried pastry, albeit a bit saltier. They do taste as delicious as they look.

These days, the Paceville food scene is overcrowded with all kind of restaurants and express food corners, but Queen’s Chips have managed to disrupt these standards with a chips novelty, and a supporting list of street food that is a big notch above other burger franchises. We’re definitely keeping an eye on them, for future surprises, as all this writing made us crave for more chicken & chips!

The October Prawn Star

Just Burger, known for their unique and delicious burger specialities, want to feed our October cravings with a Prawn burger. Whilst everyone is topping burgers with sliced pickles, the Just Burger team have turned the classic condiment formula inside out, and put such an extravagant ingredient as the prawn at the very top as if they want to keep the summer vibes going! Will this be the congenial element to complement their now inimitable beef patty? We went to Sliema to see for ourselves.

This October burger, conceived by Leeanne, blends together land and sea through a combination of a 140gr Angus beef patty and breaded prawns. All is set on top of a bed of rucola leaves and pickled onions. The patty is topped with traditional cheddar cheese that bolsters the overall richness, and the whole burger is dripped in their own version of the thousand island dressing.

The Angus beef patty from Just Burger is top notch, and when it comes to the local express food scene, there is nothing comparable in this price range. It’s always seasoned flawlessly and cooked exceptionally well to the requested temperature. The beef is just crazy juicy from start to finish. The char taste of the grill is very balanced, slightly smoky and totally delightful. It’s neither too thick nor too flat and fits the diameter of the bun like a jigsaw puzzle. It’s a proper burger patty done right in every conceivable way.

The prawns are coated with crispy crumbs, and they are fried golden until they become some of the tastiest deep fried prawns we’ve tried out this year. You even get two of these sizeable tiger prawns. Prawns come in a variety of sizes and textures. These are chunky and fabulously succulent crustaceans, unleashing the turbocharged flavour of the ocean. All this goodness of the sea is covered with a thousand island “secret” sauce that is tangy and zesty and deserves its place on this burger as much as it does on a bed of greens. This typical American salad dressing is made from Tabasco, onions, ketchup, chives, vinegar and a few other ingredients that Just Burger won’t tell! We don’t know why this is called thousand island, but most probably it’s because one could come up with 1000 distinctive ways to enjoy it! It’s totally perfect with the beef and prawn combination, and gives the whole burger just enough creaminess, to turn it into a marriage made in heaven! Yes, there will be an amount of creamy and dreamy sauce dripping down the side of your burger but if you are going to go surf and turf, let’s not cut corners! You don’t need a bib to eat this burger, but you might get your fingertips slightly saucy.

Preserved onions in malt vinegar are a classic Maltese condiment usually associated with hobz biz-zejt! It’s quite unusual to find pickled onions in burgers, but they go beautifully with beef and cheese, as they taste sharp and sweet at the same time. They are crisp and together with the rucola, they provide a layer of extra vegetable crunch to the whole burger affair.

With this special offering for October, Just Burger have truly created a “Prawn star” of a burger, that tastes as good as ever and is a tremendous surf and turf experience. It does pile high, as it has a premium topping that barely fits into your mouth in one go. Yes, this one is big, juicy and loaded with flavours, and you’ll need to unlock your jaws and unstoppably dive in! This burger is one of those agreeable friends, a sort of reliable buddy whose purpose is to make you happy and make you feel full! Is this the ultimate surf and turf burger? You will decide when you go have a bite at it!

Pizza at the Top

Last July we built our own creation, merging two food icons: the beloved burger and the ever-popular pizza. We also challenged Maltese burger chefs to come up with their own version of the mythical pizza burger. One Daniel Callus, of Pavilion fame, was ballsy enough to independently come up with a Pizzatop burger! Can it deliver the crustiness of the pizza and the beefiness of the burger? That’s just what we’re going to find out today!

We already have a history with the Pavilion Gastro Pub, a spacious restaurant built on the historic site of the naval and military prison at Corradino Hill. Chef Daniel, who has a capacious affinity with both burger and pizza making, has put his experience in merging both worlds in one piece de resistance. He minces Angus chuck himself to create a 200gr patty, which is grilled and seasoned with just rock salt. The beef is topped with cheddar, mushrooms and crispy Parma ham, and laid over a bed of crunchy rucola and 2 slices of tomatoes. The lower half of the bun is spread with a sauce, that is a well-kept secret of Daniel’s. That’s the burger part. The pizza is made from the top half of the same bun, which is made in-house at the Eat Me I’m Famous bakery, part of the same group of restaurants. This part of the bun is chopped in two and the very top layer is discarded. The rest is spread with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, slices of pepperoni and oregano, and baked in a traditional pizza oven.

The bun is fluffy and tasty and when oven-baked works well as an alternative to classic pizza dough. Not all buns are up to the task, especially when it comes to hefty burgers with a lot of meat inside. This one holds really well and does not crumble all over when the time to bite comes. It shows that it has been specifically built to handle the job the right way round. The slight spiciness of the pepperoni works amazingly well with the decadent mozzarella and tomato base. It has all the salt, piquancy and heat in good balance, with a little spike of acidity. This sinful pizza-bread has proved to be insanely cheesy, which provides a contrast to the lighter, more refreshing parma ham, inside the burger itself. Daniel should start doing these pizza-breads as starters, as they will definitely be a big-bang hit with a pint of beer!

The most important aspect when making a burger always boils down to the meat. A combination of having the right cut of beef, the right grind and the right fat ratio set you off to a triumphant start. Chuck is a primary beef cut which we always enjoy. The muscles at the top of the shoulder, where the chuck is found, are interspersed with small loops of fat, which give the patty a great steak-like texture. Chuck is a hard-working group of muscles, so blandness is rarely an issue. Fresh ground chuck creates a more tender patty because it’s never compacted tightly together. It also has the perfect ratio of meat to fat, which is around 80/20. Plus, the fat isn’t as fibrous as something like brisket. And the coarse grind of the meat can almost be felt whilst carving your way bit by bit, each bite bringing a beautiful combination of flavour, moisture and overall burger joyfulness. It’s well-marbled, has a distinctive char with nice accents, and almost drips wholesome goodness with every bite or squeeze. And most important of all, it fills the bun perfectly, making for a very aesthetically pleasing view, as you see the server approaching, with your burger impending nearer and nearer!

The secret sauce resides on the bottom of the bun so it can soak well into the bread, coat the meat, mix with the beef juices that drip down, and anchor the patty in place. This is a cunning strategy. The amount of sauce is very generous which is always welcome, especially since this one is tangy and has a certain zip to it that goes well with this burger. Even though we could pick up the nuances of the sauce in every bite, it’s not dominant but is balanced nicely with the beef. We could eat the pizza-bread with just the secret sauce and the rucola, tomato and mushrooms, and it would still rate as superb!

If you ever wondered what it is like to taste a burger and a pizza in the same bite, then this should be the next burger on your to-eat list! With the Pizzatop burger, Daniel Callus has proven himself to be at the very top of his game, and right now he’s one of the most innovative burger makers on the island. He puts the same level of focus in every burger component, whether its the beef, the earthiness of mushrooms, the sizzling crisp on the parma ham or the conversion of a bread bun into a mini pizza. And that kind of dedication and fine burger making skills always ends up with top marks in our books.

Big Burger grinding at The Mill

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…

Kennedy loved Chicken burgers!

V18 has kickstarted a topical chapter in the nightlife of the old Capital. With literally hundreds of restaurants populating every nook and corner of the straightest streets in Malta, we embarked on a mission to trace the most entertaining burger that Valletta has to offer. We were looking for glitz, exquisite taste, nonconformity and food inventiveness. So we ended up in the most indecorous part of Strait Street, known to Valletta’s residents from the golden age, as The Gut… or the old Red Light district to you and me! After 50 odd years of neglect, the area has been turned inside out, into glimmering diners and bar quarters. One of the first places to open its doors in October 2017 was The Kennedy. Probably named after JFK’s assassination in the sixties, this is a mix of gastropub and hipster hangout. The owners handcrafted the interiors with everything vintage, with a hint of shabby chic, from the solid wood bar to all sort of paraphernalia hanging on the walls. If you’re looking for whiskey, gin and tapas, this is the nightlife hub to be. If you’re looking for one of the most interesting chicken burgers we came across this summer, this is the place to be too!

Dione has been working in and out of kitchens for the past 12 years. He literally runs Kennedy’s whole kitchen operation on his two hands, and that’s the way he likes things. He’s also the brains behind the Sweet Home Avocado burger, a chicken burger with a strong Spanish flair. There are 2 thick pieces (200gr) of chicken breasts, coated in a mix of buttermilk and panko. Each one is covered with layers of guacamole sauce and cheddar cheese, with battered onion rings wedged in between. Everything is encased in a brioche bun, with cherry tomatoes and rucola at the base.

The chicken is fried a level of golden crisp on the outside, with a succulent and tender core. It has a wonderful crunchy coating with a splendid flavour, due to the crafty use of panko, which in itself is extremely light. The buttermilk also helps add a delicious layer of juiciness, making us extremely pleased with the tangy tenderization that it provides. No one likes dry burgers, and unfortunately, we’ve had not a few encounters with dry chicken breasts in the past weeks. Due to the high acid content, buttermilk will help cut into the chicken and impart any spices you add. This is part of the secret process that KFC used, but seem to have lost along the years, as their current chicken fillets are nowhere as good as this one.

Guacamole is a traditional sauce used in Mexican cuisine. If it was good for the Aztecs, then it’s definitely good on our chicken too! The avocado is savoury like a vegetable but botanically-wise it’s a fruit. When it’s ripe and you mash it into a paste and add lemon, cilantro, chiles and tomatoes, you get Guacamole. This sauce is perfectly smooth, refreshing and spicy and it’s a welcome replacement for mayonnaise. This bold peppery flavour on top of the chicken provides a satisfying palette with much zest, that makes this burger both interesting and fresh. There’s also a layer of sharp Cheddar cheese that adds a smooth and seasoned creamy kick. This burger is loaded with onion rings, and there’s a lot of them! They are not garnished on top of the bun, but crammed inside, in their own layer, between the chicken breasts. They are thick and sweet, with a good flavour on the crumb. The rucola and tomatoes used are from local fresh produce, and bring colour and vibe to the looks of the burger, with a little wet crunch taste. Truth is, there’s very little replacement for the tangy fresh juiciness of a tomato, or how the bright flavours interact with chicken.

You can either get fries, wedges or sweet potatoes as the main accompaniment to the burger. The sweet potatoes were surprisingly & stupendously crispy and seem like the best choice. You also get coleslaw and ketchup sauce in fancy containers that go well with the decor.

This is one fiesta of a chicken burger aimed for those who urge to experience flavours beyond what they’re already familiar with when it comes to burgers. It’s also a big & solid eat that will satisfy your craving for chicken for the whole day! And just like The Gut itself, if you like venturing far beyond the boundaries of beef burgers, then you will find the Sweet Home Avocado to be a surefire hit.

The Gold Standard of Cheeseburgers

For the first time in 5+ years of checking and testing burgers in Malta and all over Europe, we found one that scored 90+ points in our books. An old age myth says that the Gods of Olympus made men, and then waited for men to create the cheeseburger! The Gods can now come down from the clouds, as we have found a Gold Standard cheeseburger in Malta! That’s right, the first ever MALTAburgers GOLD STAR seal of approval is going to a Cheeseburger!

Never like in 2018, there has been such a peak in quality burgers and a spike in chef inventiveness. Every renown chef and kitchen aficionados are making burgers, even us at MALTAburgers are producing some world shuttering burgers in our kitchen that you can try at home. But coming up with a Gold Standard burger is no easy feat. The Gold is reserved for those burgers that are exceptional beyond belief. Those meat & bread creations that are handcrafted from scratch and display gastronomic techniques that are not usually associated with burger grilling. And now there’s a new standard when it comes to cheeseburgers, a burger of the same calibre as the offerings from Paris New York, Patty & Bun, The Hyde Bar and Burgermeister. And it’s all happening at the Gypsy Jazz. Wait! What and where is that?

The Manouche people originate from Northern India but made France their home. This is where the Manouche craft bakery in St. Julians got its name. Everyone knows them for their finesse in the classical preparation of pastries of all sorts. What you might not know is that a few weeks back, they launched a Bistro concept, with 1 burger on the menu. And today it’s Chef Jonathan‘s turn to cook the burgers for the day. He’s been working for 22 years in and out of kitchens, so he definitely knows his trade. We also spot Bjorn, one of the bistro owners, who spent considerable years running a French bistro in the UK.

The burger process starts with the bun, which is made in-house. Actually, every element of this burger is conceived in the bistro’s kitchen, which is quite sophisticated and chockfull of the latest catering machinery and commodities. The preparation is a lengthy process, with no shortcuts or ready-made frozen goods used. It’s the traditional way of making burgers, and the only way you can earn a Gold Star from us! The Manouche milk bun is organic, and is basically a lighter-style brioche, purposely created to hold up as much of the juices that emanate from the meat within its folds. The bun is sliced whilst cold, for a surgical-like clean cut. It is then covered with an egg wash and toasted on both sides. We peeked stealthily whilst Chef Jonathan spread the bun with butter. That’s just one of the secret touches that makes this burger a notch tastier. The soft, sponge-like milk bun is absorbent and malleable and keeps the burger in shape and our hands clean from the sauce. The inclusion of milk and butter in the fermentation process helps the milk bun to get its fascinating golden brown coloured crusty shell. It has a lightly sweet flavour that counteracts the saltiness of the burger and is also a lot less fatty than other bread. Making a burger bun is no easy feat, but just the texture of this crumb deserves all the praise. Manouche have opted to take matters in their own hands and make their own bun, and they have achieved a more than sterling outcome.

The 200gr patty is made from a mix of fresh chuck, brisket & sirloin. Manouche tried out some 15 different suppliers before settling for the ideal cuts of meat for this burger. The meat is slow cooked in Sous Vide at 55°C for one and a half hours, after which it is caramelised in a pan with raw garlic & thyme, which are also cultivated in the area. The protein is caramelised in the pan, whilst basting in butter, and is passed 2 times, using clarified butter and standard butter at the end. We know that Manouche is also using a small percentage of bread crumbs in the patty itself, to help retain more juices. This works phenomenally as the patty is unbelievably beefy and juicy until the last bite. No burger patty is perfect, but this one comes pretty close. There are two thin luscious layers of tomatoes resting under the patty. These do not only have the right diameter to cover the whole patty but are ripened to that just squeezable depth of tender red to provide acidity and a little extra sweetness.

The patty is topped with sliced onions, slowly cooked in butter and thyme. The final and most awaited element of the cheeseburger is the cheese itself. Manouche are using a combination of Gruyere and Comte, for a wide taste of sweet umami with a somewhat nutty profile. Gruyere comes from Switzerland and has a dense and compact texture. It’s slightly grainy but has a wonderful complexity of flavours. Comte, which is a typical French cheese, is often considered one of the finest cheeses in the world. Its texture can vary from silky, flabby to crystalline. By combining these two kinds of cheese from two neighbouring regions of Europe, you get a unique flavour and scent like no other cheeseburger. This alchemy of cheeses, which is very rich and melty, was indeed the highlight of this burger. Manouche have indeed managed to deliver a complete burger package like no other Maltese cheeseburger has ever dared before. It’s gold material reserved for the upper echelons of burger Heaven. Even if you don’t fancy burgers, and only plan to try one burger in 2018, this should be it… it’s an experience that will stay on your mind for days, and you’ll want to keep coming back again and again, no matter the cost!

Nothing is left unturned at Manouche, even the fries. These are made from local potatoes, hand-cut thin, and seasoned with salt. The fries are blanched at 160°C & left resting for no more than 48 hours. They are second fried in sunflower oil at 190°C and served hot. These are amongst the most delicious and crispy fries we tried out this year, and bring along much potato oomph right to your mouth. How they stay blonde and deliver this level of crunch is a well-kept secret. They are served with a roasted garlic aioli sauce and a true guilty pleasure… a smoked tomato chutney. With such distinctive sauces, who needs ketchup!

No visit at Manouche should go by, without the obligatory pastry or four! They concoct all the chocolate in their kitchen, and it shows. Our favourite is the milk chocolate truffle, but the berry port compote is the bomb. It’s made from an apple crumb pastry, with light cream and jam inside, and is topped with charred cream. They also do a salted caramel eclair with walnuts and cream inside, which is yet unrivalled. If you have a sweet tooth you will be drooling at everything that comes out of the kitchen. We know well, as we’ve been there!

Mushrooms & Peppercorns

Just Burger have churned quite a number of mushroom burger specials in the past. And September is no exception. Will this one be their best one yet?

Flexitarianism is the balance between the meat eater and the plant enjoyer. If you’re a burger person, it’s very likely that you could be a mushroom burger lover. Sauteed mushrooms and beef go hand in hand, and the practice of accenting meat with vegetables is well presented in this burger, which is filled with watercress, a mushroom duxelle and a 140gr Angus beef patty topped with mature red Leicester cheese and a peppercorn sauce.

Mushrooms tend to have an immense umami that blends very well with meat. A duxelle is a mixture of finely chopped mushrooms cooked to the consistency of a pate. Here it’s made from roasted Chanterelle mushrooms, which are sauteed with herbs and thyme. Chanterelles are the queen of wild mushrooms. They are packed with savoury and woodsy flavour and bring a somewhat velvety mouthfeel. Just Burger are always thoughtful with their mushroom burgers, as they always use different varieties of shrooms. Indeed these roasted mushrooms taste heavenly. On the cheesy side, the mature red Leicester on the patty is rich, savoury and nutty with a rugged texture. This tangy and crumbly cheese is a big-time favourite of ours and is very welcome here.

Sometimes a burger just isn’t complete without a creamy sauce! This peppercorn sauce made with onions, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, beef stock and lots of peppercorns tastes amazing. It is moderately hot, pungent and very aromatic and proved to be a perfect companion for the beef. The sauce also adds a level of saltiness to this burger. The watercress has a peppery flavour similar to arugula but with a crispier texture and a potent peppery spiciness, which goes hand in hand with the peppercorns. Its refreshing flavour makes it the perfect foil as it contrasts well with the earthy richness of the patty. If Just Burger wanted to aim for the most peppery burger of the year award, they would have succeeded very well here!

Once again, Just Burger have created a deliciously bold burger that all meat lovers will rave over. If the God of Peppercorns and the God of Mushrooms spent some magical time together, the result would be this burger! Can you even best this burger? You can always order a double patty option!

Pirates go Avocado

Are pirates taking over the local burger scene? The answer would decidedly be an affirmative one if we put all our gold loot on the Pirata restaurant in St. Julian’s. 6 Months ago they opened a chic bistro on the busiest road in St. Julian’s and this summer they have almost taken over Mellieha bay. We need to investigate what burgers these pirates are brewing.

The man behind the steakhouse in St. Julian’s is Chef Roderick Vella, who’s a renown name in the local catering industry, as over the past 20 years or so, he’s had a hand or two in most of the top 5★ hotel kitchens in Malta. That’s quite a feat, so we’re expecting nothing less than an imperative outcome. At Pirata, he came up with a cannonball of a burger, jam-packed with the fattiest fruit of them all… the Avocado!

Indeed, this is one of the most loaded burgers we’ve seen so far this year. The potato roll is spread with spicy tomato ketchup and laden with 250gr of USDA chuck roll beef. A portion of herbed cream cheese goes on top, together with avocado slices and grilled zucchini. All this goodness is crowned with a helping of Pirata’s inhouse-aged cured pork neck.

From the very first glance, this burger proposes itself with a strong visual element that few of its brothers can boast of. It’s colourful and striking at first sight, and that’s always a very good start in our books. But how do all these elements work together with the beef? We need to taste!

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) meticulously grades beef at the request of meat producers, so this quality of beef is generally found in exclusive and upscale steakhouses. Anyone who has savoured USDA beef knows that it is delightfully tender and has a magnificent buttery flavour which makes it very distinctive from other meats. It’s usually derived from younger cows, so it has a good percentage of fat content as well as not too many nerves or gristle like other meats. Chef Roderick is using chuck roll to create his burger patty, which yields tender results. The thick patty is slow-cooked for 20 minutes, and a few pokes and squishes confirm its level of juiciness. Indeed it’s succulent at any temperature, full of flavour and has a rewarding fine texture. Any burger aficionado will have a happy day biting into this elegant piece of minced meat.

Sauces and condiments can make or break a burger. Here, the overall gusto is taken up a notch by the addition of spicy ketchup under the patty, which is entirely concocted in the Pirata kitchen. It kicks up the classic and is put in with a precise measure, to just add some zing without overpowering the main beefiness of the burger. Just like a well-balanced scale, there is herbed cream cheese on the other side of the patty! We love this style of cream cheese on a Wellington, as it’s refreshing and very aromatic, and brings a slight savoury French tinge, so it has an excellent home here, sandwiching the beef and contrasting the spiciness of the ketchup.

You usually find tomato and lettuce in many burgers, but if you are in California, avocados are a commonplace burger topping. These ripe slices of avocado add a layer of rich creamy taste and a definitive green kick of colour. The mild, delicate flavour of this ripe fruit – which in this case is cooked and not used raw – also keeps up with the freshness theme of this burger. An additional veggie boost comes from the grilled zucchini. If you hated zucchini as a kid, then you must taste these grilled ones, as they might well urge you to start growing them in your back garden! Zucchinis by themselves are rather bland, but here they picked up the flavours of the grill and have a slight sweet smokiness to them. They are a definitive step up from the usual lettuce and work well in the grand scope of this burger creation.

Every gourmet burger worth its name has a piece de resistance, and here it comes in the form of cured pork neck. Capocollo is made from the top part of the pig’s loin. Pirata get whole pigs, and they age and dry the meat in-house for months. They do their own mortadella, sausage and capocollo. The meat is deboned, salted and even massaged with peppercorns, and left to age for months. This produces a cut full of flavour, which is quite different from bacon. It’s sliced very thin and is a sort of cross between prosciutto and sausage, as it’s lightly spiced. It’s not overwhelmingly fatty as bacon and slightly smoky, only teasing your taste buds to good measure.

The burger comes inside a potato bun sprinkled with onions and pumpkin seeds, which Pirata bake themselves. We love the attention to detail, so top marks for that. Made with high-protein wheat flour, potato starch and vegetable oils, this bun has a supple doughiness, a light crust and is ridiculously buttery. It’s moist, yet substantial in texture. Its yellowish crispy crumb sets it apart from the fluffy sesame seed buns we see most of the time, yet it provides a sturdier bed for the patty and the many condiments of this burger. We’re seeing a rising trend in the use of potato buns in burgers, which we like a lot.

You also get sliced potato crisps and french onions as sides, which were a delicious accompaniment. This burger might induce the perception of being a classic bacon cheeseburger at first sight, but it has been bettered with the veggie power of avocados and zucchini, which do indeed add to the overall texture and creaminess. The toppings are piled high and stacked up all the way up to the bun, which makes for one visual experience, and can be continuously savoured layer upon layer. Chef Roderick has done a sterling job and created a burger unique enough to tantalise those looking for something alternative from the norm. We look forward to seeing further iterations of this burger from Pirata in the future.

The Aubergine & Halloumi connection

We’re always enthralled and overexcited when we come across a veggie burger with a congenial concept… and the burger of this week is such a case in point. Today our radar picked up an extreme reading of veggie activity in St. Julian’s. So we’re heading off to the pythonic Pendergardens complex, where U&Co Social Cafe rests at the very pediments. What’s the concept of a social cafe? This stylish diner is designed is a way to bring people together and move them to interact more in person. In a time where communication and socialising have become totally cyber, here’s someone who’s pushing everyone to get back to the roots, and encourage to share our best moments, eating good food and savouring wine! We’re game for that!

Executive chef Mark Borg has 18 years of kitchen experience under his belt. He spent the last 8 years working on different iterations of his signature veggie burger… and the work does not stop here! At U&Co he also comes armed with a well-equipped kitchen, full of new food-making technology! So what’s all the fuss about? Here’s a veggie patty made from a mix of aubergines, pine nuts, onions, fennel, garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander as some of the key ingredients. The patty is topped with 2 slices of grilled halloumi cheese, and all is served in a wholemeal roll with baby spinach and sliced tomatoes. This looks wholeheartedly veggie and promises to taste equally good too.

Many veggie burgers are made with some sort of combination of beans, but here we have one based on the aubergine, one of the most glorious vegetables, although it’s technically a berry! The aubergine pulp tends to have a mild flavour similar to other fruits like squash, but it has its own uniqueness and is slightly more acidic than squash. Plus, the aubergine is a great candidate for grilling. When combined with the crunchy yet buttery texture of pine nuts, this produces a patty that is pleasantly sweet and delicious. These nuts are high in protein content and give beef a run for its money! Chef Mark seems to have hit the jackpot here and found the ideal blend of aubergines and nuts to grill a crunchy patty with a crispy shell, that is not dry and has a very meaty colour too. It has an overall towering thickness, tantalising taste, tremendous texture and most important of all does not crumble apart at first bite.

The patty is interspersed with spices. The chilli brings in some deep zest and the ginger is well measured without being overpowering. There’s an intricate mix of middle-East-meets-Mediterranean flavours here that work well with the aubergine base and when combined together are quite difficult to find a better match for. The aubergine soaks up all the flavours you pair it with, which makes it an ideal canvas for this burger. All is very sublime and scrumptious!

This year we’ve seen an ascension of halloumi burgers, one tastier than the others. Until recent years, halloumi was a niche cheese even amongst vegetarians, but nowadays it seems to have become a staple mainstream, even in beef burgers. This salty cheese from Cyprus, made from sheep or goat milk, has a high melting point, allowing it to be grilled without losing its form and cool. It seems that our love for Mediterranean food and our eagerness to try new cheese combinations in burgers are the main factors that have brought this expensive cheese in the limelight. It also has a very unique taste, which can’t be easily compared with any other cheeses. Its saltiness works pretty well with the aubergine patty, as they produce an irresistible combination.

All the veggies and cheese are contained in a wholemeal bun, drizzled with a very refreshing herb oil made from olive oil, basil, mint. There are two slices of steamed and grilled beetroot rings on top, which are a very particular alternative for onion rings. We love such attention to detail, as this shows that thought and diligence has gone into the making of this burger. These rings bring a further earthy taste and feel to this veggie burger and are the final touch that seals the deal. There’s also a side of sweet potato chips alongside the burger. These tasty and crunchy orange sticks didn’t stay long on the plate, and they were all gone, long before the burger!

U&Co have produced a veggie burger that will leave even the most veggie-phobic of omnivores coming back for a second and third round at this different take on the classic cheeseburger. They are also launching a vegan menu with vegan wine. 2018 is proving to be a very good year to be a vegetarian in Malta!