Patriot Burger – Froga [Part 3]

Froga tat-Tarja is one of the most iconic Maltese dishes. It’s an omelette traditionally made with vermicelli, but there’s a myriad of different versions using all styles of pasta. And guess what, someone has ingeniously turned the pasta omelette into a burger meal! Can you get more Maltese than that? #MALTAburgers is ready to investigate into this very Maltese burger-matter.

Christian Cutajar is a very hardworking young man, and the brains and brawns behind Temptations in Gzira. Originally opened as a confectionery of all sorts, Christian renovated the premises 1 year ago and rebuilt it around a more creative food concept. Yes, he actually built the kitchen, wooden tables and shelves with his own hands! Patrons can customise almost anything on the varied menu to their liking, order takeaway or dine in, or buy drinks at retail prices from the confectionery section! These are the kind of kickass concepts we would love to see more over here. Christian is backed up by a long family history in the catering business (his grandfather was a renown pastry chef) and many years working for a multinational burger franchise. So he knows a thing or two about burger making!

Around 2012, the idea of sandwiching a beef patty between two fried ramen buns started to gain worldwide popularity. But Christian says he was not inspired by this phenomenon. His killer Froga tat-Tarja is a fast seller at his shop, so one day he thought of upping the notch and started to pile extra ingredients until it took the form of a burger! We’ve tasted a few feeble attempts at ramen burgers in the past, but this version from Christian is mammoth in size, just like a fitting Maltese burger should be!

The froga omelette is made from 125gr of quality Italian spaghetti, chopped collar bacon, Grana cheese, sauteed mushrooms, eggs and mixed herbs. And there are 2 of these spaghetti buns! The spaghetti is fried until it’s super crispy and crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. The crust helps hold the spaghetti bun together and has a commendable texture to it. You can clearly see the individual spaghetties that were used to make this makeshift bun. The bacon is a very wise addition as it provides a tasty layer of smokiness. The 200gr beef patty is made from knuckle meat, mixed with eggs, onion, garlic & mixed herbs. A slice of cheddar cheese goes on top, together with a big portion of chunky red sauce made from kunserva (tomato concentrate), fresh tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. For the connoisseurs, this sauce looks and tastes totally Maltese and it’s actually one of the flavour highlights of the whole burger. The Froga creation is tied up with rucola, sprinkled with grated cheese and seasoned with olive oil, so there’s a fun blend of textures and flavours here. This is one big mega burger that is best consumed with utensils, as it gets totally messy once the structural integrity of the spaghetti bun is gone. Yet, we know that there will be those competitive bearded musclemen that will try to tackle this one bare handed! If that’s the case, you better come prepared with an appetite of a dinosaur! This burger is XXL! This is also due to the fact that the Froga buns are way oversized, especially when compared to the beef patty. Maybe Christian could create a mini Froga version, 1/3 of the size, for mere mortals!

There’s a very lengthy preparation process to build this burger from scratch, so it’s no wonder it’s a limited edition menu item, the kind that is preferably preordered. This is definitely one of those burgers made with higher quality ingredients, yet it doesn’t break the bank, and stands out on its own merit, thanks to a bucketload of Maltese simplicity. So far, this looks to be the King of all Maltese-themed burgers for 2018. Christian breaks no sweat, and says that his burger creation is very at heart, so he’s ready to take on anyone who’s aiming at eating it all! But wait… there’s more! As if all this dosage of Froga was not enough for today, Christian has another variant of the Froga Burger, made with chicken! Our minds are blown and blasted!

Something Fishy in St. George’s bay

There’s something Fishy going on in St. George’s bay… and luckily, it’s a burger thing! Today we’re off to La Plage in St. Julians, a bold concept merging Cafe Bar, Restaurant and Lounge into one, where patrons can meet, dine and drink their heart away to the beautiful scenery of the summer sun and the sandy beach.

Simone Sciberras is owner and organiser supreme. She has a very colourful past in managing bars with a flair for entertainment, and together with her brother Alex, have been helming this family business for the past 8 years. A true powerhouse of a Queen, Simone knows more than a thing or two how to turn a Paceville restaurant into party land when the needs arise. Indeed, La Plage also hosts a number of unique events throughout the year, and recently they are even doubling up and setting very exclusive Wedding receptions for those who dare to go the one-of-a-kind way. During winter time, they even provide patrons who prefer to sit on the outside, with warm blankets! We’ve rarely seen such level of attentiveness on the local restaurant scene, and such forward thinking is always very appreciated and commendable.

Simone and Alex come from a family with a long history of fishermen, who also give a helping hand to the business and literally bring the fish straight from the sea, onto their boat, right into the restaurant! But where does all this fit with Burgers? Such enthusiasm also filtrates into the kitchen, and that’s where the burgers are born! Nikola, who started his culinary career years ago right in this kitchen, is getting ready to select a mix of seafood elements and turn them into a peculiar fish patty. The 200gr patty is made from a selection of shrimps, crab, octopus, squid and mussels, together with onions, garlic, basil and mint. A crustaceous bisque sauce is also added to the mix, which is lightly fried until it’s golden and crispy. This produces a patty which is sea-saltily delicious with an abundance of texture, and very much different from other fish-themed burgers, based around one fish protein. Fish and seafood tend to be more delicate than beef, with weak connective tissue, so sometimes patties don’t hold together that well. This is not the case here as the patties look very reminiscent of golden cakes, screaming EAT ME NOW!

The tender toasted bun is covered with a creamy tartar spread, made in-house, and then layered with red lettuce and sliced tomatoes. Even though there’s a civilized amount of tartar sauce, which goes a long way, you can ask for more as a side, and add as you please. The burger is topped with a King Prawn and served with our all-time favourite burger side, the sweet potato fries! You can also opt for the classic french fries. The construction and plating of this burger looks as good as it tastes. This is one of those unassuming burgers, that is full of superlative flavours because it’s done from the heart. Each bite mixes softness and tenderness with plenty of marine juice, alternating with crispy, crunchy bits for contrast.

If like us, you’ve been eating beef burgers all winter long, a burger like this is the perfect summer treat. More burger joints should aim higher and stand up to the challenge of offering more seasonal burgers. Burger history shows us that the first Fish burger was created by McD way back in 1962, to cater to Catholics abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent. However, we feel that the Fish burger trend has yet to rev up big time in Malta. Luckily for us, there’s always La Plage to turn the catch of the day into a loving burger form!

Halloumi Heaven in Mriehel

What do you do if you have a tenner and you worship both Halloumi & Burgers? You head straight on to Mriehel, with only 1 pitstop: Levantina Bistro.

Halloumi cheese has made its way up the list of the most popular food trends, and with good reason! Halloumi is a delicious and uniquely grillable cheese like no other. But there’s a catch, this cheese comes with a hefty price tag attached. And that’s enough good reason for us to go to Mriehel and investigate further.

Mriehel is mostly known for its many snack bars that offer countless versions of the venerable Maltese bread filled with sausage and eggs. Levantina brings a breath of fresh air in the area, as the main concept is to offer Middle Eastern inspired food, with a bistro and bakehouse flair. Yes, they do eat burgers in Cairo and Istanbul, so we’re game! The bistro opened its doors in August 2017 and has been a steady beacon for avantgarde foodies, who come from the surrounding office areas, and beyond. Silvana Callus Mizzi is the driving force behind it all. 7 years ago she quit her career in financial services and shortly moved to Surrey where her hopes and dreams took an unpredictable twist and drove her to opt for a cooking course at Tante Marie School, that happens to be partly owned by none other than burger-lad Chef Ramsay! There she delved into classic French cuisine and acquired the highly regarded Cordon Bleu Diploma. Back in Malta, she pulled the guts out of an old factory and turned it into the exquisitely decorated place that we can behold today. There are shelves full of china, teapots and saucers, many books and even the toilets have a very chic flair. It’s not only an impeccable place for casual meetings & wining, but also a lovely & serene environment where one could hang out and spend his leisure time. Yes, we loved it that much!

The kitchen area is one of the largest and most equipped we’ve seen in the local restaurant scene. Here we find Chef Joseph, who helms the cookhouse and is getting ready to prepare the burger of the day. The patty is made from 200gr of chuck beef and is topped with 2 thick slices of grilled halloumi. There is a load of caramelized onions on top. All is housed in a black sesame seed brioche bun, which is spread with smoked mayo, produced in-house. There’s also a bed of lettuce and 2 beefy slices of tomato.

This burger is on the large size, and fortunately, it’s not one of those offerings from NYB or Hugo that seem to be made for XS appetite. The patty is ground daily from choice beef, is authentically juicy and has a wonderful char. And most important of all, it does taste beefy and well-seasoned, with no unnecessary intrusion from the other condiments. The bread is sourced locally, but Levantina add their own touch with a handful of black sesame seed, that bring an extra level of crunch. The grilled brioche bun has a nice crust and is a perfect fit with the meat, with the right amount of bread to meat ratio. There’s enough mayo sauce to inject the perfect volume of smokiness without turning the bun soggy and commit the ultimate sin of breaking the bread. This restraint shows that some good thought has gone behind the design of this burger. The caramelized onions are delicious and very well executed, in as much as they could stand as a side dish on their own!

Even though we consider the meat as the big Hero of any burger, the Halloumi proves to be no less. This cheese is prepared from a mix of sheep and goat milk and is often considered as the most traditional dish in Cyprus. It’s a soft curd-like cheese, free of rennet and thus safe for vegetarians who do not consume rennet. The outside turns perfectly crispy and golden when grilled, and the inside retains some structural integrity but gets just gooey enough. The cheese is tangy and salty, not dissimilar in taste to some versions of feta, but with quite a different consistency. There are two thick slabs of Halloumi, and considering the current market price of quality Halloumi, paired with the meat used here, it takes a true financial wizard to be able to keep the price of this burger for under a tenner. The French fries are also worth a notable mention. They are hot, crispy and crunchy and full of potato flavour. We could eat these all day long, as they are very lightly fried, with no greasy aftertaste.

Levantina has hit all the right buttons with this burger. Overall there’s a perfect symphony of meat, cheese and bread within the first two bites. This burger creation has that much sought-after taste and smell of burger perfection and stands high amongst the most noteworthy burgers we’ve tried out this year. Whether you like Halloumi or not (who doesn’t?!) this burger should be on your next to-eat list!

That Hot Burger Affair in June

Bianco’s has been serving pizzas and burgers in St. Julian’s for the past 11 years. This family business is run by 2 cousins who are very passionate about their food and have poured themselves into it from day one. If you’re an avid party goer, you might have already tasted Bianco’s food at ClubGrub at Numero Uno. When we heard that they do a Chilli Cheeseburger, we immediately headed to St. Julian’s to see what’s popping.

Head Chef Antoine comes from a family with a vast culinary background. He’s very at ease at Bianco’s, who operate on an open kitchen basis. Is it true that chefs make tastier food when they see their customers enjoying the food? We will soon find out!

The patty is made from 220gr of beef which is infused with Cajun spices. The beef is imported, and the patty mix is ground from 2 different cuts of meat, to yield a good lean/fat ratio. This produces a very chunky and thick patty, which is always a joy to behold and bite into! The beef is grilled to the desired temperate and finished in the oven. There’s a wholesome lot of beef flavour present here, and all is seasoned very nicely, bursting with saltiness and charred gusto from start to finish. The patty is served on a twiggy nest of lettuce and topped with caramelised onions. These onions add a sweetness and tenderness to counterbalance the chilliness of the burger and enhance the taste of the beef. There’s a whole load of sliced green jalapenos, which are held together with melted mature cheddar cheese. Jalapenos are the most popular hot peppers around. The green jalapeno is picked early in the ripening process, before turning red, and it has a fresh, crispier taste. Capsaicin, the chemical that gives chillies their heat, is concentrated around the seeds, and that’s why some like to “cheat” and remove these! But who’s nitpicking, we are here to experience a chilli burger, so it’s best to consume it as is!

The burger is finished off with a big slice of red tomato on the very top, like a red flag signalling a heatwave warning! This is the kind of tomato that provides a tangy & acidic bite with a touch of sweetness, creating a classic rich flavour. Many are accustomed to eating burgers with lettuce and tomatoes on the bed of the bun. And so the controversy arises! Should the tomato go on the top or at the bottom? Tomatoes are slippery and the cheesy texture usually helps to hold it in place. It’s basic food architecture! The juices from the tomato also tend to drip onto the beef and create an even juicier punch.

The burger is encased in a brioche bun, which is perfectly toasted so it holds all the condiments in the bread and not on your shirt! The bun is still squishy and melts in your mouth, without falling apart, especially when eaten the proper way any burger should be eaten: with 2 hands!

The overall chilliness of the burger ensemble is rated at a very medium level, so it can be consumed by all, even those with the most sensible of taste buds. The chef has made a very astute decision in providing a very hot chilli paste as a side. This is made in-house and can be added to the burger, at your own leisure. Superhumans will definitely throw it all in, but the rest might just add a thin spread or two. There’s another side, a coleslaw salad, which has the function of refreshing your tongue if you happen to bite more spice than you can chew!

The burger’s best friend, the fries, are present in the form of sliced sauteed potatoes, with the option of sweet potatoes, which we always go for when it’s available.

Bianco’s have created a very creative burger full of hot personality, that’s a joy to experience, even on a hot June day. It looks the part, tastes totally chilli-full and smells divine. It ticks all the boxes we were looking for in a Chilli burger and proved to be a very hot love letter for any burger eater. If you’ve been contemplating to move over from the classic cheeseburger you’ve been ordering all your life, this chilli burger is the one you should try on your next burger adventure!

Spicy Summer Strife

7 June was a hot day. In Sliema, things were a 100° hotter as the Spiciest Burger eating challenge of the year was taking place. And guess what, Just Burger is in the news once again!

We’ve recently witnessed a number of spicy Burgers popping on menus all over the island. KFC have 3 Zingers with varied levels of spiciness, Hard Rock Cafe have the Atomic with a concoction of spicy condiments and Hugo have the 911 Burger with salami. But all pale in comparison to what Just Burger have craftily created for this challenge! Apart from the beef patty, which is a supersized 200gr version of the renown Just Burger patty, the burger is an unstable spice bomb. The beef is topped with slices of Mexican Edam Cheese, infused with red hot peppers. Two large habanero poppers stuffed with chilli cream cheese go on top. The bun was spread on both sides with a load of Tabasco, habanero mayo sauce and a jam made from jalapenos, onions, peppers, chilli, vinegar and Harissa (a hot chilli pepper paste). You think that’s more than enough spice in one meal? Wrong! Even the fries got the hot treatment as they were sprinkled with garlic powder, cajun spices and Tabasco. The fumes emanating from the freshly fried fries caused burning and watering to our eyes!

How do you prepare yourself for such an scorching eating challenge? Some told us that it’s best to consume a banana beforehand, whilst others insisted that it’s best to tackle the challenge on an empty stomach and eat the spice as fast as possible to give as little time to your taste buds to succumb to the heat.

The rules were simple: you have 15 minutes to eat all the burger and fries, and an additional 10 minutes of waiting time before consuming any beverage. This was more than enough to scare the bejesus out of most burger eaters! Yet 6 competitors, coming from different corners of the world, had the balls to rise up to the challenge! Alexander from Sweden ate the whole burger and fries in 3 minutes, without breaking a sweat. He’s been training hard, and until the day before, he was eating ghost pepper poppers! Maltese muscle man Ralph was the runner-up, taking 5 minutes to consume the burger. Jeremy from Canada came third with a respectable 6 minutes. Four of the competitors are the whole burger, whilst 2 ate a modest 90% of it before the time was up.

This was a one-of-a-kind specialty burger that was built exclusively for this challenge. It was made to be ultra spicy so that the common man in the street would run away upon face to face confrontation! Yet it was possible to consume it without dying on the spot! If you missed the challenge you missed your chance to prove your worth as a burger eater! Until the next burger challenge…

It’s Ravioli time!

Just Burger have been dominating the Sliema burger scene for like forever. They have been coming out with different monthly and weekly speciality burgers, which always end up being best sellers. There is no doubt that they are the new king of the local express burger scene. To continue their winning streak, they have now come up with a raviolo burger! We truly didn’t see that one coming!

This burger creation starts off with a base made from Maltese pork sausage stew with onions, garlic and sundried tomatoes, reduced in jam form. This mix results in a perfect counterpart for the creaminess of the raviolo. The jam is both sweet and savoury and a great substitute for the standard slice of tomato we usually get in burgers. There’s also a good amount of Maltese sausage present, bringing in that salty and spicy tinge every Maltese loves.

At the epicentre, there is the renown Just Burger patty made from 140gr of Angus Beef. Just Burger get their own fresh cuts of Angus beef and mince and create the patty in their own kitchen. It’s also a fairly lean blend of beef, and even though it has a low-fat content it’s tasty and juicy and does not feel dry, even when it’s cooked at higher temperatures. The patty is very present in this burger and is never overshadowed by the surrounding condiments. It brings an instant hit of beef that screams of quality as it has that intense and stomach-pleasing flavour. Every burger joint is claiming 100% beef these days, but this one tastes 1001 times better than most of the other offerings in the same price range. And with a beef concoction like that, you have a winning formula for every burger you do.

The differential factor that makes this burger unique is the goat cheese raviolo at the top. It’s fried rather than water boiled, the traditional way. This produces a rather crunchy and crispy raviolo, filled with a tarty goat cheese, full of earthy flavour. These ravioli are handmade locally by a food artisan, using seasonal ingredients. The ravioli are a food staple in Italian traditional cuisine, but also in the Maltese one, and are very present in many gourmet menus. Making ravioli requires a particular skill set and it’s always a pleasure to taste a good one! We’ve never seen ravioli used in burgers, so most probably we have a World first here!

The burger is finished off with a sauce made from peppered goat cheese. This very Gozitan-belonging sauce has a sharper & spicier flavour than the goat cheese filling of the raviolo, most probably because of the peppered cresting. We have to say that this was a much better option than mayo.

Even though the combination of raw ingredients might sound a little bit bizarre on paper, this burger works in a great way. Every ingredient is layered beautifully on top of each other, and even though that does not affect the taste itself, it creates a very appealing visual synergy that sets you off to a stately start. All the goat cheese might make this burger look somewhat delicate but it explodes in your mouth like a grenade of burger tastiness, the moment you take the first few bites! Even if you are not Italian or Maltese, and don’t go wild for sausage or ravioli, all the flavours work so well together that it’s one of those very rare burger moments when you can simply close your eyes and nibble on your burger until it’s totally consumed! Every element can be tasted individually, and for some, it might also be one of the first times you enjoy goat cheese. If you’ve been living underground your whole life and only feeding on Big Macs, you ought it to yourself to try this burger!

Rock, Salt & Raclette

Rocksalt is a one of a kind eating place. When it first appeared in the busy shopping district of Sliema, towards the end of 2014, it immediately garnered an almost affectionate following amongst the Sliema crowd. Owner Steve De Domenico has worked his ass off to build what he calls the Rocksalt Experience. He believes that food preparation is an art form that needs to be delivered with great passion. He saw a gap in the market for the creation of a food brand for dedicated foodies and wine lovers. In August 2017, the concept moved over to Balluta hill, in what used to be a coffee shop, adjacent to the Inhawi hostel, and now boasted a terrace with views of the valley and sea. This combination of brasserie & gastro bar attracted an even grander crowd of sorts, from foodie connoisseurs to gourmet diners.

So what are we doing in a fine dining restaurant with a 5 and 7 course tasting menu? Rocksalt happens to open for lunchtime during the weekend, and they saw it fit to offer burgers! Despite being geographically located in St. Julian’s, we head to this quiet & secluded spot of town, surrounded by trees and an air of peace.

The burger in question is made from an imposing 250gr beef patty, made from imported sirloin and ribeye. We know that Chuck is a very classic choice for burger meat. Sirloin has great flavour but is rarely used, as it is a more expensive cut. The fattier cut of ribeye has a beautiful marbling texture that has a well-defined purpose in the patty concoction. The kitchen team spare no expense and their aim is to make a burger like no other. We expect Herculean outcomes from a head chef from Norway, that goes by the name of Tor! Remi from France and Matthias from Germany are also part of the very international kitchen team, and together they work like Swiss clockwork, handling burgers with one hand and gourmet rabbit on the other. The patty is a very thick affair, and most probably the thickest we’ve seen in the last year or so. It is pan-fried, topped with other goodies and then finished in the oven. The result is a thing of beauty, and something every burger lover looking for a real treat should experience at least once. Ground Sirloin is indeed very lean and tends to produce dry patties, but this is not the case here. This patty is very dense but somehow manages to be superbly juicy. It seems that Tor has worked his magic here, with seemingly no moisture lost during the grinding process.

A good portion of crispy pancetta goes on top. This Italian-style and robustly-flavoured meat is prepared from pork belly and cured in salt, a process which concentrates the flavours. Its fat lends a marvellous strong taste to the patty. All is covered in a sea of Mornay sauce and finished in the oven. This sauce is basically a bechamel with shredded cheese added, but it adds a sort of interesting depth that enhances the beefy taste tenfold.

The bun is sourced locally and serves the purpose of housing all the meat goodness well. There are truffle mayo and ketchup at the base, covered with layers of red leaf lettuce. This lettuce variety has a mild watery flavour and soft buttery leaves slightly tinged with red. A delicious onion relish marinated in oregano & marjoram goes on top, and luckily there’s a gracious amount of it, overflowing from all sides of the burger.

The very peak of the burger creation is finished with many thinly sliced pickles, which are prepared in-house, and held together with melted raclette, made from a semi-hard artisan cheese originating from France. The chef did not go overboard with the raclette, like other burgers we’ve seen in the past. A spoonful is not enough, but a bucketload is definitely out of place! Some might argue that a burger with all this amount of cheeses is indeed a cheeseburger. Thing is, when it’s this good, no one is going to dispute the name!

So how does this massive burger hold together in the two-handed eating test? Truth is, burgers can get messy and this one ticks all the checkmarks to be a good candidate, with all the cheese, veggie condiments and meat. Surprisingly enough it holds together quite well and is very possible to consume it with 2 hands without too much spill. Holding it gently and not squeezing too tight helps too. For the faint-hearted, you can also do it the fine-dining way, and use the supplied utensils!

The fries are served with a truffle mayo & mustard seed cream. These fries are not of the thin variety and remind us of the hand-cut potatoes of times gone by like the genuine Maltese fries grandmas used to do. They are seasoned perfectly and are served hot and well crisped.

Rocksalt have come up with a successful burger with well-rounded condiments that will be enjoyed by any burger adventurer or beef seeker. The well-seasoned beef mix, combined with the well-selected cheeses, is more than enough to make this a very memorable burger. It goes to show that even posh & fine-dining restaurants can propose a burger on the menu, but most importantly do it on a 5★ level. Rocksalt went a step further and even have a Savage version of this burger, with 2 times the beef and onion rings, and a whole lot more. But that’s another story, for another day…

Hola it’s Paella time!

How hard is it to find a crispy chicken burger that’s tasty & tender, and not dry? Apparently, it is!
During our recent research for the Ultimate Chicken Burger, we ended up disappointed more times than happy and had to drive to KFC for some poultry consolation.
But what if KFC is having a bad day and lets you down with oily and crumbly chicken?

That’s where one of you came in and saved the day! Brian told us that there’s an unequalled chicken burger in his hometown, that’s just waiting to be discovered by us. So one sunny afternoon we went off to Bugibba square, where we found a bunch of lively people who welcomed us into Bistroteca. This restaurant is not new news to us. It originally opened in 2015 but was relaunched in December 2017 as a bistro concept. One of the key people behind this reinvention is Chef John Busuttil. John has been working incessantly in kitchens for 13 years, and even worked for a year as a private chef on a luxury yacht, berthing in 25 different ports! Once that adventure was over, we’ve spotted him here and there, driving the kitchen of a number of burger places, building peculiar and colourful burgers like no other. And that’s just what he did at Bistroteca. In the very enticing burger menu, we spot our Paella burger, a poultry creation inspired by classic Spanish cuisine.

Let’s delve into a quick historical observation. The original Paella Valenciana from the early 1800s consists of saffron-infused rice, cooked with rabbit, chicken, snails and different types of beans. The dish solely exists because of rice, as rice has existed in Valencia since forever. The 20th century, with the rise of popularity of Picasso & Dali, saw a burgeoning interest in all things Espanol. In 1950, Elizabeth David, a cookbook writer published his “Book of Mediterranean Food”, which included a recipe for Paella made from the untraditional combination of shrimp and chicken. Before long, gourmands all over England, Europe and America were serving all kinds of variants of the dish. The Paella of the 2000s evolved and transmuted shape, and today many Spanish restaurants serve a long list of paellas, including ones stocked with seafood and a variety of meats.

This burger has 3 main elements inspired by the Spanish Paella: chorizo, chicken and prawn. At the very base, there is a layer of red chard and 3 slices of chorizo. Red chard leaves are tender and have a taste similar to beet greens and spinach. The leaves are earthy, whilst the red crunchy stems are slightly sweet and have a similar taste and texture to bok choy stems. Every country has its own variety of sausage that people are proud of, and the Spanish have the Chorizo, which is a spicy dried and cured meat sausage. It’s somewhat similar to salami, though it has a very dense and almost chewy texture and adds a lot of richness and smokey flavour.

At the heart of this burger, there’s the premier element we’ve been looking for the whole time, the breaded chicken. This boneless thigh is tenderized with a mallet, rubbed in paprika and breaded in a mix of buttermilk, eggs, flour and panko breadcrumbs. Chicken thighs are more tender and juicier than other cuts, so it was a very good move to use thighs instead of something drier-by-nature like a breast. A good chef can really maximise the flavour from the tenderness of the chicken thighs itself, and this can be attested and tasted perfectly here. The chicken is the main attention grabber in this burger, and it’s succulent, and handcrafted with the right amount of crispy batter. From a texture perspective, it’s a massive step up from the king of express chicken burgers… KFC looks like a spongey breaded chicken in comparison! The chef was very open-handed with the portions too, as we get a whole thigh chopped in half! It also has a good diameter and thickness to it, and makes the whole burger two storey tall!

What’s a burger without sauce? This element has not been neglected as there’s a generous amount of prawn-based bisque sauce. Bisque is a smooth and creamy soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth of crustaceans. Chef John uses carrots, leeks, onions, thyme, garlic, paprika and obviously prawns. Making a bisque is a very inventive method of extracting flavour from the prawns. It’s a time-consuming labour of love, but the result is a flawlessly creamy sauce with a thick consistency and delicious sea-flavour. This tangy sauce has a certain zip to it that works well with chicken.

No Paella burger worth its name would be such without a king prawn vigilant at the top, and this one is fried in tempura. Tempura is a popular Japanese dish of deep-fried seafood that is coated in a very light and airy batter, yielding a very consistent fry. In Japan, you’ll often find speciality restaurants that only serve tempura. Here the Tempura is made from egg white and fried at a very specific temperature so it gratifies the best result.

No burger is complete without the compulsory sister side dish, the fries. Problem is, what fries could live up to such a major-league burger? So we did not get your standard burger house fries, but sweet potato crisps! We’re big-time suckers for sweet potatoes, but these fabulous hand-sliced crisps are even grander than our all-time favourite Badass sweet & salty potatoes that started it all. We rarely tasted sweet potato chips so crispy, light and flavorful! Three bites in and we were hooked. We haven’t been this happy since Christmas time, and dare we say, we are ready to cross from one side of the island to Bugibba, just to savour these crisps again. There must surely be some sort of magic trick involved on how Chef John crisps these up equally on both sides, as the result is amazing. Our Top 5 Fries charts are trembling big time!

This Spanish-themed burger is hearty and every mouthful creates a deliciously tasty sensation. The meat to bun ratio is exceptional, as there’s much more chicken than bread, and that’s the way it should be. The bun is malleable and it almost fuses with the chicken, just like a moist, soft wrapper that’s subtle enough to let you appreciate the crispy texture of the thigh. As far as Spanish burgers go, it’s unchallenged and lonely at the very top of our burger charts. As a chicken burger, it’s racing triumphantly towards the top, and it seems that for the time being there’s very little in its way.

Pork Trio

Many consider beef as the undisputed king in burger land. And why shouldn’t it be like that? After all, nothing beats a 100% beef burger. Except for the odd pork burger, when done right.

Truth is, we’ve searched far and wide for an incomparable burger made of pork. Throughout the years, we’ve come across enticing offerings from Shoreditch topped with pulled pork, tempting and delicious pork bellies from Fat Louie and even a Maltese ftira from The Pulled Meat Company, yet we still languished for that elusive porky burger of a regal level. Just when we were going to throw the towel and drive to Marsaskala for a fish burger, a beacon of hope glowed at the aptly-named Ras Hanzir, in Paola, in the whereabouts of the Pavilion Gastro Pub. Here we found a Pork Trio burger as part of their current lineup of specials, with not one, not two, but three layers of holy pork! We’re almost dumbfounded!

But why pork? Burger makers have been doctoring up beef patties from the outside for ages, pimping them up with thick bacon, unthinkable and exotic toppings and even injecting the insides with pockets of cheese. So why not turn the whole game upside down, and do something entirely different than beef? That’s just what Chef Daniel Callus thought of doing. Daniel is one of the veteran burger makers in Malta. He’s been working for 13 years in the local catering scene and helped set up many popular burger establishments. His ideas and touch can be spotted in many of the burgers you like eating.

The Pavilion Gastro Pub was renovated last August. It’s located on the historic grounds of the naval and military prison at Corradino Hill. The site also houses an indoor gymnasium and an underground flour mill, which was approved as a Grade 1 National Monument some years back. With such a historic setting, we’re more than aflamed to bite our way through the Pork Trio. The main patty is made from 120gr of breaded pork cheeks. Cheek meat is uniquely lean and tender. While most meat cuts can often be lean but dry or tender but fatty, these cheeks are both! Chefs at fine dining restaurants all across Europe have been steadily introducing this ingredient on their menus, and within the course of five years, pig cheeks have gone from an exotic food crave, to one that is sought after by most common folks! That could also be because the cheeks take the better qualities of the tastier cuts like shoulder, but have much flavourful marbling between the pink strands of meat. But not all is bright and rosy, as cooking cheeks requires a lot of love and thoughtfulness. Something as lean as cheek can grow tough if prepared incorrectly. That’s why Daniel cooks it slow and low, in a stew with spring onions and carrots. Once done, the cheeks are pulled and formed into a patty, breaded and deep fried lightly.

The second level of porky punch comes in the form of a 120gr chunk of pulled pork, slow cooked in jager sauce, to allow the protein to break down properly. Pork shoulder is the ideal cut for pulling purposes, as it has a favourable well-marbled content that prevents the pork from drying out while cooking and tends to create tender, melty meat. As the pork cooks, the fat melts and self-bastes during the process. The long hours invested will reward the chef and our stomach with tender, juicy shreds of piggy goodness. The zesty jager sauce is a well-kept secret of Daniel’s, but its consistency is similar to a thick bbq-like sauce, with elements of Jagermeister, cola, Worcestershire and ketchup… or something on those lines. This sauce is a bomb and provides the burger with a unique flavour, but at the same time, it does not overrule the meat. Having 1 sauce that dominates the whole taste would be a grave mistake, but luckily this is not the case here.

The third meat level surfaces as one of the most traditional and comfort use of pork… the bacon! Daniel promises crispy streaky bacon, 3 long slabs to be more precise, so we await impatiently. Every burger with bacon worth its name is judged by the level of crispiness of its bacon. Any wannabe can do soft, squishy bacon, the kind we despise more than dry meat. We know that even top chefs had to learn the basics of cooking when they first started out, but when it comes to bacon and the local burger scene, many tend to get stuck at novice level, and never step up their game to become a confident cook. Where is that dehydrated, crunchy, crusted thin slice of bacon we love? That bacon from the traditional English breakfasts of years gone by, where preparation was key, as excess fat had to be drained from the pan, and rested on a paper bag to avoid the extra-grease effect. We tend to ponder on that many times when we are regaled with a bacon burger. But not today! This bacon is firm and crispy, and you can feel the crunch effect between your teeth. The bacon is nailed dead on and has an enjoyable, porky smokiness, whilst the salty flavour intensifies the pork experience threefold. And thanks God, there’s a whole lot of it!

Just in case you thought that this burger is pork, pork, pork, there’s also a double dose of Leicester cheese! This English cheese is very similar to cheddar, although it is mild in flavour. The cheese stays melty right until the end of the burger but has the double function of enveloping and binding the pulled pork layer, both from the top and bottom. There’s nothing worse than biting on a burger and finding out that half of the pulled pork has painted a new design on your shirt. The bun is made in-house at the Eat Me I’m Famous bakery which is part of the same group of restaurants. It’s fluffy and tasty and looks very distinctive with its black seeds on top. 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 do the job the right way round. There’s also rucola for texture, a big slice of tomato, and more jager sauce at the base.

The Pork Trio burger excels on all counts, and despite all the pork inside, it’s very easy to bite into. Each layer of pork would make a good burger element on its own, but the 3 different textures put in one burger show an engrossing level of culinary thinking and execution, with a fruitful design and form, which unfortunately is something we don’t see every day. It’s akin the Lamborghini of Pork burgers as far as the local scene goes, and indeed we had no problem eating it all! We devoured it just like the big bad wolf always wanted to do with the 3 little piglets! We’re glad that Chef Daniel did not follow the current trend of just putting a chunk of pulled pork on a beef burger and stop there. We hope that Daniel places this one on the menu more often. If that’s the case, be sure we will be sneaking around Ras Hanzir again.

Just Double on the Beef!

We all know that a burger and a beer are all-time buddies, but just for May, Just Burger (JB) thought of pairing their new burger creation with wine. The wine does not come in a glass but as an integral part of the burger, in the form of a sauce. And whilst they were at it, JB thought of putting more beef in the mix, in the form of pulled beef! Will the JB guys ever run out of ideas and just do a crunchy chicken burger with lettuce and tomatoes? Judging by their track record, the answer is a clear no, and both regulars and burger lovers seem to rejoice!

There is nothing better than enjoying a sunny morning strolling in Sliema and top it off with a rewarding burger lunch. And so be it! The May burger starts life with a layer of sauteed mushrooms. These are golden-brown mushrooms, lightly crisped on the outside and very soft in the middle. Their texture is spongy as it should be, and they taste meaty enough that it’s almost as if you’re eating soft meat, of the vegan kind. These mushrooms are full of umami taste, with a deliciously earthy flavour that is definitely more welcome than the age-old lettuce and tomato bedding.

The 140gr Angus beef patty that JB use in all their monthly specials is a very robust blend of beef. Beef is beef, but it’s all about what you do with it, and the quality and care taken makes a whole world of difference. Once again, their mince of meat never disappoints. Throughout the time that JB have been operating from Sliema, their burgers are always perfectly cooked to the requested temperature. The seasoning is as simple as it gets, yet nothing short of flawless. From the very first bite, this delicious patty is as juicy as it ought to be, and is grilled with so much love and patience that it’s very hard for us to pinpoint any shortcomings! If you’re like us, and can’t get enough of it, there’s also the option to double up on the patty.

The beef is topped with Applewood cheese, which brings into play its own kind of flavour. This semi-hard cheese is coated with mild paprika but does not leave a burnt aftertaste. It’s also fair in the melting department because it’s thick so it does not melt away from the burger. The thicker the cheese, the more flavour it imparts. Add that concept to the juicy burger and we already have a winner.

However, this is where JB have pulled their hidden ace and introduced a chunk of shredded beef. We’re always game for double doses of beef, and when each layer of beef has a different taste and texture, it’s all for the better. The pulled beef has been marinated and slow cooked in a red wine sauce for more than 6 hours, together with celery, garlic, onions, thyme, rosemary, carrots, bay leaves and raspberry jam. A red wine gravy reduction, which is extracted from this same sauce, is also added on top. Because of the cooking process, the pulled beef is tender and deliciously saucy. It has a more complex flavour than the beef patty, and this contrast of aromas puts this burger in a class of its own amongst its beefy peers. We’re glad that Just Burger went the lonely road and used pulled beef instead of pork as everyone else is doing these days. The gravy’s consistency has been thickened just enough that it does not drench and ruin your Sunday clothes. And the unmissable cherry on the cake? Pair the burger with their crispy fries & delicious dips and it’s a perfect match made in heaven.

Once again, JB never cease to delight us. There’s nothing not to like about this burger and the merry guys behind it all. We’ve said it 1001 times, sometimes all it takes to make a great burger is some extra love and care, and the Just Burger guys are the epitome of this. JB have now fine-tuned their winning formula to a high degree with their delectable meat cuts, crispy fries and weekly/monthly distinctive condiments, and are way ahead of the competition in the local express food scene.