Feature

King of Bacon

When we think of a juicy, sizzling, flame grilled burger, there is one particular name that comes to mind… Burger King. Home of America’s favorite burger, the Whopper, have years of advertising, subconsciously induced us to go to Burger King every time we need to eat a quick burger meal, or are these burgers really that good?

Today, we have a good excuse to find out, as Burger King is proposing a new burger… The Bacon King.

Why is it The King over all the other lineup of BK burgers? It’s because this burger features two beef patties, eight strips of thick cut bacon, four slices of American cheese, ketchup and mayo, all sandwiched between a toasted sesame seed bun.

This is definitely a meat feast for all vegetable-haters! We’ve seen people, like Big Bertu the Bugernator, whose first act after unwrapping a burger is to get rid of the lettuce and tomatoes! These people will love the Bacon King, as they get to bite off at the meat immediately!

The burger was initially available last October in America but only made it to Europe in the past weeks.

The Bacon King features two flame-grilled beef patties. These are the large Whopper variety 113gr ones. Burger King has two sizes of patties, the larger ones they use in their Whoppers and the smaller ones they use in their other hamburgers. They spared no expense with the Bacon King, and that makes this a very hefty burger. The diameter of the burger itself is much larger than your standard McDonalds. The beef patties are grilled 4 in a row, and since the thickness is consistent, they are always cooked at the right temperature. You just pop the patties in, and the griller does a fast job. The guys & gals in food-making area have done the process so many times that they work like a perfectly oiled machine, and build a burger in almost record time.

With a total of 225gr of beef, this one is plenty meaty. It’s a calorie big shot at 1040 cals, but gym lovers will love the 57gr of protein! Big eaters will care less, so let’s just move on!

At the heart of the King, we have eight pieces of thick-cut smoked bacon. If there is anything we love more than cat youtubes, it’s Bacon! It’s plentiful. However, we wish it was a bit crispier. Somewhat like the hard bacon, we get in our English breakfast! We think that BK does the bacon the way it is, so you get a “soft” eating experience without any hard crunching going on in your mouth.

Of both sauces, the ketchup mostly prevailed over the mayo, making the burger a bit more on the tangy side. Despite all the sauces, there is no mess or spill. The King manages to keep its act together.

The buns have been perfectly engineered to house the patties. They fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. The taste and texture of the bread are one of the highlights of this burger. Indeed the bread is all baked locally, Maltese-style, and it shows.

We always like the Burger King fries. They are crunchy, precisely salted and slightly less calorific than McDonald’s ones. However, BK has managed to better themselves one up with their Curly fries. These fries are even crunchier than the standard ones. And we love the shape! BK should strongly consider having these as an option ALL YEAR ROUND! Get an extra bbq or chili sauce dip, and you’re set in heaven!

There is a lot to like about the Bacon King burger. In essence, it’s the meat and cheese brother of the double Whopper, with loads of bacon but minus the vegetables. Bacon-wise, it crushes down McDonald’s Crispy McBacon like a collision between a bike and a concrete truck. Unless you have a huge appetite, there’s enough bacon & meat to feed two!

Texan vs Mexican – The Big Ringer fight

At the epicenter of The Strand in Sliema is one restaurant renown for its good food and king sized burgers. TexMex has been feeding patrons that pass through the popular harbor front since February 2012. But the brand has a wider history that spans way back to June 1995. The Texan-Mexican fusion of large sized American style cuisine and Mexican spicy cooking was originally located in a corner restaurant in Tower Road Sliema. It was a very particular concept in Malta at the time.

Marco Muscat, the brain behind the brand says that their menu is constantly being refined and majorly reviewed on a yearly basis. We wanted to check what burger-making with 21 years of expertise tastes like.

We opt for The Ringer Burger, which has some unique elements we’ve rarely seen in local burgers. The patty is made from 300g of char grilled beef. TexMex use a blend made from 3 different cuts of meat, mainly Wagyu brisket imported from Australia, prime Angus knuckle and short rib from Belgium. The beef is ground into big chunks to create a level of texture that we seldom get to see. Wagyu comes from the same cattle breed known for producing the renown Japanese Kobe beef. Wagyu is a premium beef not only because of its unique flavour and marbling but also because of the quality of the low levels of saturated fats, which when combined with the leaner cut of Angus beef creates a unique beef patty. Chef Adam, an Englishman of high culinary knowledge has been working all his life in kitchens around the world. He moved to Malta years ago, and for the last 3 years he has been heading the TexMex kitchen. Chef Adam takes pride in his work and has no problem showing us the cuts of beef he will use for our burgers. We love that! He also puts some onions inside the patty mix and explains that these have to be painstakingly hand cut before being blended with the beef to form the patty. We love it when the kitchen crew shows this level of dedication to make their burgers. The meat is usually cooked medium to medium well, and we have to say that they nailed the temperature. The beef was well cooked through as it should, yet still moist and full of high-end beefy flavour. It felt especially luxurious as the patty is thick with a pleasing texture. It’s so particular that some might even want to enjoy it on its own, as a fillet steak!

The beef is topped with an oversized portion of red Leicester cheese. The burger is served on a sesame seed bun which is imported exclusively for these TexMex burgers, as it’s the perfect size to envelope all the rest of the ingredients.

Since the burger is on the larger size, TexMex had to source matching vegetables. Not content with what was available locally, they decided to import their own red onion and beef tomatoes, to match the size of the rest of the burger. We’ve rarely seen this level of consistency when it comes to burger making, and here TexMex get a well-deserved 5 stars for their effort and commitment to make the best possible burger.

Caramelized onion jam and New York Apple & Cabbage Coleslaw goes on top. The Ringer takes its name from the crunchy beer battered onion rings that go inside and on the very top, together with the zucchini garnish.

We found the generous portion of blueberry sauce & chili chipotle to be exquisite. This sauce starts out sweet, but the smoked hot chili pepper chipotle flavour soon kicks in. It’s rich with an abundant density, tangy and smoky and tastes very Mexican.

The whole burger is kept in place together with a large steak knife. We really like this as it makes it a breeze to cut the burger in half, and would love to see more high-end restaurants copy TexMex and ditch the proverbial thin kebab stick!

The crispy fries and Cabernet Ketchup need a noteworthy mention. The ketchup is made in-house with wine, brown sugar and tomato ketchup. It’s spicy, sweet & smoky and is the perfect twin for the fries.

The Ringer burger exceeded all our expectations. It’s not just the king size, but the quality of the meat, the blueberry sauce, the cheese and the combination of vegetables that make up this delicacy of a burger. Right now, this burger rates amongst the top ones we’ve tested locally, and it will need a tight act to knock it off its podium.

No visit at TexMex is complete without trying out one of their signature cocktails. The place boasts the biggest bar & patio area on the Sliema front. All their drinks are made from premium brands & top shelf spirits, so they are not for the light drinkers! Go on Wednesdays or weekends, and you will also find entertainment in the form of DJs and musicians playing live, to experience a complete night out!

Bacon CheeseBurger Story: The Italian Connection

[Unfortunately Bean & Loaf closed down in late 2017. The food franchise now exists only in Italy]

Our incessant search for the Greatest Bacon Cheeseburger of them all leads us to the limits of Hamrun & St. Venera. On the grounds of the historic 7up factory, we nowadays find a stylish and modern cafe with a penchant for Burger food. Opened in 2015, Bean & Loaf is run by Ortobello, a Milan-based diner that specialises in wholesome and homely food.

The front of the house is run by Juan, who’s originally from Equador, but worked for a number of years at Ortobello in Milan before relocating to Malta. We ask Juan about their Bacon Cheeseburger, which they aptly named the “New York Meatpacking District”, after the renown neighbourhood in Manhattan. This burger is a favourite at Ortobello in Milan and has now become a staple in the Malta Bean & Loaf menu. Chef Ciccio gets ready and whips two burgers in record time! These Italians mean serious business when it comes to food!

The patty is made from a selection of Scottish beef, worked in with onions, mozzarella, bread crumbs, chili peppers, mustard and egg. There’s a reason for all these ingredients that make up the patty. Indeed it did not crumble or fall apart. The taste is excellent after all Scottish cows are renowned for producing delicious, high quality beef, partly due to the climate and overall topography, that create the perfect conditions for beef cattle to thrive.

The bacon, one of the heroes of this burger was sourced locally by a London-based chef, who Ortobello flew especially here since they wanted to get their hands on the best local bacon for their breakfast menu. You don’t get 1 or 2 thin strips of bacon like we are usually accustomed to with other bacon burgers! Bacon is abundant and plentiful to satisfy the hungriest of eaters. It also makes the burger bigger and high standing.

On top does the Dorset cheddar cheese, which has a milder flavour and a somewhat softer texture than regular cheddar. This variety of cheese is smoked over oak chips, which bestows it with a distinctive smoky flavour. We love that!

Bean & Loaf also do their own BBQ sauce with ketchup, cane sugar, onions, paprika and Jack Daniels to keep on enhancing the current smokey theme of the burger to perfection.

Caramelised red onions, salad and tomatoes complete a burger chock full of flavour and goodness.

Bean & Loaf also stock a selection of exclusive Italian beers, Spanish ciders and International wines. Leave it to Juan; he will not disappoint to recommend an appropriate drink for your particular taste buds. We opted for an Oreo Milkshake, which seems to be a favourite of many patrons and can be prepared with different milk on request.

This is one protein & calorie superbomb of a burger you won’t regret eating every time you dream of bacon & cheese. The Italian geniuses at Ortobello have managed to concoct the right ingredients for an unforgettable whirlpool of flavours. If you love Bacon Cheeseburgers as we do, you now know where you’re heading next!

Sunny, with a chance of Bacon & Cheese

The Bacon Cheeseburger has been an American staple burger for aeons. Some of you have recently brought to our attention a restaurant where we could find such a burger, done with a unique flair. #MALTAburgers head off to the picturesque Balluta Bay, where amidst the long-standing Carmelite Parish Church and town houses adorned with Georgian architecture, we find our destination for the day… U Bistrot. Tucked in the corner next to the 18th Century Villa Cassar Torregiani, this unassuming restaurant has a history. Until a few years back it was mostly known for its healthy organic juices. The trend has now expanded to food. Indeed U Bistrot carries a very calorie conscious menu that changes every week, but sincerely that’s not on our agenda of the day as we’re here for the bacon, cheese & meat!

Let’s see if the bacon cheeseburger really lives up to the good words of our readers… The patty is prepared in-house and is made from 200g of locally sourced beef. We didn’t taste any herbs and spices mixed with the meat, so we could fully enjoy the flavour of the meat. As soon as we request well-cooked-through meat, the Chef smiles and asserts that this is his speciality. Indeed he manages to hit a home run with our burgers, as the temperature is as perfect as requested, yet the meat is juicy and packed with flavour as it should be. The first point goes to U Bistrot!

The burger is topped with crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, caramelised onions and BBQ sauce. With all that turmoil of goodness going on in between the toasted buns, the flavours of all these ingredients were all there and could be savoured individually. The bacon, which is the most important part of this burger is crispy and has a good crunch. It also melded with the cheese creating a new kind of tasty condiment. This is definitely the bacon cheeseburger to beat when it comes to the harmony of condiments! And so the second point goes to U Bistrot.

And here comes the kicker: U Bistrot bake their own bread! The buns have a subtle floury flavour, and are very moist, with a fluffy texture, yet sturdy enough to hold all the burger contents with great poise. As much as we loved the bacon & meat, the bread is so savoury and delicious that it deserves its own trophy. So there goes the third and final point to U Bistrot.

Mind you, you also get roasted potatoes and a side salad with the burger, just in case you’re a vegetable lover. We also loved the style of furniture around the restaurant, and the pots of fresh herbs that the chef uses in his dishes. U Bistrot have managed to keep the organic roots of this place, and also prepare cold pressed fruit juices. You can select different fruits from their list of ingredients, and create your own juice. We went for the Apple and ginger, which proved to be the perfect follow-up to the bacon cheeseburger.

“You must do something exciting every day. You must enjoy your life.” This is the motto of U Bistro, and thanks to their bacon cheeseburger offering, we managed to do both today! Looking forward to the next one!

I know what you ate last summer: that Lamb Burger in Marsascala

Summer Sundays are made to relax. #MALTAburgers head off towards the Southern region of Malta, to the bubbly seaside village of Marsascala, and more precisely to Bongo Nyah, a colourful and rather cosy restaurant, located in the centre of the village. Here we find Marcio; an interior designer turned restaurateur and the main man behind the Bongo concept. Indeed this shows off in the choice of colours and materials that Bongo Nyah is decorated with. Marcio’s vision was to create a cosy and cheerful atmosphere while offering wholesome food.

Since we believe that not all Burgers are created equal, we delve into the creation of the star burger of this week. It all starts with Marcio’s travels and his encounter with the street food typical of Morocco. Lamb is the main ingredient in this burger, which was initially introduced on the menu in late 2016. The patty is made from 200gr of lamb, minced with coriander, mint and a blend of Moroccan spices. The lamb is imported and then minced and worked out in the Bongo kitchen. This creates a very tasty combination, as the flavours come together to create an unmistakable Moroccan street-eat, with ingenious Maltese architecture. As Marcio says, the food that they serve is a combined effort of the whole team, and it shows. The lamb crumbles nicely due to a proper coarse grind of the mince. It’s grilled to a temperature that allows it to retain the right amount of juice. The spices mask the strong gaminess of the lamb, resulting in a flavour that every meat lover can enjoy.

The Moroccan Burger does not come in the usual brioche bun but is served in Arabian flat bread, just like the typical comfort food of the region. The Pita bread is a flatbread made from wheat flour and is baked locally, the traditional way. It plays nicely with the lamb.

Rucola, tomatoes and raw red onion make up the vegetarian elements of the burger. All is topped with a hefty portion of Tzatziki sauce, a staple in Turkish and Greek cuisine. Tzatziki sauce is usually made with Greek yoghurt, cucumber, garlic and mint, but we don’t know the secret formula that Bongo Nyah uses. Tzatziki is a wise choice to put together with warm bread and goes well alongside grilled meat as it’s a more liquidy sauce.

As if the craftily constructed burger was not enough, we also get a portion of couscous as a side. The couscous is colourfully adorned with raisins and veggies. We found this to be a brilliant addition to the plate, which tops up the flavour level beyond the 5-star bar.

The burger comes with a choice of traditional fries or potato wedges. A very generous portion is an understatement here, but Marcio likes to feed his patrons well. The wedges are tasty and have a hard outer skin which envelopes a soft cooked potato. The fries are much crispier, so you know what to order depending on your tastes.

No great burger is a great eat without a healthy dose of booze. Bongo Nyah has a good selection of craft beers and cocktails. The picturesque surrounding of the place inspired us to go for juices, which are cold pressed there and then in the bar area. The Apple & Pear one is to die for.

One final question remains to be answered: Is the Moroccan Burger, the tastiest burger in Marsascala?

#MALTAburgers say Yes. And you?

In search of the Golden Cheeseburger

Our ongoing search for the greatest Cheeseburger on the island leads us to the Luqa Airport… we’re not off to NYC, but to Talbot & Bons, home to wholesome cooking since 2012.

What #MaltaBurgers is always looking for is a classic beef burger topped with good quality cheese, not a slice of processed ingredients with a yellow colour tinge and with less than 1% cheese inside.

At T&B we find the mighty-named Blue Moon burger waiting for us. This is one burger with a history. It was conceived as a four cheese burger, but the overload of cheese flavour and the size of all cheeses was way too much for one burger. Alan, one of the owners of T&B, then came up with a Gorgonzola cheese version. Alan is always interested in the feedback from his customers, and customers started to ask for a stronger cheese. Always aiming to improve the food and service, Alan has finally come up with the Blue Cheese version of the burger, aptly named as the Blue Moon burger.

The patty is made from Angus beef, which is mixed to specification by a local supplier. The patty mix is delivered early every single day, where it is worked on further in the kitchen. Spices and herbs are added at this stage.

On top of the beef patty goes a good sized portion of caramelized onions, tomatoes, lettuce and the distinctive gorgonzola cheese. All is served with steak house fries and onion rings. This burger does not only look good but is as juicy and appetizing. The salty gorgonzola flavour takes a marching lead, and that’s the main concept of the Blue Moon. This is definitely a burger for cheese connoisseurs! Bite after bite, and the blue moon is history!

To quench our thirst, we get a Lemon bio drink. This is the first time we see this brand locally, and indeed one can only find the Galvanina drinks at T&B. This refreshing citrus drink is made from Sicilian lemons, which are organic and mineral-rich. We loved that sour taste that goes so well with any burger.

Did we find a great Cheeseburger at T&B? Hands down we did, and we’re over the moon!

The 3 Floors: KFC Tower Stacker

Houston, we have a problem! We’re just done with a beast workout at the gym, and we urgently need to replenish our levels of protein & carbs. We’re in the Msida area. What do we do?

Solution: drive to KFC, and stock up on chicken!

#MALTAburgers is in front of KFC in no time at all, and the first image that impresses is the window-sized poster advertising the humongous Tower Stacker Burger! We’re game.

The place was recently redecorated in a modern metropolitan style with an appealing red-black-gray colour scheme. Just perfect for a laid-back lunch in the summertime afternoon. The Tower Stacker is offered in two varieties, with Original Recipe fillets or Zinger taste. We start thinking and considering options, but ultimately opt for the only viable solution: get both!

The Tower Burger is made up of 3 main floors: 2 pieces of chicken fillets and a golden hash brown. The usual lettuce, cheese, mayo, and ketchup are there too. This is the main blueprint for the Maltese version of the Tower Stacker as it seems that every country sports a slightly different configuration. The chicken fillets are moist and tasty and have an appetizing texture. KFC prepare these daily, so they have to be good. The Original Recipe fillets are covered with Colonel Sanders’ secret recipe of herbs, while the Zinger ones are even crisper with a stronger herb mix that adds heat and some more! If you like spicy chicken, then definitely ask for the Zinger Tower Stacker. The hash-brown adds a mushy layer to the stack. We noticed that the chicken patties are much wider than the promotional photos, which is a superb thing (remember we are hungry).

And here comes a challenge. How do you eat the Tower Stacker? This will depend entirely on every individual’s personality.

There will be the hungry dude that will apply all his level of brute force, squeeze the burger like an industrial iron press, roll it in half, and bite off!

We did not do that and started to bite pieces at random angles, from all around until we reached the core.

We know there will be those who will use knife & fork and cut it into tiny bits and eat it like a Princess during Fashion Week… but who are we to judge?!

After all plates were cleared, we think that the Tower Stacker is definitely a hunger quencher as it’s the largest burger in the current KFC family lineup. If you’re famished and in the Gzira area, you know what to do!

HANGing OUT with the Pulled Pork Burger in Msida

Upon request from a number of readers, today we are off to check out HANGOUT. This is a pretty new place in the University area (Msida). Indeed it opened its doors a few months back, in late 2016.

The place is modern and stylish and offers an excellent selection of burgers with a twist. One can select his favorite bread from 8 different varieties, choose a patty & fill from a long list, and add a preferred sauce. The possibilities are practically endless, which makes our visit even more exciting.

We are greeted by Jeff, a young & very enthusiastic man, who is one of the owners. Jeff is a very hands-on person, and he’s always around checking that everything is running smoothly and efficiently and that the customers are having the best experience possible. As a youth, Jeff had a lucrative business that had nothing to do with catering. He left that behind for his growing love for food. Jeff wanted to do things the right way up, so he found the best chefs on the island and started to train with them. Slicing onions and potatoes by day, and researching new recipes by night, Jeff began to lay out his biggest master plan to date. Fast forward a few years, and we now find him opening the doors of HANGOUT.

Apart from the customized burgers, HANGOUT has a few house specialties. We opted for the Pulled Pork burger. The patty is made from 170g of beef. The meat is sourced locally on a daily basis, so it’s fresh as it can be. It’s an 80/20 mix of protein/fat, which yields delicious results. Cheese and a substantial portion of pulled pork (also roasted in-house) go on top, with a dollop of BBQ sauce. If you like your burger well-sauced, you’re in for a real treat here! The burger is finalized with crispy onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. Everything goes into an olive-spiced Ciabatta (our choice of bread), which we get to know is specially made for HANGOUT by a local bakery.

It shows that the beef is daily fresh, as it’s very juicy and succulent. The overall BBQ flavor is to die for. As the burger is devoured, we move onto the fries. We have an excellent selection that ranges from sweet potatoes to fries with cheese, flavors, and spices. The fries are crispy and tasty as they can be. Perfect!

We asked Jeff how he’s managing the daily fresh part of the business because we know that it has its challenges. Indeed, it’s expected that the kitchen will run out of prime materials if a big group of customers suddenly turns up altogether… here we see Jeff run off to his suppliers and come back in record time, with bags full of meat and bread!

We bid farewell to HANGOUT… but not for long. Whenever #MALTAburgers smells good food, be sure that we will be back soon!

Hard Rock Cafe World Burger Tour

Hard Rock Cafe is proposing 4 new burgers for a limited time period (May & June), as part of their World Burger Tour. These Burgers are specialties offered by Hard Rock Cafes from different parts of the world, inspired by their local flavours.

#MaltaBurgers decided to visit on one hungry afternoon. We checked out the TANGO SALSA BURGER from the hot & steamy Buenos Aires in Argentina. The presentation of this Burger really lives up to the promotional photos… the chock-full plate looks like a real-life version of the ad photos, especially in portion size. This is a big, tasty burger. That’s the way all burgers should be! The Angus beef patty is thick and well cooked through. The Argentinian flavor comes from the Andouille sausage topping and the salsa criolla. On top of that we got even more…. some Monterey jack cheese (a semi-hard cheese with mild flavour and slight sweetness), arugula and a fried egg. Meal also includes crispy fries and an exquisite garlic aioli dip, which we really loved.

Looking forward to the next Burger World Tour….