JustBurger

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!

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.

Patriot Burger – Imqarrun [Part 1]

Hear us well… someone has just turned Malta’s most homely Sunday dish into a glorious burger! We had to refrain from releasing this feature on Easter Sunday, as most would have thought this was yet another feeble April Fool. It’s not, and it’s happening right now at Just Burger in Sliema.

Imqarrun (baked macaroni casserole) is one of Malta’s most loved traditional dishes. Just like Pastizzi, Twistees and Kinnie, it was not laboured in Malta, but it’s one of those acquired-and-rebranded foods… but don’t tell that to the Maltese! There’s one thing that Maltese love more than politics and soccer, and that’s their national food. Maltese are very passionate about their food, and Imqarrun is a Big thing; we’re dealing with a National-level Big thing here!

So, why would anyone make a burger version of Imqarrun? Because we’re too patriotic not to! Truth be said, we suspect that Just Burger wanted to infuse a burger with the classic mac & cheese flavour, and ended up creating a Patriot Burger! We’ve seen different attempts at doing a mac & cheese burger over the years; some worked to some extent, whilst others failed miserably. We still have nightmares over one burger with a mountain of macaroni and a flood of melted cheese poured all over, as if mount Etna had just erupted a magnitude of yellow pasta!

Even though there are different versions of Imqarrun, and each chef has his own secrets when baking this, this burger has most of the elements of grandma’s classic; the macaroni, bolognese sauce, meat and bacon. The macaroni is usually topped with a layer of grated cheese that when melted helps to bind everything in one block, and that is here too. Between the burger buns, there’s a layer of crunchy rucola, a chutney made from cherry tomato pulp & pancetta, a 140gr beef patty, provolone cheese, and a mac & cheese croquette. The chutney used here is a strong talking point in this burger. It’s perfectly reduced and packs a punch with its chunky pieces of tomatoes and rustic flavours. Pancetta makes a wiser substitute for bacon, as it does not have the deep smokey flavour and does not overpower the other ingredients. On the other hand, Provolone, like other pulled-curd cheeses, has a more intense flavour when melted and is often used in casseroles especially in dishes from the North of Italy. This cheese has a certain level of strength that shines through in its salt content, milkiness, and compact paste. The patty is very present as it brings in an instant hit of beef. You can always tell that this is quality beef as it has that delightful and intense flavour. It blends perfectly with the cheese, which sits on top melty and looking cheesy! The mac & cheese is presented in croquette form and is executed with a certain level of French finesse. This is where this burger becomes inimitable. It had to be the culinary team at Just Burger to come up with an exceptional solution for putting macaroni inside a burger without a cheesy mess and unnecessary spills, by encapsulating the baked pasta within a croquette which is exquisitely deep fried to a sterling level of golden crunchiness.

This burger does not only look suitably immaculate but has a meaningful taste that you don’t need to be a proud Maltese to polish it all in one go! It’s pretty safe to say that Just Burger always succeed in meeting the main objectives in comfort burger making: taste, price and originality. Even though this is a burger with mac and cheese for the rest of the world, it has a more celebrated culinary meaning in Malta. It’s one of those burgers that you might consider eating once a week during April… or even more! We’re now waiting for the Timpana and Ross il-forn burgers!

St. Paddy’s Patty – The Irish Crunch Master

It’s that time of the year when Malta wears green and every food grill sells out of burgers & beer! Thanks to Just Burger, you can start enjoying the burger part of St. Patrick’s Day from today, and it already seems like it’s Patty galore on Paddy’s month!

Question is, how come all Malta suddenly becomes Irish-centric for 1 day? It mostly has to do with us succumbing to advertising and copying the rest of Europe. St. Patrick’s Day was meant as a day to eat and drink as much as you please in celebration… mostly the traditional Irish meal of bacon and cabbage. Guzzling shots of whiskey and unlimited cans of beer were not part of the original equation! A marketing campaign from Budweiser in the 80s convinced thirsty boozers that drinking beer and St. Patrick’s Day were one and the same. And eating places were quick to follow pace. No one loves a pseudo-holiday more than burger joints! So cheers to you, Irish people, for giving us a holiday where excess is not simply encouraged, but required!

Many burger joints have been turning their run of the mill burger, into a St. Patrick compatible one, year in, year out! Throwing in some Irish beef in the patty or add beer to the mix are the most common tricks of the trade we’ve documented. Some go to lengths to have their bun coloured green, whilst others have the guts to just rename their standard burger, and jump on the green bandwagon! What about the corned beef, flowing Guinness, peas, carrots, corn, stewed cabbage, potato pancakes and onions? Just Burger have stepped in, in time of need. Some of these typical Irish ingredients have found their way into their new March burger creation.

Guinness and onions are staples in Irish cuisine. Daniel from Just Burger, a humble young man who takes pride in his burger work, has assembled these two ingredients to create Guinness caramelized onions, infused with bay leaves and thyme, and cooked in butter & oil. This forms a sweet bed for the 140gr Angus beef patty that Just Burger use in all their monthly specials. The beef blend is very intriguing, robust and always expertly mastered like every fine piece of meat should be. It tastes 10001 times better than equivalently priced offerings from other express food magnates like McD or Burger King. As Daniel points out, the focus has to be on the quality of the meat. If that’s not good than your burger is no good. Throughout the time that Just Burger have been operating from Sliema, their burgers are always perfectly cooked to the requested temperature, and the seasoning is as simple as it gets, yet nothing short of flawless. This delicious patty is as juicy as it ought to be, and it’s grilled with so much love that it’s hard to come up with any level of complaints or shortcomings!

The beef is adorned with melted Irish cheddar. This is a mild cheese, which has a moderately strong flavour. It is matured for a lesser period than Vintage Irish Cheddar so it can be enjoyed even with apples and pears. It’s very laudable that Just Burger always make it a point to use different cheeses to flavour-up their burgers. This cheese was a very natural choice and really makes the whole burger stand out.

Can there ever be an Irish-themed Burger without the bacon? A scrumptious slab of smoked streaky bacon adds flavour and crunch to the equation. The bacon used is very, very smokey and we like that. When we hear the word bacon we always expect a good English breakfast style crisp. Do we always get that? Unfortunately no, but that’s not the case here. Crispy and not burned are big keywords, and Daniel does not disappoint. This bacon is crumbly and crunchy as the Lord of crunch commands! Flavour wise, it adds a rich layer of saltiness, as if a crispy bomb of saliferous flavor has just exploded inside your mouth. Just like Just Burger have set top standards when it comes to fries, they are now doing the same with bacon! Other burger joints should open their eyes and not hurry the process when it comes to bacon grilling. Today’s burger eaters don’t want soggy and limp bacon anymore.

There’s even more crunch in the form of a potato rosti. This pancake is made from shredded potato and thyme, grilled and then deep fried. For a simple food item with just one humble main ingredient, the rosti could prove to be surprisingly difficult to pin down. As much moisture as possible needs to be squeezed out from the potatoes to get a really crisp result, otherwise, the final product will be a soggy and lippy pancake… and just like bacon, no one likes that. The Rosti is a traditional Swiss fritter, so it’s a bit of a surprise that the Irish potato pancake equivalent, the Boxty, was not used here. Boxty also has flour and buttermilk as ingredients. However, this Rosti is authentically tasty, first-class crisp on the outside, and soft, meltingly and potatoish within. It’s of a level of goodness that it might seem as if this burger needs no other adornment to make it ace all scores.

But that’s not the case, as there’s one final Irish ingredient; pea shoots, which have been sourced locally. Pea shoots are the actual leaves of sugar snap peas. Peas shoots taste like fresh English peas, refreshingly crisp and a combination of sweet and grassy. These vegetables bring crunch like it wouldn’t seem possible. The Pea shoot season is frighteningly short so we’re glad that Just Burger have taken advantage of this very seasonal green and included it in their burger, instead of mushed-up peas. They are a terrific complement to what is one of the most well-rounded St. Patrick themed burgers we’ve experienced in the last 5 years.

The bun is sturdy enough to hold all these ingredients in place, without breaking a sweat. It’s a welcome game-changer from all the standard bakery buns we see most of the times. The burger itself does not have any excessive level of sogginess and that helps a lot too. The 5-star studded fries that Just Burger is synonym with, join the burger and they are superbly seasoned and crispy. We’ve tasted and tested them regularly, and they are truly worthy of this formidable burger.

With all these gratifying levels of goodness going on, have we just found out the crunchiest burger of the year? Yes, we might have! All layers have been conceived with abounding thought and much planning. This burger is just divine. Generally, it’s all about the beef, and while the beef blend is rich and heavenly, the accent of the other ingredients is almost as important for achieving such a congenial result. It took St. Patrick and a merry band of Irish people to drive someone to come up with the beefiest and most satisfying burger concoction for the greenest day of the year. There’s no questioning that.

Beware! Knowing that this Burger is only available for the month of March has one caveat. You might be returning for another one, before, during and after St. Paddy’s Day!

Shroomiest burger of them all

In US, National Mushroom Day is sometime in October, but that did not stop the guys at Just Burger from creating a mushroom-centric burger in February. We’ve tasted and checked out different incarnations of the mythical mushroom burger in our 5 years of existence, and what we usually get is a standard burger with 4 slices of mushrooms thrown in for good measure. And that’s it! That might be enough for any causal burger consumer, but it’s not enough for us.

So how did Just Burger solve the Mushroom-gate dilemma? They shifted directly to the fifth gear and added a double flavour of mushroom to the burger-equation!
Now, why didn’t we think of that ourselves?!

This burger starts life with a bunch of perfectly sized baby spinach on top of the bun. Baby spinach is a tender leafy green, so it is especially tasty when served raw as it provides a vibrant colour, crunchy texture and flavor. It’s a much more welcome green than the more common lettuce. The first layer of mushrooms comes in the form of portobello mushrooms. They are oven roasted with thyme, bay leaves, and basil to get a deep savory flavor. Portobello mushrooms are the mature version of cremini mushrooms. They are not as watery as cremini and have a slightly more pronounced mushroom flavor. They are the ideal choice for this burger, because of their larger size and consistency.

At the epicenter, we have a patty made from 140g 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 cooked at higher temperatures. The patty is topped with a Pecorino Pepato cheese. This is a raw sheep’s milk cheese, that originates from Sicily and is infused with black peppercorns all over. Pecorino Pepato is usually aged for 2 to 4 months during which it develops a flaky, but creamy consistency. The salty, tangy citrusy flavours complemented by the spiciness of the peppercorns make this cheese a great tasting-point in this burger. We all know and love the bacon cheeseburger, but thanks to the Pecorino Pepato, we might now have another burger category on the rise: the Mushroom Cheeseburger!

The final ingredient is the turning point in this burger creation. Just Burger have doubled the stakes and added a truffle mayo on the very top. A truffle can generally be considered a type of mushroom as it’s a spore that usually grows on the roots of trees. The truffle oil infused in the mayo creates a garlicky and deep musky flavour. It’s earthy, pungent and deliciously funky. It has a slightly thick consistency and is utterly delicious.

What do you need more in a mushroom burger? Until someone comes up with a triple dose of mushrooms, this is the most shroomy burger of them all! If you want to be creative, you might choose to double the patty… yes you can do that too and end up with a mega mushroom burger!

And as if that is not enough, Just burger have created two new sauces, a curry sauce, and a classic bbq sauce, which many use as a dip for french fries, you can also be added inside any burger to add a level of customisation. Both are labeled as Vegan, and both taste as good as any curry or bbq aficionado would expect. These guys never stop creating and inventing foodish delicacies, and that’s the way we love things!

Burger & Nachos

In 2017, Just Burger regaled us with so many exotic and assorted burgers, that we’ve almost lost count! Some of them would easily make it to the Top 10 burger chart of the year gone by if we would make one. For 2018 Just burger have one clear plan… more burgers, more quality ingredients, more variety every month… and we like that!

The first burger of 2018 has one clear talking point… it’s topped with nachos. We’ve seen burgers with nachos or crisps before, so how does the January Burger plan to steal the game?

The base is spread with a salsa verde made with basil, mint, and oil. Just Burger’s signature 140gr Angus beef patty sits on top. It’s covered with a Jalapeño flavoured cheese. This is a Havarti variety cheese, which was originally devised in Denmark. The cheese has smooth and buttery properties. The flavour is not too sharp and doesn’t look “moldy” like other cheeses. It’s one of those mild cheeses that virtually everyone likes. And it also melts visually and beautifully on the beef patty. Cheese is a necessity in a burger. It’s like a blanket that snuggles the patty, adding a dimension of texture and flavour. The burger is topped with Tortilla chips. These provide a layer of crunchiness and boost the height ratio of the burger itself. The last ingredient is Sriracha-Lime Mayo, made in-house with mayo, lime juice, chives, and zest. This tastes very good on its own too, and Just Burger should add this to their list of dips.

There’s a lot going on with this burger, and the most important aspect is taste… this is something that any burger lover can savor with great pleasure. If we were given just 1 wish to better this burger-creation, maybe we would have loved to see a layer of kidney beans wedged between the patty and the cheese.

We’ve tested the Just Burger fries once again and can attest that at this rate, no other potato chip is going to challenge these anytime soon. They are crisped to perfection, well seasoned and have a great crunchy taste. Forget those limp and oily fries from takeaways or chicken express food shops, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a portion of these fries!

Just Burger have hit the jackpot once again and kickstarted their 2018 with a great hit. When you’re on your way to Sliema, make sure you make a pit stop at the Plaza, to taste this one out.

Xmas Burger

Christmas themed burgers are somewhat of a rarity. With all the family lunches, work-related parties and the obligatory social circle dinners, the last thing you need to stuff your stomach with is a burger… or so we thought until we did a survey last January. 14 burger joints (located in central areas) we talked to, reported record burger sales in December, when compared to previous months of the year. People do anything for Xmas shopping, they even challenge rain, wind, and hail; and after a shopping spree, coffee with pizza or burger is always due!

So why don’t we see more Christmas themed burgers? Restaurants are exceedingly busy during this month, and they usually trim down their menu to optimise cooking time and keep up with the demand, which is a good plan. But what about our traditional turkey burger with cranberry sauce? Well, that’s where Just Burger in Sliema comes in! In 2017 they have churned out new burgers every month, and if that was not enough, more lately they are even doing weekly specials! Because of their turnover and overall quality, they have become the 2017 Kings of express burgers. Move over McDonald’s; Just Burger is THE burger place where you can get a high-standard burger meal (Angus burger, drink, fries & dip) for under €10!

The December burger is made out of staple Xmas food:

  • A layer of roasted Brussels sprouts with cubes of bacon
  • 140gr Angus beef patty
  • Fried Parsnip crisps
  • chevre sauce made out of goat cheese and salt & pepper
  • Spiced cranberry and mandarin compote

While we miss the turkey flavour in this burger, the Angus beef patty made us forget this detail very quickly. Just Burger get their own fresh cuts of Angus beef and mince and create the patty in their own kitchen. There is no closely-guarded recipe here; it’s just quality beef! Their patty delivers tenderness and is always juicy and fully flavored. The bun is made from their own Swedish recipe and produced by a local bakery. They have a gluten-free bread option too, which will be very welcome by many. The fried parsnips add the necessary level of crunch. If you are one of those who is convinced that you don’t like Brussels sprouts, this burger will make you think twice. The kitchen guys have tricked us to eat sprouts by throwing bacon in the mix! Very cunning indeed!

The highlight of this burger-creation are the two sauces. The compote has signs of cranberry, mandarin, cinnamon and lemon zest. The French chevre sauce is tangy and creamy as you would expect from a goat milk product. These sauces create a balanced and delicious taste, which pushes this burger to further savory levels.

There’s still a thing or two to go…

We’ve told you in the past about the potato goodness of the Just Burger fries. Just Burger import these bags of chips exclusively and are crisped to a level we’ve seldom seen. They are generously seasoned and aren’t greasy, complimenting their burgers. We’ve tested them once again, and they truly deserve the King of Fries crown!

As if that’s not enough, Just Burger have just come up with two new special milkshakes for this merry season. The Gingerbread has a mix of cookies and rum, while the Christmas Spice has the flavour of cranberries and mandarin. These shakes are really dense, with a creamy consistency and these two flavours in particular, drive your tastebuds into a festive mood. If you like the genuine-tasting milkshakes from New York Best, you need to try these two right now!

One last thing… if you need to cute-isize your burger with a Xmas hat on top, like the one in our photos, bring one from home! We did!

BaconBurgerGate

Just Burger has been churning hit burgers, non-stop, month after month. The Greek, Asian and Wellington received an unbelievable amount of views from all of you. Right now, they also happen to have the crispiest fries we’ve tried out this year. So what can they possibly come up with next? A bacon burger!

As with some of their previous hits, this burger has many levels of ingredients. On top of the bun goes iceberg lettuce, 2 slices of tomatoes, their signature beef patty, melted cheddar cheese, 2 long strips of bacon, 3 slices of gherkins and crispy onions. All the ingredients are infused with a smoked paprika-flavoured mustard and a sundried tomato ketchup.

Over the past 5 years, we’ve had the pleasure to witness and sometimes the misfortune to taste, dozens of bacon burgers. Just like every dog has an annoying squeaky toy, every burger joint has a bacon burger. Most are built on a similar formula: grill some meat put a slice of cheese on top, slap some pieces of bacon, and call it The Bac ‘o N or a twist of whatever name Mcdonald’s has just come up with. Just like McDonald’s, it’s always the same burger from years gone by, maybe slightly smaller in portion size and more expensive than last year.

So how do Just Burger fare in all this BaconBurgerGate? They use 140g of Angus beef to create the patty. The meat is always juicy whatever cooking temperature you see fit to ask for, and that’s always a good start in our books. They also use cheddar as the cheese of choice, as it tends to have a mild and well-balanced taste, bringing an element of smooth creaminess. The pickled gherkins, one of the most traditional burger toppings, add piquancy to the taste equation. The mustard and ketchup have been imported just for this one burger, as they have their own unique flavours. This, not only shows the level of dedication that Just Burger goes into when creating a new offering but also serves as a tasty cement for those crispy and crumbling onions. We love crispy onions, but when they fly all over the place, they are more a nuisance than a blessing. This is not the case here though, and the fried onions provide crunchiness and add substantial height to the overall size of the burger.

Every Bacon Burger worth its name is ultimately judged by its bacon. Anyone can do limpy, soft and squishy bacon. Anyone can turn bacon black trying to get it right. Where is that crispy, dehydrated, crunchy, crusted thin slice of bacon everyone dreams of? That bacon from those traditional English breakfasts of years gone by, where preparation took ages, as excess fat had to be drained from the pan from time to time, and then rested on a paper bag to avoid the extra-grease effect. Well, this burger comes with hard and crispy bacon that’s a joy to crunch between your teeth. Each mouthful of this burger comes across as primarily beefy, with the smoked paprika sauce playing nicely with the gooey cheese, before the layer of bacon flavor starts to kick in slowly.

Just Burger have nailed the bacon dead on, and that’s game over for all the other mediocre and wannabe bacon burgers in town! The war for the ultimate bacon burger still roars on though, and while this is not the worldwide king of all bacon burgers, it manages to score exceedingly and soars sky-high. Which means, you still have a few more weeks left to run to Sliema and try it out, as it will be gone once the Xmas month is here.

Special Edition: Pink October Burger

What’s Pink for one whole month, and has some green, some red, some yellow and blue?
It’s the burger of the month that Just Burger in Sliema has just come up with!

We’ve seen banks and Castille lighted fuchsia and pedestrian crossings painted pink, all for breast cancer awareness month.
And now we have a Burger too.

This October burger has four main elements. At the very base, there is a very generous portion of Rocket salad. This is the only vegetable ingredient. These dark, green leaves have a peppery taste and add some crunchiness to the whole burger. At the epicenter of every Just Burger, there’s always the beef patty. No matter what other ingredients are on top or beneath, the 140g Angus Beef patty is always the star. The hand-formed patty has a thick crust, singed with char. The beef is always juicy, whatever temperate you ask for, so it’s no wonder it lands a beefy punch to the overall flavour. 

The patty is crowned by Brie, crusted in golden panko crumbs. Brie is a soft cheese that has origins in France. It’s also referred to as the queen of cheeses, in some culinary circles, as it’s used in a multitude of recipes, even desserts. The cheese is covered with a crispy panko shell, deep fried, so it envelopes the melting Brie. Panko is generally flakier than regular breadcrumbs, so it absorbs less oil than standard breading. Anything tangy & acidic goes very well with the full flavour of Brie. This is why we have a serving of spicy blueberry jam on the very top of this burger. Just Burger wanted to add some antioxidants in the name of Pink October, so they made the jam themselves, with a blueberry reduction and some spice for good measure.

All the elements remind us of a well-balanced charcuterie board, between a bun… and they favourably taste mostly gratifying too. We miss a bit of balsamic in the mix, but you can get an extra portion of sauce from a selection of 5 or 6, to fix that. Indeed these sauces are so tasty that everyone should use them in the burger itself, and not as dips for fries!

While some less-adventurous, might envision the combination of blueberries, cheese, and beef as a little atypical, it does work, as it’s part sweet, part tangy and downright delicious! And that’s why if you want to sport a pink ribbon and like burgers, your next destination should be Sliema. Keep in mind that this burger will, unfortunately, go away, once October is over, so better make a date in the calendar now.

Wellington: Story of a Beef Burger

Six years ago, while attending a media conference at The Goring Hotel in London, we were discussing the options of starting a Facebook page dedicated to the burgeoning burger scene in Malta. While enjoying one of the specialties of Chef Cooper, the Beef Wellington, little did we know that one day we would see a burger version of the time-honoured English dish.

Just Burger keep working harder at their now-unstoppable trend, to create a memorable burger every month. All their monthly special burgers have two things in common: they taste good, and they are only available for 30 days! This time around, David and the culinary team at Just Burger have engineered a beef Wellington in a bun. We were really intrigued by this premise when we heard the news. Surely, the place of beef Wellington in on a plate, not between two half buns. Or not? We had to drive all the way to Sliema to see for ourselves if the September burger is anything as good as the all-time popular Asian-flavoured burger from last month.

The classic Beef Wellington is generally a seared fillet steak coated with Duxelles (a mixture of mushrooms and onions, sautéed in butter and wine or alcohol, and reduced to a paste), wrapped in puff pastry and finished in the oven. Some gourmet versions are covered in foie gras. The dish is allegedly named after Arthur Wellesley, who rose to national hero level after defeating Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. Hence he was prized with the title of first Duke of Wellington. He loved a dish of beef tenderloin, mushroom & truffle pate with wine, all cooked inside a pastry closure, which was an already well-sought dish at that time in France, known as Filet de Boeuf en Croute. His English chef initially dubbed the dish as Wellington Steak and accompanied it by one or two sauces. The origins of the name are murky and could be plain hearsay. For all we know, it could well have been named after the town of Wellington in New Zealand! We wish we had a time-machine to confirm all; whatever the case, the crusted beef dish is here to stay!

What David from Just Burger did was take all the main elements of the Wellington and stack them together to create a tower of a burger. At the very base, there is a bed of Duxelles made from finely chopped mushrooms and onions, garlic, truffle paste and seasoned with herbs. It’s different from the thick Duxelles jam of the Wellington, but all the components are there. Fresh baby spinach leaves go on top. They are raw and taste a bit minerally and are the only leafy alkaline ingredient, meant to balance the rest of the burger. Next up is a layer of puff pastry. It’s flaky, light and has a buttery flavour infused with herbs. The golden puff pastry was freshly baked and tastes really crunchy. The pastry is dosed with a portion of chicken gravy, made in-house. The gravy is thick and pasty and brings a salty element in play. It’s a welcome change to the usual mayo/ketchup sauce we find in most burgers. The gravy oozes as soon as you take a bite, flooding the beef in a burst of warm flavour. The weather has just turned a tad colder, making this heavy burger a joy to consume.

The central element of every Just Burger is the beef patty. It’s a signature 140g Angus Beef patty, minced and grilled on the day, in the Just Burger kitchen. The beef is juicy even though we asked for a well-cooked through burger. These guys have erased the word “dry meat” from their vocabulary, and we love that! The beef has a nice dense texture, is not too fatty, and is as tasty as a cut of Angus beef goes. There are two slices of Serrano ham on top. Most classic versions of the Beef Wellington do not feature any kind of ham, but many modern recipes do. This is dry-cured Spanish ham which is similar to Italian Prosciutto but is less fatty and has a more concentrated taste. The ham is crispy and has a pleasant aroma. It also adds a sharp flavor to balance all the richness of the meat. After some thought, we think that this Spanish element was a wise addition.

The burger is topped with another layer of puff pastry and gravy. We foresaw that this would be an open burger, because of the many layers; however, all the ingredients are stacked together in a well thought out way, and the whole burger holds well together, making it easy to bite through all this goodness in a bun. The entire concoction of ingredients is one of the richest and most flavourful burgers we’ve eaten these last few months. Making a Beef Wellington from scratch is a hard task, and turning such a classic into a burger is nothing less than an insane amount of work! So we have to bow at the kitchen team for making an effort to create such a burger, which as far as we know, is a first in Malta. This burger takes everything that’s instinctively pleasurable about eating an Angus burger and racks it up to further heights. If you are only an occasional burger lover, you owe it to yourself to try this burger, at least once in your life. For burger aficionados, you need to consume one or two of these every week, for all September!