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!
