The MIL's Aussie Burger

The MIL makes really really really good burgers. They're always something to look forward to, and I wish she would make them more often.

She gets really good mince from Cold Storage, and I'm not sure how she does her patties, although she claims she only follows the instructions based on the Periplus recipe books.
Her burgers normally come with a lot of other exciting things.

She added cheese slices just as she finished cooking the patties, so the cheese melted into the meat.

Fried eggs

Salad

Fried onions

Can't recall whether she baked or bought the buns

Plus relish from Hunter Valley

Bacon slices

Beetroot - the only thing missing from this Aussie burger was pineapple slices. But the beetroot was sweet enough.
The entire spread

She even baked fries in the oven

The relish was amazingly, fabulously tasty.

Construction in progress

The final product was huge.

Tried very hard to squeeze it all down. But it soon got messy after that...although the flavours were amazing.

The White Rabbit Burger

I've found my favourite burger at the White Rabbit. It's a fabulous patty with some wagyu in it, and mushrooms and cheese as well. I'd go back anytime!

Spruce

I like the Spruce burger - it's got a meaty thick patty that's full of meat with just enough fat, and comes with fat hot wedges. Fantastic with lots of mustard and ketchup.

PS Cafe at Ann Siang Hill

I went with a bunch of colleagues to PS Cafe at ASH for lunch, and it's lovely to see how they've restored and refurbished the shophouse. A very clever use of space, with the entrance from the park side and the dining area actually extending into the second floor of the neighbouring unit.

We shared the truffle shoestring fries ($15). Although they were very yummy, considering the price, I was very tempted to go to MacDonalds and bring my own truffle oil.

The burger ($28) was a pretty good choice. It was a nice meaty patty, done perfectly and very tasty.

The place isn't cheap, and I'm not sure that I'd call it value for money. But it's a nice place nonetheless.

45 Ann Siang Road
#02-02
Tel: 65349381

Handburger - Only if you possess patience and like eating at off-peak hours

The husband is a huge burger fan, and wanted to try out this place after reading about it in the Sunday Times a few months back. Compared to other joints like Botak Jones and Carl's Junior, both of which we really quite like for the value-for-money factor, the burgers weren't all that cheap.

The place was packed solid. I was really disappointed by the service - we were standing first in line for about 10 mins and didn't even get a nod of acknowledgement. If not for the husband's eagerness to try the place, I w0uld have walked away.
The husband ordered the onion rings ($4.80) as a starter. These were fairly normal - nothing to crow about, and nothing to complain about.
The drinks were pretty good - I enjoyed my lychee mint crush ($3.50), and the husband really liked his root beer float ($3.80) (A&W where have you gone?).

My original Handburger burger ($.13.80). I thought the bun was a bit too sweet and soft. Also, I had ordered a chilled stuffed tomato to come with it as part of the set....but....

...this arrived instead. I asked the waitress what it was and explained that I didn't order this, and she looked blankly at me for a while before telling me they were yam/sweet potato chips (I forget now what they were). I had to explain that I had ordered the tomato with my burger before she gave another blank look and subsequently, after going back to the kitchen to check again, divulged that they had run out of tomatoes. Sigh. Information that should have been volunteered had to be prised out like a dentist extracting teeth without anaesthesia.

The husband's The Works burger ($16.80) with almost everything but the kitchen sink. This was a pretty good burger, I must admit.

The beef patty was tender and not too fatty, and the cheese was nicely melted.

The service was the real problem with the place, and it wasn't just the normal servers as well. At the end of the meal, the manager came up to us for a chat. Well, actually he asked specifically how we found the beef, which we said was really good. But we were really shocked to find out that HE was the manager since he was the waiter that pointedly ignored our presence while we were waiting in line - a cursory "we'll be with you in a minute" or "thank you for waiting" would have sufficed. Based on his bevahiour I thought he was ordinary staff. No wonder the rest of the team seemed to be rather poor in their customer engagement.

The value-for-money factor was a bit lost since the entire meal cost us nearly 50 bucks., despite me thinking that the beef patties were really good. I would have been happier going to Brewerks for a burger that cost a bit more, but with better service and atmosphere. This was just a fast food joint trying to play with the bigger boys.

If you really must, Handburger's at the Raffles City basement.