Big Hug Burger @ SS15, Subang Jaya

"A hug can break all barriers regardless of skin colour."

I was invited to Big Hug Burger to review the restaurant and I managed to head there last night despite having to prepare for my upcoming examinations. After all, food is comfort.

Little did I know it wasn't just the food that brought me much peace the minute I stepped into the restaurant. 

Setting

At the order counter. So adorable!

That's the counter and on the pillar on the right is their menu.

Such pleasant items to see at the counter when you order.

The work place just behind the counter.

And this is where you collect your orders.

View of the restaurant from my seat.

Wall decorations by the founder, Aidelle, herself. 

More wall decorations.

More!

Comfy sofas!

It got busy just minutes after I arrived.

Another seating area.

That gigantic wall poster!

Free flow of drinks and snacks!

Pardon me. I just LOVE the wall!

Opened in late April, Big Hug Burger became like a second home to many. This is indeed one of the most homey restaurants I've ever been to. The conceptualization of the entire place just gives you a nostalgic feeling as you appreciate the decorative items displayed. "I designed this place as to how I would design my home," said Aidelle, the owner, during my interview with her after dinner. To make things even more comforting for my friends and I, she personally made us iced and hot chocolate with marshmallows as well as hot tea and Chinese coffee in which we are very thankful for. Aidelle also mentioned that the iced chocolate with marshmallows are her daughter's absolute favourite. 

To my knowledge, Subang Square was never really a pleasant building to open a restaurant at. I'm not sure if it's because of the lighting or what, but it's pretty dodgy and I would feel utmost insecure walking through it. What more when it's situated closely to other dark places. "I told the management I wanted security when I got this place. I want not only myself, but also my customers to have a sense of security as they visit my restaurant," Aidelle mentioned when I questioned her about the location of the restaurant as well as the existence of security guards within the area. Before this, there were never any. 

My dad came across this place a few weeks ago and discovered that Aidelle was my former art teacher from Sunway. Being someone artsy, she has the eye for detail and also that creativity runs in her blood. So the image above is of what she drew to reserve my table for me (: super adorable! I should add that some of the names of the foods are also creatively made up by her.

And of course, one cannot miss this:

The Big Hug bear!

Menu

As mentioned earlier, this is the menu and here are bigger shots of it so you can (hopefully) view the prices.

What went into our tummies

My order: Grilled Lamb Burger [RM20] with add-ons of sautéed Shitake mushrooms [RM2] and Mozzarella cheese [RM2]

I thought the burger could've been a bit better. The patty can be much juicier and I, being particular, do not fancy too much caramelized onions in my burger. I did like the fact that they used roasted cherry tomatoes instead of using fresh slices tomatoes because it adds much flavour to the whole burger.

Esther's order: Grilled Salmon Burger [RM20] with add-ons of sautéed Shitake mushrooms [RM2] and Mozzarella cheese [RM2] 

Her comment was that they should prioritize the taste of the patty as opposed to having the flavours of other add-ons and ingredients in which were competing with the flavour of the patty. (note: in the event of any other additional comments from Esther, this section will be edited.) 

Anis' order: Grilled Beef Burger [RM18] with additional beef bacon [RM3] 

Izzal's order: Cheesy Chicken Burger [RM26] and this is the jumbo sized burger.

To demonstrate the size of this piece of heaven, the following images shall assist you so:

Comparing its height to a Samsung Note II.

Comparing its width to a Samsung Note II.

You can now judge for yourself.

Note that Aidelle considers her burgers as art burgers rather than gourmet. She is, after all, an artist. 

And it was as if those burgers weren't enough, Aidelle generously added more items to our order:

Glorious, glorious, glorious Cheesy Wedges [RM7] in which we couldn't finish and had to have them to go.

Onion Rings [RM6] in which Esther thought were good. 

And there ain't not complete burger meal without french fries [RM7]

If you're a fish lover, you might want to give the Crispy Fish Burger [RM18] a try. I've had them to go once and it was excellently done. You can tell that it ain't no processed fish in your burger. Just to weigh in on the quality of the food in terms of its location of purchase, the beef and lamb are imported from Australia. Their chicken meat is usually from the thigh area and is local.

And as usual, the soft drinks [RM5] are bottomless!

*EDITED: 13th June 2013* 

Crispy Fish Burger à la carte [RM12] 

I hope this additional edit will bring much benefit to all of you re-reading this post. I visited Big Hug Burger for the second time and managed to try their Crispy Fish Burger there and then. I LOVE it! You can taste the flamed surface as well which gives it an *oomph*. And somehow the size of the extra large fish patty didn't bother me at all. You can taste the freshness of the fish and also, the veggies did not overpower the flavour of the fish in which I am very glad for.

So here's a picture of the iced chocolate drink with marshmallows!

Edited because the image ended up being blurry :( #failphotographer

*END OF EDIT*

A little more about Big Hug Burger

The concept is simple. Creating a happy place for everyone regardless of age, gender, race, etc. as well as a space where there no judgement is placed on you that you can call home.

Most of the customers consist of Aidelle's ex-students (like myself) and their families. They also consist of college students, mostly international students. "Some of them do not feel accepted in the society they live in because of their skin colour. So they often visit my restaurant to seek comfort. Some of them even bring their visiting families to introduce them to me and I find that very pleasant," said Aidelle.

Aside from those restaurant concepts, Aidelle is a big fan of hugs. She used to serve at an orphanage and carried many babies. She noted that the human touch is so important similar to how a child's attachment to a parent is essential. Hence, the name of the restaurant being "Big Hug".

Aidelle clearing the blackboard for the kids so they can draw on it.

Her workers are also absolutely friendly people. She treats them like family and they address her as "mommy" which highly suggests her motherly figure even amongst her workers.

One of the kakaks sorting out the sauce bottles after closing.

Parties can be held as well. Just drop a message on Facebook so that they are noted of it. You can bring the birthday cake along and they will hide it for you (; I shan't spill too much details on this.

Big Hug Burger is in the midst of experimenting new flavours and might come up with new items on their menu aside from burgers in the near future. Stay tuned for them!

Special thanks to Aidelle for catering to my friends and I as well as her precious time to have a chat.


Information:

Address: CT-G-03, Subang Square Corporate Tower, Jalan SS15/4G, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor.
Contact number: +60356134788
Operating days: Mondays - Saturdays
Operating hours: 12.00 p.m. - 4.30 p.m. & 6.30 p.m. - 10.30 p.m.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BigHugBurgers (constantly updated)
Email: bighugburger@hotmail.com
Parking: Public parking @ RM0.50 per hour or Subang Square basement (If you are with a small group, I do not recommend parking at the basement. You'll also be paying a more expensive rate.)
WiFi: Available but password protected