Singapore: The Beast @ Jalan Klapa

A bit late to the party but Happy New Year! (at least on this blog considering it's the first post of 2015)

2 months ago, which backdates to 2014, I was in Singapore for a short trip and had the opportunity to attend Burpple's Tastemakers' Meet-up at The Beast. Honestly, it was no ordinary dinner - it was a feast.

Upon arrival, we were served lemonade [$6] and iced tea [$7]. 

We were told to mix the two because that's how it's best consumed. Personally, I liked them separately.

Magic Hat, an American craft beer (not part of the meet-up) [$14].

Bar Bites

Homemade corn bread [$6]

Pulled pork sliders [$16]

Bacon mac & cheese [$9] - yes, this is listed under the right category.

We also had Jack & the Beast Stalk [$12] which I have no photo of because we walloped it all. I have no clue what 'secret seasoning' is in that dish but it was so lovely with a thirst-quenching drink. 

Plates // Mains

Chicken & waffles [$20]. It looks deceivingly dry but I can assure you the tenderness of the chicken with bourbon maple butter sauce does a lot of justice. 

Blackened pork collar [$24] with beans mashed potatoes, thyme and garlic cream sauce. Where is the wrong in that?

And the highlight of the mains goes to ...

The Beast Burger [$125] which, I quote, "adequately feeds 2 stoners or 4 adults." 

Here's for the sake of comparing its size to my iPhone 4S. 

Honestly, after feeding 6 people with everything before this arrived, I wasn't sure how we were going to finish it - and we unfortunately could not. The size of it was just overwhelmingly alarming. 

Desserts 

Bourbon pecan pie [$12] - one of the best pecan pie's I've had.

Peach crumble [$12]. To describe this dish, I shall not "compare [it] to a summer's day" because thou art so achingly beautiful in that stone cold plate. It felt as if the textures and flavours were dancing in felicity on my tastebuds.

Bacon maple glazed donut [$5/piece].  

I'll let this picture describe the whole experience to you.

You can tell we took a while to take the photos. Time and ice cream wait for no one. 

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That's a wrap!

Thank you for this amazing dinner, Burpple! I never felt more full.

Burpple is available in Malaysia. Download the app and like their Facebook page HERE. 

Information:

Address: 17, Jalan Klapa, Singapore 199329

Contact no.: 6295 0017

Email: info@thebeast.sg

Opening hours: Monday – Thursday: 5.00 p.m. - 12.00 midnight, Friday – Saturday: 5.00 p.m. – 1.00 a.m., Sunday: 10.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.

Website: www.thebeast.sg

* Prices in this entry are listed in Singaporean Dollars (SGD)

* This event was by invite only and courtesy of Burpple (including the additional lighting for photography because they are awesome like that)

The Burger Factory @ Oasis Square, Ara Damansara

The view from outside the restaurant.

About three weeks ago, I contacted The Burger Factory via Facebook expressing my interest to write a review about their SS15 outlet in which was glaring at my face each time I pass by SS15. They promptly replied with an invite to their recently opened outlet at Oasis Square in Ara Damansara and I was looking forward to it because Oasis Square is a very beautiful place and an interesting one to explore.  

Setting

Their massive signboard outside.

They opened just a few days before I paid a visit.

Indoor seating.

I wasn't surprised that the restaurant had a warehouse touch to it. Most burger outlets I know have the same particular theme and it never ceases to please customers.

Go green!

This may be slightly out of place with the theme (methinks) but I do quite like these lights by themselves.

Menu

I am aware that they also serve pasta and what not but I wish to focus on the burgers. Not exactly sure why there is even pasta on the menu when their signboard says "The BURGER Factory". Anyway, the menu is impressive as they have a visual illustration of literally all the varieties of burgers; something in which most burger outlets do not have. I was much taken aback by these two though:

The Boss - in which I ordered ...

... and this insane Sumo Feast/Champion for freaking RM49.90.

 I think having all those items in that one absurd burger laid out as a burger platter with mini buns sounds way more appropriate and edible.

What went into our tummies

Our food was on the house and we went with the recommendations by the founder.

First order up: the Cheese N Cheese. Probably the cheesiest burger I've ever had (no pun intended). I was, however, not very pleased with the texture. It was a very wet, slippery burger with drips of patty juices let to waste onto the paper wrap at every bite. The bun was so soft it did not do much justice. The beef patty was quite nicely done though but eating this can be one messy task. 

A peak at how it is on the inside.

This is probably embarrassing to admit as a foodie but I absolutely hate pickles and would immediately pick them out if I spot them in my burgers - most especially in cheese burgers. The sourness it gives out just doesn't work for me at all and I am sorry if I have offended any of you. Unfortunately for this burger, it had two massive slices of pickles in it in which I did not hesitate to pick out.

See what I mean by messy?

The Boss is probably the most insane burger I ever had to consume. It was approximately 5 to 6 inches in height if I remember correctly. Its presentation is astonishing and at some point after giving it much admiration, you'll start to wonder how to eat it without ruining it as much as you can. My friend and I gave it a good 5-minute stare trying to figure out how to split it. 

Truth be told, we had to deconstruct the entire burger. Although this method of eating allowed us to taste each ingredient, the thought of even attempting to eat this as to how one eats a burger is just preposterous. And nope, the satay stick does not help. 

To go into detail on the content, I thought they could've used bacon strips with fat rather the ones without for better flavour and texture. The ones they used did not work for me as it gave off the impression that I was eating slices of Chinese sausage. On the bright side, I did enjoy the grilled chicken part of The Boss as the bolognaise sauce added some brightness to the flavour. The beef patty was exactly the same as the one in Cheese N Cheese.

I did not take a picture of how the deconstructed burger was because I think most would look at it in discomfort as the ingredients were scattered everywhere on the plate. So if eating this was already so hard, I cannot imagine how it would be like to eat The Sumo. If you've had that, please let me know how it went.

Finally, for the sides, we decided to not go with fries in case they were too heavy and thank goodness we didn't. We opted for onion rings instead which turned out to be so-so.

I would visit The Burger Factory once more to try out the other burgers other than The Sumo, seeing how my messy experience with The Boss went. 

The Burger Factory has two other outlets in Subang Jaya and Kota Kemuning. 

Information

Address: R-10, Central Piazza, 2, Jalan PJU 1A/7A, Oasis Square, Ara Damansara, 47301 Petaling Jaya.
Operating days: Every day
Operating hours: 11.00 a.m. - 12.00 a.m.
Contact numbers: +60122883803 / +60356129992 (SS15) / +60355255993 (Kota Kemuning)
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/theburgerfactorymalaysia
Foursquare: https://foursquare.com/v/the-burger-factory--oasis-square/52a5d43911d24c4750b754e7
WiFi: Not available

The Pre-Melbournified Duo Special

Hey all! So this is the exclusive double post as promised. I'd like to introduce you to a new (perhaps as of now, not-so-new) place my dad discovered before I left for Melbourne which I really love. The next section will feature new items on the new menu for Burgertory.

I apologize for taking ages because I've been spending the past couple of days settling in and finding my way around everywhere. Melbourne is too amazing. Happy reading!

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CAFFEine, Setia Walk Puchong

Setting

Nothing like your usual Starbucks or Coffee Bean, obviously. A different setting, more casual-like and homey yet has that industrial-warehouse theme to it - most probably because of its cement floor and lighting style. Is this the in thing now?

View from the entrance of the restaurant.

Coffee-making counter - heavily industry themed i.e. the glass rack and brick counter style.

Of course, wooden tables. The stools are pretty cute!

There is no exact standardization for the design of tables and chairs which adds to the casualness of the entire setting.

Sacks on the wall to further enhance the warehouse theme. Not too sure what's going on with the rainbow-coloured curtain for the toilet though.

They also have plenty of stuffs going on on the display counter! 

Ice cream sticks and those paper clips. Genius. 

Usually people would display just the croissants, but this one displays the butter and jam too. Well, at least we know what they're serving!

RM10.50 for a slice? No, thank you.

Tea display! Interesting brand. 

Proudly displaying their coffee makers.

 

This one has quite an in-depth philosophical meaning behind. Methinks.

Menu

Typical white/light coloured chalk-ish style on blackboard. And I'm not complaining. 

What went into our tummies

Chocolate Baileys Crepe [RM17.50]

The word "enjoy" put a smile on my face that night. I distinctively remembered that. Price wise, I thought it was a lil' steep. 

Ice Blended Caramel [RM12.00]

The RM6.00 coffee which dad said was okay. 

Ice Blended Strawberry Banana [RM12.00]

Looks just about a large scoop of strawberry ice cream to me.

So I got the ice cream for free because I checked in on Foursquare. A tip for you peeps, always check Foursquare when you're at restaurants, particularly franchises or decently big places. And I do not mean go around checking everywhere you go like your house in which some of you may refer to as your "Castle" or something. I mean utilizing the application for its actual purpose. Some places have promotions and free stuffs you do not want to miss! And psst.. Mayorships mean nothing in the real world the minute you log out of that app!

Setia Walk is crowded during weekend nights generally because of the bars and late dinnners. When I was there, I saw many families as well. I guess the entire design of the space attracted many people's attention. Somehow, it felt like a good escape from the traffic jam just outside the walls of the structure.

I should warn you that parking is absolutely horrid at night if you try to get the public space. So what you should do is to head down straight to the season parking area. It's open on weekends I believe. At least that's what I did. But then again, season parking is usually only for weekdays so I don't see why not.

Information:

Address: G-09-1, Level 1, Block G, SetiaWalk, Persiaran Wawasan, Pusat Bandar Puchong, 47160 Puchong, Selangor.
Operating days: All except Tuesdays
Operating hours: 2.00 p.m. - 11.00 p.m. (Mondays, Wednesdays - Fridays), 12.00 p.m. - 11.00 p.m (Saturdays & Sundays)
Contact no.: +60358790033
Website: http://caffeine.my/
Email: info@caffeine.my
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/caffeine.my

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Burgertory's New Items

Have I told you that I'm a sucker for peanut butter? No? I probably did, I think. It's something you must know about me. I think I inherited this trait from my dad because he loves peanut butter too.

The new menu! *puts on Caption Obvious hat*

This is definitely an improvement from the previous menu design. The red background gives it a more fiery look and the fonts are bold and clear. The frame is a plus point to the design, giving it a more classy yet strong look.

So anyway, these are the two new burgers my friend, Brandon and I ordered the other day.

Blue Label [RM19.00] which Brandon said was excellently done and that the blue cheese is amazing. [Add RM9.00 for Burgertory Fry Combo]

And my order of the Skippy Bacon [RM16.00] with complimentary wedges from the chef.

Just look at that layer of peanut butter. Just look at it!

The only peanut-butter-in-burger I've ever had was the Peanut Butter Bacon from Crayon Burger (reviewed here) and that was only satisfying. This one is an exception. Firstly, the use of Skippy peanut butter which is an amazing brand. It is smooth, creamy, not light and frothy and has the right density of flavour for peanut butter. Secondly, the ingredients are arranged in a way that the flavours do not clash. The patty's moisture and flavour is maintained because of the layer of veggies between the peanut butter and patty. I do think the veggie layer helps very much in distinguishing both the ingredients. Also, they use cheddar mild cheese which doesn't have an intense flavour. The bacon is perfectly fine up there by itself. Last but not least, well... did I mention peanut butter?

If you'd like a healthier option, I suggest having their salad as opposed to the fried options to accompany your burger. I love the fried stuffs, I cannot lie. But do give the salad a try for once! I've had the Swine Belly Salad and had this image of a balanced meal in my head which made me feel less guilty. Trust me, it works.

For more information on Burgertory, click here.

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Wishing all my Muslim readers Selamat Hari Raya from Melbourne! Stay safe on the roads and have a pleasant journey. To everyone else, happy holidays and enjoy yourselves! I'll be back with Melbourne stories soon (: Cheers!


If there's a place you wish for me to visit in Melbourne, drop me an email with the description of the place i.e. website, Facebook page, location.