This is something completely off most of the topics I actually discuss in my blog, however, it was a nice idea that my older bro came up with. He suggested that we go around and try some of the most basic but homemade burgers in Miri. And that was an awesome idea he came up with, so at least if you guys come to Miri for a holiday, or you're just looking for nice places to try out some burgers, we can name a few nice places to check out. While this was a burger adventure, we had to taste and try out each burger following a procedure (they're just burgers, why go through the trouble you may ask, well let me tell you!) so that we can, in our best efforts, give the most honest opinions for each one. First of all, a gulp of water before and after trying each burger, so that our tongues are at their neutral state. And also, we bought one beef burger of their specialty (because some stalls come with two choices of beef burgers, the ones that are homemade and the ones bought from stalls), as stated by each shop's menu, and rated their burgers based on that. The number of burger stalls we had found surprised us, because some we pass by everyday, never having a thought of trying them out, while others are well known among Mirians. We had managed to find 9 different burger stalls or shops, and from each, a humble beef burger of their specialty, to decide the rating at which whether it deserves to be known, or be amongst those, who tried, but failed. DUM DUM DUMMMMMMM!! (suddenly sounding like one of those game shows)
OLD MAN'S GRILLED BURGER :
The burger stall that sold this burger is located along Bintang Walk, one of the first stalls which you see to your right as you enter the junction. Previously, this stall was known as Sam Burger, but the name has recently been changed to Old Man Grilled Burger. The first thing you might notice is that this burger was one of the few very nicely packed. The way they pack the burger doesn't squash it or causes the sauce to spill out and for that you can enjoy a still nice burger. One of the things that stand out the most for this burger when you take that first bite would be how nice and thick the patty is, however, the patty might have been cooked for too long, leaving the patty dry. One of the best thing about this burger would also be the generous amount of vegetables they put in the burger, the cabbage is also given in pieces and not the mangled, slices that was opted by few other stalls. The sauce used was fairly regular, but as a conclusion, and also with comparison to the other burgers we tried out, this burger is one of the few that stand out from the others.
Price : RM 5.00
Verdict : Recommended
Pros :
- Nice and thick patty
- Generous serving of vegetables
- Packing keeps the burger looking good
- Nice choice of burger bun, doesn't get too soggy even after a while
Cons :
- Fairly regular choice of sauce
- Patty is not juicy
JOHN MADU :
The stall selling is burger is located near Old Man Grilled Burger, known as John Madu. What makes this burger stand out as soon as you take the first bite is that they added baked beans. The packing of this burger is also one of the best things about this stall, they keep the burger looking nice, and this does help. The patty that they cooked is also very delicious, and in no way spoils the overall taste of this burger. The buns they selected for the burger are also of admirable quality, and this also improves the overall taste as well in my opinion. The amount of vegetables put in this burger are not as generous, however, they're not too stingy either. You could say, it's a nice amount of given vegetables. Other than that, they sauce they used for this burger is also fairly regular, however, it has a slight edge due to the added taste of the baked beans.
Price : RM 4.00
Verdict : Try it if you want
The Pros :
- A delicious patty as well
- Good quality buns
- Baked beans adds to the overall taste
The Cons :
- Dry patty
- Nothing exceptional
ALAIZ :
The stall selling this burger is also conveniently located nearby the previous two stalls, known as Alaiz Burger. However, this burger doesn't share much of the same positive points as Old Man Grilled Burger or John Madu. At first glance, you can see how squashed the burger is due to their method of packing. While this is not a major turn off to your appetite, it does affect it a little bit. And secondly, while a main problem with most of the burger would be the generous amount of tomato or chili sauce given, there are times when they can be too generous. And this plagues the overall taste of the patty, which I was barely able to taste due to the amount of sauce. The patty was probably the best things about this burger, as it does taste quite nice, but that is pretty much they only nice thing I can say about this burger.
Price : RM 3.50
Verdict : Requires improvement
The Pros :
- If you can taste it, the patty is nice
The Cons :
- Too much sauce and mayonnaise
- Squashed during packing
- The bun is of poor quality as is was soggy
PAK KASSIM :
Just by looking at the photo above, you can guess that this burger also suffers from too much sauce. The stall selling this burger is also located near the others and along the stretch of Bintang Walk, known as Pak Kassim. Due to the sheer generousness of the sauce, the taste of the patty is greatly overshadowed. And to tell the truth, I could bare taste it at all. The packing of this burger was also very poor, as they would squash the patty and leave a mess made of sauce and soggy bread. The buns used for this burger are of fairly poor quality, and this also makes this burger less of a joy to eat. However, to give this burger a positive point, they gave a generous amount of vegetables.
Price : RM 4.00
Verdict : Requires improvement
The Pros :
- Generous amount of vegetables
The Cons :
- Too much sauce
- Burger is squashed during packing
- Bun is of poor quality
PERGH GRILLED BURGER :
The stall selling this burger is also located along Bintang Walk. The stall is known as Pergh Grilled Burger (a slight mistake in the picture above). This burger is definitely one of the burgers that really taste good and are worth remembering. First and for most, this is one of the only burger stalls that actually use a real grill to cook their homemade burgers. Added to that is a black pepper and chili sauce combo which for this burger works surprisingly well. This stall does not suffer from too much sauce, so you can taste every bit of the patty and the bun as well. The vegetables are the standard cabbage and diced up onions which in my opinion don't really add much but complement the burger well. The real highlight of this stall would be how different the taste of the patty for the burger is, and after going there again, they actually add a little sour sauce (kicap) while the patty is cooking as well. Although the buns used are nothing special, because of how the burger is stacked with the sauce, the buns don't get soggy, and the burger isn't squashed. And this stall has its own Facebook page, check it out (Pergh Grilled Burger).
Price : RM 5.00
Verdict : Recommended
Pros :
- Distinctive tasting patty
- Packed very well
- Burger buns don't get soggy because most of the sauce is between the 2 cut patties.
- Delicious patty
Cons :
- Dry patty
BURGER INC. :
The stall known as Burger Inc. is also located along Bintang Walk, however, much closer towards the masjid as well as the primary school SK Syed Othman. The burger sold by the stall not only suffered from the same problem as Pak Kassim and Alaiz which is too much sauce, but in this case mayonnaise. Other than that, this burger has nothing else to offer, the patty tastes fairly regular, if you could taste it at all.
Price : RM 3.50
Verdict : Requires improvement
Pros :
- Unfortunately, none over the competition
Cons :
- Too much mayonnaise
- Fairly regular
HASMAS KENYALANG :
This burger stall is located at Pasar Malam Saberkas, meaning it is only available on Thursday to Saturday. The verdict, the amount of stalls providing too much sauce is high in Miri, and this stall is no exception. However, it does come with a generous serving of vegetables. Other than that, similar to Burger Inc., it's a fairly regular tasting burger, with a fairly regular tasting patty.
Price : RM 4.00
Verdict : Requires improvement
Verdict : Requires improvement
Pros :
- None as well
Cons :
- Fairly regular
DLAH BURGER :
Unfortunately, this burger stall, just like Hasmas Kenyalang Burger, is also located at the Pasar Malam Saberkas. And unfortunately as well, it shares the same flaws. And overly simple burger which although does not overload on the sauce, is fairly average and forgettable when compared to some of the other highlights on this review which I will state later. It is however, the cheapest burger on this list, so if you are tight on money and want to eat a burger, this might be the burger for you.
Price : RM 2.50
Verdict : Requires improvement
Pros :
- Cheapest burger
Cons :
- Easily forgettable
KINKY FAT CHEF KITCHEN :
The restaurant selling this burger is known as Kinky Fat Chef Kitchen, or KFCK for short. Well known among the Mirians who enjoy a burger from time to time, its hard not to know where the restaurant for this burger is located, you might be able to ask just any random Mirian, and they will pin point you to the location. The reason why I called it a restaurant is because this is well established as a restaurant, complete with tables on which to enjoy their burgers. And looking at how well it is doing, you can expect the same from its burgers. You could say that this restaurant would have the best packing available to them, keeping the burgers ready to eat and squash-free. The sauce used for this burger is homemade, and of course has a unique taste of its own, and it doesn't stop there, you have a choice of three different sauces, their original sauce, cheese or black pepper, which are all homemade but of course for this review, we ordered the original sauce. The patty is also dry, but thick, and the vegetable provided in this burger are pickles, diced onions and cabbage. And also for the price, it comes with cheese, the only restaurant among the others that provide cheese for their basic burgers. This restaurant also has its own Facebook page, check it out (Kinky Fat Chef Kitchen).
Price : RM 5.00
Verdict : Recommended
Pros :
- Nice and thick patty
- Homemade sauce is delicious and unique
- Includes cheese for the price
- Good packing
- Good amount of vegetables
Cons :
- Dry patty
THE FINAL VERDICT
Among all 9 stalls that we (me and my brother as well as my uncle) have tried, very few standout, and although all suffer from having dry patties, we rated their overall taste and price to value. In my personal opinion, those burger hotspots would be Kinky Fat Chef Kitchen, Sam (now known as Old Man Grilled Burger) and Pergh Grilled Burger. Each stall offers its own unique selection of burgers. Though they do lose quite a bit when compared to the well established KFCK, they put up a good fight, and for that they are worth trying out as well. I rarely have favourites, because that would mean only one of the 9, and the hard part is, I enjoy eating at all three stalls, at any given time, and it would be nice to see them establish themselves as well. To the other stalls that we have tried, we hope you come up with your own unique style of burger, so that we can add you to the list as well.
Farid
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