Unexpected Hunger Buster Burger

Guests entering a restaurant three minutes before it closes is technically okay.  But this situation is one of the most hated circumstances by that of the waiters and cooks.  This is especially true when the kitchen has started to do its cleaning and sanitizing.  Cooks would not have the choice but to gloomily re-grease their pots, pans and griddle and degrease it again later on when all orders of the oblivious close-to-being-late customer has been dispatched.

This is exactly what I did!  And in the above scenario, I was the customer.  Since it’s almost closing time, I expected that my orders would be nothing spectacular.  I was actually expecting the food to be unmeticulous, negligent and haphazard.

But all my worrying expectations were all false!  I was served, what could be considered one of the best gourmet burgers in Manila!  Congratulations to Hunger Buster.  This burger joint located at the 2^nd floor of University Mall in Taft Avenue gave me what I never expected.

yum!

It was so delicious, I wanted to drag other folks dining at a nearby restaurant and tell them “what the hell are you doing in that measly resto when an awesome gourmet burger joint in Manila is just under your freakin’ nose!?”

It was the type of burger that I love.  Hunger Buster provides disposable plastic hand gloves because their burger is a gloriously messy creation.  All elements I wanted for a burger was there: tender and flavorful meat, crispy bits of savory bacon, provocatively dripping greasy juices and gooey cheese!  And despite the dripping juices, the soft and tasty bun never turned sad and soggy.  For me it was one surprising burger!

I will definitely be back at Hunger Buster and on that time, I will step in 2 minutes before it closes! Hahaha!

An-ekspekted and sarap!

The Steak & Cheese Sandwich That Made Me a Sandwich Person

Except for burgers, I have never been fascinated with a sandwich.  I have always accepted the notion that I am not a sandwich person.  I’d rather be the one who prepare my own sandwich and not get from a store or order it from some fancy restaurant.  Because of this, I have always considered that for me to be fascinated on a sandwich served in a diner or a cafe, such must really be very good.

The supposition of me not being a non-burger sandwich person has however been changed.  There has been one sandwich that has finally mesmerized my sense of taste.  It is the Steak & Cheese Panini Sandwich served in Café Adriatico Express.

If my restless cravings and squirmish budget permits, I would at times order a Steak Sandwich in Café Adriatico at their Malate branch.  But the one they served in their new outlet located at the ground level of The Block in SM North Edsa, Quezon City were further improved.  They added loads of mozzarella cheese and used a tasty kind of Panini bread instead of the usual white bread.  Moreover the new sandwich version is served with potato fries and pickled red onions, the latter is actually a genius add-on because it is great palate equalizer for the very savory flavor of the sandwich filling.

yummy!

The appetizing presentation, the perfect portioning and the toothsome taste were right on target.  My taste buds were not jumping for joy, they were instead doing two and a half back-somersaults with two and a half twist on a ten meter platform dive!  This sandwich is definitely very delicious!

Ansarapsarap!

Shake Shack: A Kick Ass New York Burger

Feeling famished, I used up all my remaining patience on waiting in line so as to experience and savor the taste of New York’s most popular burger.  Though the line moved pretty quickly, it was actually the longest 30 minutes of my New York adventure.

where yumminess happens

yumminess

When I picked up the tray that contained two savory-looking burgers and a salver of freshly cooked French fries with gooey cheese on top from the dispatching counter and placed it in front of me and my friend Amiel, I swear I thought I was about to shed a tear.  The aroma of grilled meat filled my lungs, making me question whether exhaling has to be necessary.

This is what I experienced when I and Amiel (a New Yorker sweetie and the niece of my super friend Jhong) dined at Shake Shack at 8^th Street in New York. Shake Shack has been touted as the holy grail of burgers in New York and their burgers have had lining up customers for an hour or more at their New York City branches.  It’s the counter part of west coast’s yummy In ‘N Out which I equally enjoyed when I stayed in Los Angeles last year.

“pakagat!”

happiness

As for the taste, Shake Shack’s Shack Burger can easily be considered one of the best burgers I had in my life. The meat was enchantingly juicy and tasty while the potato buns were like little soft clouds to the palate.  The full glory of the burger was all over it, from the first bite up to the last.

Aside from the crinkle cuts of the fries, there’s nothing fancy and complicated about it.  Shake Shack fries are simply freshly cooked that is crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.  The simplicity of the fries somehow works well because it compliment the complex phenomenal taste and flavor of the burger.

Shake Shack burger was one dreamy encounter.  I loved every nano second of it!

Jusko… sana magka meron na nyan dito sa Meynila!