Burgers Worth Murder

The 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗯𝘂 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 ($13) was a quirky concept well executed. How often do you say that about fusion burgers?
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Impressed by the slices of angus beef which were blessed with silky scores of fat embedded into their tender fibres, even if they were mildly chewy at parts. Great textural interplay of tender meat, crunchy onions, bouncy mushrooms — warmly hugged by pillowy brioche buns.
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Yakiniku sauce provided a sweet umami that was vibrant but not cloying. It was complemented flawlessly by mushroom earthiness, then punctuated with onion sharpness for balance.

IG: @indulgentism

The humble cheeseburger is surely the best yardstick to judge a burger joint’s quality. Simple but well-assembled, their affordable cheeseburger ($9) was a delight.

The patty was juicy and well-grilled. Its flavour was deftly accentuated by other components, in particular the pickles possessed a striking meaty crunch and their tartness harmonised with the caramelised onions and the mustard’s tickling heat.

IG: @indulgentism

Few burger bars leave my heart swelling with more than just cholesterol but @25degreesinsingapore is somewhere I always leave feeling full — both heart and stomach.
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Maybe not the best burger in SG, but my favourite at least. They just make it different here. Pillowy buns thiccer than any Kardashian's, combined with crunchy bacon, luscious caramelised onions and a hefty juice-loaded patty. Damn.
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And out of left field, an ensemble of sharp punchy gorgonzola and piquant thousand island gives the 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗻𝗲 ($14) an exciting umami-laden profile.
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Of course, they aren't perfect. Having been more than 10 times — surely a personal record — they have inconsistencies. Hard for a feisty dynamite like this to be always flawless, but those times they assembled the perfect numero uno are still etched in memory.

IG: @indulgentism

It's impossible to get seats at this @theworlds50best mainstay. So takeaways allowing me to try this 𝗦𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 ($20) was a silver lining in the bleak pandemic clouds.
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Set across black backing, the vivacious slaw bloomed like fireworks in the night sky. Likewise the burger illuminated the crevices of my palate with hearty flavours — a voluminous star radiating well-spiced flavours from its succulent pulled pork core.
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Cloud-like buns along with notes of spicy chipotle aioli, sharp cheddar and slaw piquancy rounded up its profile. Hardly complex but the earnest heartiness was a welcome beacon of warmth amongst dark skies ahead.
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❗𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗕 on indulgentism.com
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[𝙊𝙪𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠] 𝘽𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙩 𝙀𝙣𝙙𝙨
📍 𝟮𝟬 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗟𝗶𝗺 𝗥𝗱, 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝟬𝟴𝟴𝟯𝟵𝟭
⏱️ (Daily) 11.30am-9pm

We should #supportlocal hidden gems in these times, so I'm strongly advocating for @25degreesinsingapore once again.
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When they are on top of their game, their 𝗡𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭 ($14) is still my numero uno — a thicc and juicy slab of patty embraced by pillowy buns, accented by beautifully caramelized onions. The gorgonzola and thousand island sauce added an one-of-a-kind spunk atop an irresistible umami overload. They are doing takeaway now too!
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[𝘽𝙪𝙜𝙞𝙨] 25 𝘿𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙨
📍 𝟮𝟬𝟬 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗱, 𝗛𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗹 𝗚, 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝟭𝟴𝟴𝟵𝟴𝟬
⏱️ (Daily) 7am-3am

Crowned "best burger", BurgerLabo has grown in both reputation and burger engineering ingenuity since my last visit. Most strinkingly, brioche buns are now sourced from bakery darlings Bakery Brera with palpable pillowy improvements.
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The flavourful 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 ($18) patty delivered a sensual textural threesome — an absolutely pristine crust gave way to juicy succulence, then a slight crumbliness coated the palate full of rousing beef bits and fluids. The cheese and simple sauce built on it magnificently, but the bone marrow butter was honestly unnoticeable.
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A simple burger but built with cutting edge technology from the lab, which also translated to a steep pricetag, especially for its small make. Best paired with their intoxicating 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 (+$3) for a truly decadent experience.
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[𝙇𝙖𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙠] 𝘽𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙇𝙖𝙗𝙤
📍 𝟰𝟭 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗱, 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝟭𝟬𝟵𝟰𝟱𝟰
⏱️ (Tues-Thurs) 5pm-11pm, (Fri-Sat) 5pm-2am; 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝑺𝒖𝒏-𝑴𝒐𝒏.

𝘖𝘬 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳, romanticise your cheap inflation-unadjusted food, but this $6 ($8 for double) 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 will silence all the boomers faster than getting all their CPF money back — 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗹 no matter which time epoch you're in!
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No established kopitiam burger grill really scratched my itch for a good burger thus far, but this basically hit gourmet burger standard. Can it dethrone BurgerLabo? Understandably not, but for its quality and ridiculous price, this will make you instantly forget pretenders like Shakeshack.
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The obscenely juicy patty packed plenty of rich bovine flavours, and there was magic in its eloquently mixed texture — mildy crumbly but mostly tender with doses of fattiness, all enveloped in a beautiful char that infused some crisp.
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Dressed with simple sauce, caramelised onions (not too sharp or sweet) and cheese, then sandwiched between two fluffy and buttery buns, the simple setup provided a stage for the patty to star — and it 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘮𝘮𝘺.
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📍𝟯𝟭 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝘀, #𝟬𝟮-𝟵𝟯 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 & 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲, 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝟭𝟰𝟵𝟲𝟰𝟰
⏱️ (Wed-Sun) 11am-5pm; closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
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P.S. Heard queues times are outrageous, and in fact I waited a good 15 mins even when it was empty around 3.30pm on a Wednesday

This collab sandwich from Le Bon Funk was a delight, with a mound of crazily tender and savoury beef tongue, all cloaked in a herby Gibriche sauce (sort of like an egg-mayo salad sauce). The multitude of ingredients in the complex concoction and the beef tongue cumulated into an explosion of fascinating flavours and textures.

Every bite of the tender patty felt dense and full of juice. Then abundance of fresh crunchy vegies and fluffy sourdough buns gave it some earthiness and wholesomeness. The nice riverside location was just a bonus.

It's close but not quite beef yet; still made for a solid burger.
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The patty tasted very similar and flavourful (though lacking some beefy savouriness), especially with the smokey char straight from the grill. But mouthfeel was slightly off, though still a decent replication of the firmness and density. -
Naturally, Three Buns make good burgers and their immaculate grilling, the cheese, kethcup and pillowy buns made the patty shine. Still, the price tag is steep, so take that into consideration.

Every component combined together for an elegant concerto on the tongue. The sauce was creamy and savoury, the buns pillowy, and the cheese an umami delight.
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And the patty — it was a dream. The meticulous mix of different beef types cumulated in this flavourful and succulent patty. Then it was cooked to a perfect medium, with a good mix of a firm bite, tenderness and a smoky char.
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Alas, being a basic burger, there's sadly a certain pizzazz absent. Still, this is as high quality as you get for a basic burger... Though also at a premium.

A close second to Burnt Ends as my favourite PBD collab, this Buah Keluak Burger ($25) collab with Candlenut was marvelous.
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The beef patty mixed with chicken cartilage was really luscious, but the buah keluak truly elevated it with its robust and complex flavours.
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To top it off, the chicken curry reduction and the ikan bilis sambal added even more dimensions to the already flavourful burger. These flavours were added with a sophisticated harmony, without getting overwhelming. The result of an amalgamation of these amazing Peranakan flavours was a decadent and multifaceted burger which never got boring.