Shiok Burger (Paya Lebar Square)

Small, but there's a bigger size. This was yummy, because there's real (PRC) beef in there.

Small, but there's a bigger size. Tater tots are tater tots, but the so-called ebiko sauce was very plain.

Their concept of PRC burgers is anchored upon PRC flavours such as mala and using flatbread. This burger uses fried chicken patty and ebiko sauce. The patty was fresh and done well, but the sauce very plain and the bun basic.

That's the product's name. Apparently the Shiok Burger is the evergreen mystery burger. Today it's sour vegetable chicken. Sliced chicken, sour vegetable and chilli. It wasn't impressive. Together with the rougamo bun, it felt like a rougamo. And guess what, we passed their sister restaurant Deli Bowl and saw the same sour vegetable chicken. So maybe their special flavour is always influenced by Deli Bowl.

An interesting fast food concept, @shiokburger_sg merges the east and west flavours into one, which turns out pretty good!

I got the Beef Cheeseburger Set ($10.99) which comes with a burger, a side and a drink. The beef burger had a thick juicy patty with a slice of melted cheese, all wrapped in a chinese pita bread. Now this is the interesting part, as the pita soaked the juices well, without actually becoming soggy. Unlike normal burger buns, it does not get too doughy! Now this is a worthy invention.

The Ebiko Chicken Burger ($9.99 with set) was also pretty good, with a crispy juicy chicken patty, generously topped with ebiko sauce (seafood umami was faint but still alright). Also quite enjoyable!

Sides had options of beef cheese fries and ebiko tater tots. Both were fresh and crispy, and the beef cheese fries had an interesting touch as the beef on top was flavoured with Chinese spices and cumin. An interesting blend of flavours once again.

Quite decent fast food actually! Maybe the only complaint is the smaller size of burger and sides 😂

Shiok Burger has been a name that had been popping up on social media a fair bit of the late — these folks had been opened for quite some time, with their very first store being situated at Paya Lebar Square. They had since expanded their operations with a second outlet at Raffles City Shopping Centre not too long ago, though we had made our visit to their Paya Lebar Square location just shortly after the brand had opened their second location. Their Paya Lebar Square location can be found at the ground level of the mall; the shop unit in which it occupies is in the same row where one can also find the outlet of J.CO Donuts there that is only accessible from outside the mall — in fact, the shop unit that Shiok Burger had taken up used to be part of the outlet of Delibowl there, which has been scaled down to accommodate for Shiok Burger. Interestingly, Shiok Burger is a brand that is operated by the same folks behind Nuodle and Delibowl. Shiok Burger’s shop facade is rather attention grabbing, considering how the shop features an almost entirely red appearance as one approaches the shop; the space within the shop can be described as rather tight and mostly functional with the use of wooden furniture and fittings — the walls adorned with posters of promoting their various food items. The menu is rather straightforward at Shiok Burger; Shiok Burger mainly focuses on serving up burgers that come with a Chinese influence; think of a hybrid of a conventional burger and a Rougamo — there are several variations of burgers to choose from but mainly comprises of beef and chicken options, while side dishes include variations of fries and tater tots. Beverages available at Shiok Burger include soft drinks, and a small variety of espresso-based coffee.

Considering how Shiok Burger serves up burgers with a Chinese influence, it was needless to say that the Mala Wagyu Burger was something that we were looking forward to give a go here. Shiok Burger does not describe the elements that comes with their burgers on their menu; that being said, one can observe that the Mala Wagyu Burger comes with elements such as the burger bun, processed cheese, a house-made Mala sauce, Wagyu beef patty, and a slice of lettuce — fairly basic components that one will be able to find in a conventional American cheeseburger item. The simplicity of the burgers at Shiok Burger is a running theme throughout all of their burger offerings. Taking a bite into the Mala Wagyu Burger, it was already evident that Shiok Burger is a little different from the average fast food burger that one is able to find at other establishments — the difference here mostly lies in the burger bun that comes across as a hybrid of the Chinese Rougamo and the conventional burger bun. While the Chinese Rougamo is usually light, crispy and flaky almost akin to a being a pita bread-meets-danish sort of situation, the burger bun at Shiok Burger maintains the soft, fluffy and light textures of the standard burger bun, but also retaining the bite of the Chinese Rougamo. Otherwise, the entire Mala Wagyu Burger felt close to what one would expect out of a simple American cheese burger; the processed cheese coming with a savoury note while the Wagyu patty was pretty decent — comes all meaty without all the fatty / veiny parts that may be difficult to chew and not particularly gamey as well. The Mala sauce was the highlight that really gave the Mala Wagyu Burger a burst of flavours — the sauce is sufficiently rich almost akin to that of an aioli; provided that aroma of Sichuan peppers that is both savoury and comes with a slight hint of spiciness to tickle the tastebuds, accompanying with a hint of numbness that gradually takes over the tastebuds but surprisingly not too intense while at it.

The Ebiko Burger on the other hand was in fact a burger featuring a fried chicken patty; it comes with similar components that comes with the Mala Wagyu Burger but without the processed cheese — this has been replaced by an Ebiko Mayo that seems to replicate that of a Mentaiko Mayo but is in fact just mayo topped with ebiko. The result was this burger that is a little heavy on mayo; but the creaminess was essential in amplifying the umami notes of the Ebiko further and gel it with the fried chicken patty that was juicy and tender — not particularly greasy as well. We had also opted for sets for our burgers, of which we opted for Potato Tates and Beef Cheese Fries as sets to go with the burgers, while our choice of drinks were the Lemon Coke and the Passion Fruit Soda. The Potato Tates were nothing too much to shout about — essentially just tater tots though these were crisp and not particularly greasy as well; the Beef Cheese Fries looked great being shoestring fries drizzled with nacho cheese sauce and mayonnaise, and coming with scraps of beef. The beef that came along with the Beef Cheese Fries did feel a little dry and stiff, while the shoestring fries weren’t the best being a little soft and limp. Shiok Burger does seem like an establishment focused on their fusion-style burgers and they do seem set to impress — the burgers are especially simple, though at the same time does carry that experience that they intend to bring pretty well. The affordability of the burgers are also a key focus, with the burgers being priced at $4.99 to $8.95 with the set being priced at an additional $3.20. Considering its level of affordability and the quality of their burgers, Shiok Burgers does present itself as a great and affordable meal option especially if one is near to its locations around the island.