Ramadhan Special 2013: The Famous Satay Burger

I'm pretty sure that most of you would have heard of The Famous Satay Burger.
One of our readers, Syawal, sent me an email to try it at the Tampines Bazaar Ramadhan this year.
I wasn't able to battle it with the Ramly burger but it was still worth a visit.

I first heard about it a few years ago and it appeared to be a regular fixture at the Geylang Bazaar Ramadhan. It seemed like a really popular thing with the long queues at the stall too!

I tried it way back when (before the idea of this Halal Food Blog was even formed in my mind) but never really officially reviewed it so I decided that I would do so this year. But apparently they're not located at the Geylang Bazaar this year. They've apparently taken up a space at the Tampines Bazaar instead!

Satay Burger ($5.00)

So you have a choice of beef, chicken or mutton for your Satay Burger.
Is it any coincidence that it's just like ordering satay?! I think not!

Let me break down the anatomy of the burger for you...

The special Satay Sauce

Comes with lettuce, cucumber and onions

So it's a pretty standard burger from what I can see so far.
The uniqueness of it will be the taste of the satay sauce that gives this burger a truly local flavour.

You know what? Even the meat patty itself makes a big difference!
It's seasoned exactly the same as how they would season satay meat on a skewer! When you take a nice big bite, you're going to immediately recognize that familiar taste of satay spices like coriander, cumin and fennel seeds (jintan).

It was just like I was eating a steak made up of satay meat all compressed together!
In fact, you will see at the stall that they actually do press the patties at the stall itself. They actually have the patty press there! No joke! And they also charcoal-grill the patty so it's still juicy!

For my experience this time, unfortunately the bun was a little soggy (as you can see from the first picture posted above). I guess it has been sitting in the box waiting for packing for quite awhile and soaked up some water from somewhere. So I ended up eating just the patty and veggies.

But what about the Satay Sauce??

Looks a little spicy right? Well it's not that spicy.
I actually feel this was a really good Satay sauce. It had a great flavour and it went really well with the meat patty since it's like eating satay.

But this burger can tend to get a bit messy to eat...
It may not look it, but it's pretty big. So watch out for the dripping sauce.

World Halal Quest blogger Kak Mas tried it way back when in 2009 when they had a stall at the Pasir Ris fishing pond. I'm not sure if they still have a stall there to be honest. Check out her post HERE.

Adam's Verdict:
Famous Satay Burger 3.5/5

For all you Satay lovers out there - this is a must try!
It really really tasted like I was eating satay!

Famous Satay Burger

Tampines Bazaar Ramadhan
Beside Tampines MRT

Operating Hours: 12 noon til 10.00 pm Daily

KL Sedap Part 6: Pepper Lunch

Pepper Lunch is a very popular Japanese-style makan place that has been around for many years. The outlets in Singapore however are not certified Halal.

Well, luckily for us - the outlets in Malaysia are certified Halal!

So the concept is really simple but something that is still so attractive.
You get to cook your own food on a hotplate! I'm not talking about steamboat style or the kind of hotplate that is perpetually hot (like table BBQ). This kind of hotplate is heated up (to 260 degrees!!) so that you can cook the meat to your liking and then after awhile, the cooking stops as the heat stops as well.

If you like your meat medium rare, put it atop the vegetables to stop the cooking but if you're like me and you like it well done, leave it on the hotplate to cook through all the way to the end.

Check out this promotional video that also plays at the Pepper Lunch outlets. It's actually like an instructional video that shows how to cook the different menu items they have.



Looks good eh? Looks fun eh? Well it is!
It's always fun to play a part in cooking your food the way you like.

But they seem to have forgotten one item on the menu which also happens to be my favourite!
Let's take a look at how the expert does it...



Yummy! Absolutely mouth-watering I say...

Ribeye Steak (RM36.80)

So for those with a bigger appetite for meat (like me) then you should go for the Ribeye Steak.
It comes with a combo which includes rice and veggies so you get a balanced meal. Also includes a side of mashed potatoes (which isn't really anything special to be honest)

The meat is really really as tender as you would expect and of course, you are responsible for how well you meat is cooked so you can stop at medium rare or medium well if you'd like. I personally always go all the way for well done.

And yes - it really is as big as it looks in the photo.

Pepper Steak (RM29.80)

For those who prefer something a little smaller, go for the Pepper Steak.
This is basically a smaller size piece of meat (which happens to be a Sirloin cut by the way) plus all the additional sides as well.

The meat is still tender and not too bad considering it's fast food.
But the serving is much smaller compared to the Ribeye so if you're hungry, we suggest you go big.
Plus, for the minimal price difference, you might as well top-up.

But a word of advice though...

You will have to add these two sauces to your meat while it's cooking on the hotplate.
Your initial instincts will be to taste them first which is fine because they don't taste too strong when you taste them on their own.

But when you start putting it on the meat, please don't overdo it!
Being the hero that I am, I went all out and thought to myself "the more the merrier".
That was a mistake! Too much will make your dish very very very very very salty so go slow okay!

Seafood Aglio Olio (RM18.80)

No likey the meaty? No problem!

Pepper Lunch also offers alternatives which involves no beef or chicken at all. And one of them is the Seafood Aglio Olio for all you pasta lovers.

When we first saw it, our initial reaction was "Pasta on a hotplate is not a good idea" but we were willing to give it a try so that all our readers have a heads-up!

They give you a small dish of seasoning and olive oil which you are supposed to pour all over your pasta while it cooks on the hotplate and is probably supposed to keep it from burning.

Well it doesn't really burn but as you can see, it does tend to get a bit dry.
Maybe a little (or a lot) more olive oil would have been helpful?
Come to think of it, maybe you should think twice before having pasta on a hotplate.

Don't get us wrong. The taste itself was not too bad actually. But the dried up dish wasn't a hit.
So it's either you eat really fast before it dries up or maybe ask for extra olive oil.

PS don't bother asking for Tabasco sauce - they've never heard of it.
(Reminder -  this is Japanese pasta not Italian pasta)

Adam's Verdict:
Ribeye Steak 4/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Ribeye Steak 4/5

Razali's Verdict:
Seafood Aglio Olio 3.5/5

Azim's Verdict:
Pepper Steak 4/5

Pepper Lunch is definitely worth a try if you're in Malaysia. Wonder if they will apply for Halal certification in SG in future maybe?

Pepper Lunch

Pavilion KL
168 Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Level 1, Lot 1.54
Tel: 60 3 21410228

Operating Hours:
10.30am til 10.30pm Daily

KL Sedap Part 3: A&W

Yes yes this is another place we makan-ed at when we visited in Melaka.
But if you remember, we didn't get to eat what we came for. And finally - now we can!

Beef Coney Dog (RM11.65 for the combo)

Yes, this time the guy gave us the correct Coney Dog!
And to be honest, compared to the Chicken Coney Dog, the Beef version is so much better.

Azim has A&W lots of places in Malaysia and he claims that the Coney Sauce here is actually below par compared to other A&W outlets he's been to. My darling wife, on the other hand, thinks the sauce is fine but they put too little on it.

Call me a sucker for meat but there's just something so.. something so.. satisfying.
The snap of the sausage is so much more evident and it tastes absolutely delicious. Topped of with the Coney sauce and onions and you have yourself a party right there.

Honestly - one is not enough for me!

Curly Fires

Of course, pair it with some Curly Fries and there's an even bigger party.

But you know what was the real kicker for this visit?
Remember that in Melaka, we were served the Root Beer Float in paper cup.
Well, thank goodness that's not the case here.

Classic Root Beer Float

That's right. A Classic Root Beer Float served in a frosty mug.
With scoop ice-cream (none of that Soft Serve nonsense) and they even get the Root Beer out of the old-school tap! That's what I call classic!

And it still tastes as refreshing as ever.

Yes! That tap!
When was the last time you saw one of those?!That's the original stuff right there!!

Not only are we not able to get the classic A&W in Singapore anymore, most of the places across the Causeway (and even in Indonesia) don't really keep many of the old A&W traditions that made it famous in the first place.

Nowadays, you get a paper cup instead of the frosty mug.
If I wasn't such a law-abiding person, I probably would have swiped the mug! Because you simply can't get it at that many places anymore!

And speaking of classic...

A&W Waffle with Double Scoop Ice-Cream (RM7.95)

I remember that the last time I ate this was in 1998 at the A&W in Bedok (besides the National Library).
And according to Razali, it hasn't changed a bit.

The waffles are still excellent and the standards haven't dropped at all.
You can have the single scoop for RM1.00 lesser but come on... you know it's gonna be the double...

Adam's Verdict:
Beef Coney Dog 5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Beef Coney Dog 3.5/5

Razali's Verdict:
Waffle with Double Scoop Ice-Cream 4/5

Azim's Verdict:
Beef Coney Dog 3/5

As you can see, it was a very satisfying meal overall.
I wish they would re-open A&W in Singapore. I'm sure people would still flock there.

A&W

Jalan Batu, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
www.facebook.com/awmalaysia

Operating Hours:
10.00am til 11.00pm (Sundays - Thursdays)
10.00am til 12.00am (Fridays and Saturdays)