Five Fatboys & A Funeral

Round Two for both Fatboy's The Burger Bar & Paradiso Lounge at Publika.

Earlier entry on Fatboy's: February 27. Earlier entry on Paradiso: February 26.

The fun facet of Fatboy's is "Building Your Own Burger" _ contemplating the cafe's list of buns, patties, toppings & sauces (most add-ons cost around RM2 each) to combine them in whatever fashion your heart desires. The sauce selection is cropped out of the photo above, but it includes blue cheese, wasabi mayo, honey mustard & garlic aioli.

Customized burger No. 1: We're calling this the Tex-Mex Sin Burger _ a beef patty topped with (deep breath!) chili queso, guacamole, jalapeno, mushrooms, caramelized onions, fried egg & cheddar cheese. A reservoir of juiciness, with each bite casting open the floodgates of flavor.

Customized burger No. 2: Let's label this the Aussie Abstinence Burger _ a pork patty partnered with wild arugula & beetroot & no sauces whatsoever. Lean & green (the meat seems too lean); as with many things in life, sinning is more satisfying _ at least in the short term.

Customers not into customization can choose one of Fatboy's regular burgers: this Holy Caesar sounds like an unholy union of fowl & swine _ grilled chicken & pork bacon _ but it's blessedly tasty, synced with romaine lettuce, Parmesan & kitchen-made Caesar dressing.

Bolly Wooly _ a lamb patty with curry remoulade & mango chutney on a honey-oat bun. The meat is so achingly tender, we imagine it might deliquesce on our forks. But in spite of the savory-sugary topping, it might be too assertively gamy for many of us.

For the next Meatless Monday, bite into this Big Bello _ chunky portobello mushroom with balsamic vinegar, caramelized onions, peppers, pineapple, mozzarella cheese & chipotle sauce in a wholewheat bun. It hits a high benchmark for vegetarian succulence.

What would go well with all five of those burgers? Beer-battered onion rings. Fatboy's also serves non-burger fare _ fish & chips, hot dogs, country-fried chicken & more.

Alcoholic milkshakes! Vanilla & chocolate, spiked with Kahlua & Bailey's respectively. The booze is discernible, though barely potent enough to make a ten-year-old tipsy.

For real liquor, it's only a 30-second escalator ride from Fatboy's to Paradiso Cine Lounge.

A couple of Paradiso's cocktails are named after Hugh Grant movies: Four Weddings & A Funeral comprises JW Black, lime, lemon, palm sugar & vanilla with cinnamon foam.

Bitter Moon, a more obscure 1992 Hugh Grant movie. This one has absinthe, Greek yogurt, Bombay Sapphire, cucumber & mint leaves _ a creative combo that illustrates how the bar here takes its concoctions very seriously.

Fatboy's The Burger Bar & Paradiso Cine Lounge,

Publika, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur.