The onslaught of American F&B franchises continues: Fuddruckers has brought what it calls the 'world's greatest hamburgers' to Malaysia, following in the recent footsteps of brands like Johnny Rockets & Red Lobster.
Fuddruckers' first Kuala Lumpur outpost is now at Lot 10, seeking perhaps to capitalise on Bukit Bintang's tourists & shoppers. It's visible from the main road of Jalan Sultan Ismail, replacing what was once Bon Ton on the street level of the mall's annexe.
Burgers here are hearty; customers can choose versions comprising beef patties weighing 1/3 lb (RM34.90), 1/2 lb (RM46.90), or 2/3 lb (RM56.90) in reputedly freshly baked buns, prepared medium or medium-well, paired with Fudd Fries (thick wedges) or thinner French fries. This photo shows our 1/2-lb order, which would be a really heavy lunch.
The char-broiled patties (cooked to order, so they take about 10-15 minutes to serve) are moist & tender, offering big mouthfuls to bite down on. But 'world's best' is hyperbole, of course. We tried the 'Southwest,' topped with hickory-smoked beef bacon, guacamole, melted pepper jack cheese, ranch dressing, chipotle mayo, lettuce & tomatoes. The sum of all those components is not as punchy in flavour as it sounds, but it works well enough for a sink-your-teeth-into-this burger.
Chicken sandwiches are available; the Caesarwich (RM22.90) is a fun one that features a sizeable slab of grilled breast meat with Caesar salad dressing, crunchy romaine lettuce, crispy croutons & parmesan cheese.
Steaks are another speciality here, seasoned in Fudds' 'signature spice' & hickory-grilled on an open flame. The bigger steaks are a bit pricey (RM110.90 for a 400-gram bone-in rib-eye) for example, so we opted for a more wallet-friendly platter of rib-eye (170 grams) with sauteed shrimp, creamy-milky mashed potatoes & mixed veggies for RM69.90.
As with everything we tried here, pretty satisfactory & reasonably well-prepared - the meat's tasty & juicy enough. At this point, the only hesitation we really have might be the prices, but it's understandably expensive to operate a restaurant in this location.
Fuddruckers' chili is worth sampling - plenty of ground beef (safe flavours - mildly spiced by the standard of Malaysian palates, but mercifully still very far from bland) in a 1980s-era bread bowl for RM18.90. Can easily be shared by two or three customers.
To help take some of the sting off the cost of eating here, Fuddruckers has a salad bar where folks can help themselves.
We have cookies: Fuddruckers' own-baked treats are enjoyable (RM9.90 for three), coming in flavours like chocolate chip, raisin oatmeal, macadamia & butter sugar. We finished every bite.
Wine is available (a pleasant surprise), starting at RM24 per glass for Chilean & Aussie varieties that do cost less elsewhere.
Fuddruckers Burgers Kuala Lumpur
R1 & R2, Annexe Block, Lot 10 Shopping Mall, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur
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