Getting our burger kicks at three joints that revved up this year, starting with Route 66 at Changkat Bukit Bintang.
Fans of Americana will find much to admire in this watering hole's decor - from Elvis to Marilyn, Budweiser to Bugs, it's like an explosion at the memorabilia factory in Route 66, operated by Changkat's long-running Flam's pizza parlour.
Route 66's selection will thrill burger junkies who like 'em big & sloppy - two customers can share this huge Chili Burger (RM41.80), featuring a 180-gram grilled beef patty with chili con carne, French fries in the burger instead of beside it, plus lots of cheese, jalapenos & tomato sauce.
Route 66's burgers are capably executed to deliver what the pub-crawling visitors to Changkat want. But even those of us who steer clear of the street nowadays may relish the grilled chicken breast burger piled with house-made guacamole, Monterey Jack cheese & beef bacon (RM26.80). Customisation is possible - ask for a sunny-side-up (RM3); the kitchen prepares it well.
Booze makes burgers better - wine by the glass starts at RM23 (Aussie Lyrebird Shiraz). Or try the Crack Baby shooter (RM25; vodka, vanilla syrup, passion fruit, prosecco, creme de cassis).
Next: Patty & Pie, an independent eatery run by a friendly couple in Aman Suria, specialising in burgers & wood-fired pizzas.
Some interesting combinations at Patty & Pie - have your beef patties topped with the likes of mac-&-cheese (RM18), deep-fried prawns (RM20), soft-shell crab or even salt beef.
Patty & Pie's vegetarian burger comprises falafel with baba ghanoush & herb salad (RM16).
And if you really like baba ghanoush (the Middle Eastern roasted eggplant spread), you can have it on your pizza too, with feta cheese, parsley, olives, mint & white sauce (RM26).
For the sweet tooth: Peanut butter & banana milkshake (RM12), & dessert waffle topped with Nutella, choc sauce & ice cream.
Final stop: Pampas Burger in Wangsa Maju, an offshoot of the Pampas steakhouse family of Changkat Bukit Bintang.
Reasonable variety & prices: Beef burgers with beef bacon & blue cheese sauce (RM18, served with sweet potato fries or onion rings), lamb burgers with Swiss cheese & honey mustard mint sauce (RM19), smoked turkey ham burgers with ranch dressing (RM16), salmon burgers with tartar sauce (RM18) & crab burgers with thousand island dressing (RM18).
We visited Pampas Burgers in April; this blog entry is finally out in December. We thought we'd someday return to give this place a second chance - everything we tried here fell short in terms of flavour & textural satisfaction (strange, since a lot of thought & effort clearly went into creating the menu). But months have passed, & every time we recalled Pampas' burgers, we felt no urge to head back. It's very possible there have been improvements, but our first impression was lacklustre - a shame, since we handed a positive review last year to Pampas' steak & burger at its Bukit Ceylon outpost.
On the plus side, the setting at Pampas Burger is pretty & its service team is hard-working.
Route 66 Burger Bar
37, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur
37, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur
Patty & Pie
Jalan PJU 1/45, Aman Suria Damansara, Petaling Jaya. Open Tuesday-Sunday, lunch & dinner.
Jalan PJU 1/45, Aman Suria Damansara, Petaling Jaya. Open Tuesday-Sunday, lunch & dinner.
Pampas Burger
Dataran Jelatek, Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur
Dataran Jelatek, Setiawangsa, Kuala Lumpur
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