I love going to a burger festival with a large group of carnivores. It helps if there is at least one vegetarian at the table for us to get a more rounded opinion on all the offerings, but this time around, we weren't so lucky. Smokehouse Deli (Lavelle Road) currently has the mmmBurger Festival going on - a selection of 10 burgers that promises to tickle every kind of taste bud. With the selection of cocktails and starters that we already love to have at Smokehouse Deli, this burger festival preview we were invited to did put the senses into overdrive.
We began with a couple of their popular margaritas and martinis - the concept of smoked is not restricted to just the meats here - you find it in the drinks as well. You may read more about their offerings here. So an order of drinks, a round of starters, the customary bread bag and we were now ready to delve into the burgers.
One round of the drinks
Potato Croquettes
Bacon wrapped potatoes - you never ask for your bill at SHD without ordering these
The Chorizo and Ham which incited a fair bit of fork fighting
The mmmBurger Festival menu has been smartly laid out - Words like bacon, chargrilled tenderloin, baconaise, bacon bits all stand to attention. Within a few seconds the Baconator and the Benedictor were taken. Close on its heels was the Fish and Chips burger rendition and the Lamb Burger. Lucy's Juicy would have come to the table if maybe one of us actually ordered it, amidst all the innuendos that were going around. All of the burgers came with coleslaw and generous dab of mustard, french fries, onion rings for some.
Baconator (chargrilled tenderloin patty, oak smoked bacon, baconaise, bits) - so this one is an ode to porcine divine"ness". A crumb fried pork patty, topped off with fried bacon, lettuce, tomato and onion rings on a toasted sesame bun. Would have come perfectly together for me, if there was a bit more moistness to the whole burger. The fried patty, fried bacon ended up making me thirst for my smoked martini more than anything. A nice burger that needs a small pick-me-up.
The Lamb Burger was by far the best of the burgers to hit the table that evening. A nice, juicy patty that came away with just enough of the bun and toppings to make each big mouthful a nice one. The balance of lettuce, tomato, charred onion and the patty will make this a popular burger
Benedictor, will elicit a benediction of some kind to help you get through it - tenderloin patty, black forest ham, run eggs benedict with hollandaise sauce, all packed together with sliced onions, tomato and lettuce - you needed a big appetite for this fellow. For most of us at the table though, there was something about the patty that reminded us about an Indian meat dish - an Indian mix of spices (garam masala?!) perhaps? But I do see many people liking it otherwise.
Fish n Chips Burger - I totally loved this burger version of the classic fish 'n' chips. Yes, it did have basa fillets in it but then, if you treat the thing right, it actually can taste really good (I must give basa at least that much credit). And so this one, with the caper tartare, peas puree, malt mayonnaise was indeed a tasty package.
Some more of the drinks before we headed to desserts
The flourless chocolate cake which was sin on a plate
And a Cappuccino to round off the meal
The burgers begin at Rs 280 plus taxes. Vegetarians have two options - Spicy Soya and Spinach Burger (peppercorn, cheese melt) and Sweet Corn and Chickpeas Falafel (tomato salsa, hummus). Also interesting on the menu was the Smoked Chicken n Tequila Burger (chargrilled patty, green chilies, beet relish). The festival is on till the 8th of June, so head to SHD for some mmmburgers.
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