Pepe and I went to the new burger joint near his place for dinner/supper… it’s called Fat Boy’s along Thomson Road, next to the Long House coffee shop, the Shell petrol kiosk and Liquid Kitchen. It has this modern and chic decor, well-placed lighting and neat bench-tables. The most important point of all, was the fact that there was Hoegaarden and Stella Artois on tap. (and ONLY Hoegaarden and Stella Artois on tap, by the way, so it’s more of a good taste factor than a stock everything factor.) For $10 a pint on late nights, this was a steal, and made me very very happy.
Now on to the main show – the burger. Going to a burger joint, the right thing to do is to order the most bad-ass burger on the menu, usually the one that also seems to have EVERYTHING loaded on it (and if that includes cheese, bacon and barbeque sauce, all the merrier). In this shop, it’s the Fat Basterd burger. Needless to say, I ordered that, and no way was I going to order the optional smaller version, which they call the “wimpy” version – for those who can’t stomach the full basterd. After all, I thought, this was Singapore…how big could a burger get?
Oh I was so wrong. Their Fat Basterd comes in Le Grand US-sized portion. I should have admitted to being a wimp and resigned to ordering the single version. But how could you resist doubling up those things? Well, now I will… cause I have one third of a burger sitting in my fridge in a leftover tray.
Pepe had the Elvis, which came with peanut butter and grilled bananas…if you like those queer combinations, go ahead. They also have Caesar, chicken with peanut gravy and a poshed-up one with beet, arugula and emmental. You can even create your own burger with the ingredient list they have. But I’m sticking with the conventional.
I thought it was legit. Real ground beef patty – check. Fresh, gleaming burger bun – check. Fried egg – bonus. But it could have been so much more unhealthier…and thus better. But I think as far as Singapore-standard healthy-living burger goes…this is what you’ll get. Maybe they couldn’t risk scaring customers away with full-blown greasiness. Healthy eaters, look away now… but I’d appreciate if the bun was fried, the beef patty more juicy and moist (and yes, maybe oily), MORE (more more more!!!) barbeque sauce and with more OOOMPH, and streaky bacon in place of back bacon (more sodium! yum!). Basically, if I could have my way I’d like it more oily and more salty. This just seemed too tame after my burger epiphany at a joint called Stoney’s in Washington DC.
It’s worth heading back though, for the beer, the very pleasant and comfy ambience, and unobtrusive yet attentive service. It’s a perfect place to chill out with a small group of friends. Well, the burger…while it has not been anything close to a burger-lover’s wet dream…it may deserve another shot.
