Buns, buddies & BBs
Our journey into burgers started with a challenge from my buddy, Richard back in 2015. He was adamant that with my zealous nature, our burgers will be amazing. I have never been a burger person and my experience with burgers is very much limited to fast food chains. But, as with everything I do, I went from zero to zealot quite quickly.
After almost 3 months of experimentations, we launched our first Basic Burger (affectionately known as BB now) in December 2015. Back then, BB.1 was just a simple blend of grass-fed Angus neck and Japanese wagyu, topped with tomato, lettuce and American cheese, sandwiched between house-made buns.
Along the way, feedback from buddies within the industry helped shape our BB. Leslie nudged me to make the patty bigger, adding balance to the burger and add 2 slices of American cheese... and so BB grew from 110g to 140g, then to the perfect size of 170g patty, just to achieve the ideal ratio.
Julien suggested pickled onions... we adapted by adding chopped pickled gherkins mixed into our house-made sauce; and a few weeks back, pickled onions debuted alongside caramelised onions (as options). Blue cheese was mentioned too but it didn't make the cut as it was too expensive and not to everyone's liking.
From the beginning, we struggled with the consistency of our house-made bun. Not a surprise since our kitchen is not designed for baking. Outsourcing became the only solution and I turned to KK for advice. From him, I learned about micro ingredients and how commercial bakeries achieve consistent quality.
With his guidance, we decided on buns produced by one of the largest commercial bakeries in Singapore instead of artisan ones. They hold up well (under intense juiciness) and have a balanced taste. Yes, artisanal buns are imperfectly beautiful but at almost 10x the cost, my preference is in spending more on (making) the best patty, which is the soul of a burger.
Fast forward to 2019, BB has developed more complex flavours from the addition of different breeds, cuts and grades of beef. Bone marrow was added earlier this year to boost the already intense beefiness. With organic tomato and locally-farmed Green Wave lettuce in the mix (to complement the intensity), BB has turned 12.
One last thing... for those Ramly burger lovers, I have caved. You can now add a fried free-range egg, with runny orange yolk to our BB.12 for $3.
Ken Loon
March 2019
Our journey into burgers started with a challenge from my buddy, Richard back in 2015. He was adamant that with my zealous nature, our burgers will be amazing. I have never been a burger person and my experience with burgers is very much limited to fast food chains. But, as with everything I do, I went from zero to zealot quite quickly.
After almost 3 months of experimentations, we launched our first Basic Burger (affectionately known as BB now) in December 2015. Back then, BB.1 was just a simple blend of grass-fed Angus neck and Japanese wagyu, topped with tomato, lettuce and American cheese, sandwiched between house-made buns.
Along the way, feedback from buddies within the industry helped shape our BB. Leslie nudged me to make the patty bigger, adding balance to the burger and add 2 slices of American cheese... and so BB grew from 110g to 140g, then to the perfect size of 170g patty, just to achieve the ideal ratio.
Julien suggested pickled onions... we adapted by adding chopped pickled gherkins mixed into our house-made sauce; and a few weeks back, pickled onions debuted alongside caramelised onions (as options). Blue cheese was mentioned too but it didn't make the cut as it was too expensive and not to everyone's liking.
From the beginning, we struggled with the consistency of our house-made bun. Not a surprise since our kitchen is not designed for baking. Outsourcing became the only solution and I turned to KK for advice. From him, I learned about micro ingredients and how commercial bakeries achieve consistent quality.
With his guidance, we decided on buns produced by one of the largest commercial bakeries in Singapore instead of artisan ones. They hold up well (under intense juiciness) and have a balanced taste. Yes, artisanal buns are imperfectly beautiful but at almost 10x the cost, my preference is in spending more on (making) the best patty, which is the soul of a burger.
Fast forward to 2019, BB has developed more complex flavours from the addition of different breeds, cuts and grades of beef. Bone marrow was added earlier this year to boost the already intense beefiness. With organic tomato and locally-farmed Green Wave lettuce in the mix (to complement the intensity), BB has turned 12.
One last thing... for those Ramly burger lovers, I have caved. You can now add a fried free-range egg, with runny orange yolk to our BB.12 for $3.
Ken Loon
March 2019
Updated: Wednesday, 15 May 2019
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Tuesday - Thursday : 5pm - 11pm • Friday - Saturday & eve of PH : 5pm - 2am • Closed on Sundays & Mondays
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Block 41 Malan Road, Gillman Barracks, Singapore 109454
Telephone : 6694 0940 |