Burgers in NYC

I've been back home in Singapore for two weeks now. Absolutely missing New York at this moment :( But I've managed to catch up with my family and friends so I'm happy :)

I have completely procrastinated for many months about blogging about New York, so I guess better now than never right? I'm sure many are interested to know where are some good places to eat when they visit the city and since I had the pleasure of dining at various places during my stay there, I've decided to categorize all of them based on the cuisine/type of food.

So first off would be BURGERS, since it was literally the first thing I had when I landed in the Big Apple.

1. Shake Shack 

Single Shack Burger with Lemonade

My go-to burger joint if I'm ever craving a burger in the city. In fact, out of all the different places I've gone to for burgers (i.e. the following on this list), Shake Shack is the only burger I've eaten multiple times. I've tried the rest only once. Usually because it was a miss, novelty, or didn't have the chance to revisit.

Shake Stack

I've only had this twice, but the Shake Stack is BEYOND AWESOME!!! Why? Not only because there's a bread-crusted deep-fried portobello mushroom added onto the Single Shack burger...

LOOK AT THAT OOZING CHEESE GOODNESS!!!

...BUT BECAUSE IT IS A PORTOBELLO STUFFED WITH CHEESE!!!!!

HOW CAN YOU COMBINE SO MUCH GOODNESS INTO ONE BURGER??????!!!!!!!

Maybe I'm being biased because I really really love mushrooms and beef and occasionally cheese, but still! The melted cheese in the portobello was still piping hot when I bit into the mushroom, so a really big thumbs-up for this burger :D Love love love it!!

Shake shack also offers pretty good custards/milkshakes, with the standard chocolate and vanilla flavours and a flavour of the day for each day! And the previous day's flavour in a pint is sold at a discounted price the next day!

Just as how In-and-Out is to California, Shake Shack is to New York. It is a MUST TRY if you visit the city. Check out their website here for their various locations, in New York and outside of it!

2. Umami Burger

Umami Burger

Blogged about my experience at Umami Burger before. I would say that some of their flavour combinations are interesting, so do drop by to check it out if you've got the chance! I didn't manage to head back for a second time though.

Locations and menu here!


3. Mighty Quinn's (Smorgasburg/Brooklyn Flea)

Beef Brisket Burger topped with BBQ Sauce and Slaw

I've heard from friends about Mighty Quinn's being one of the better barbecue places in the city and I happened to chance upon it while I was walking around the Smorgasburg/Brooklyn Flea at Williamsburg.

Smaller menu at Smorgasburg/Brooklyn Flea

Decided to get their Lil' Brisket Burger. It was quite a handful to eat though. But it was really good nonetheless! I love eating coleslaw with barbecued meat because it adds a nice freshness needed to counter the smoky rich goodness of the meat.

Even though Smorgasburg/Brooklyn Fleas are only held on the weekends, fear not! Mighty Quinn's restaurants can be found in Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey! Just check out their website here for their locations and menu offerings!


4. Ramen Burger (Smorgasburg)

Yes, this trademarked burger that has received a lot of attention from around the world. Finally had the chance to taste this burger sensation at Smorgasburg at Pier 5.

First impression on the first bite? Meh. It really isn't something THAT fantastic, only fascinating. Ramen should just remain as ramen. Burgers should just remain as burgers, as it is. In my honest opinion anyways.

But of course, I would encourage any of you to try this at least once. Because that's the spirit of being adventurous I guess? Locate them by visiting their website here!


5. Lucky's Famous Burgers

Lucky's Cheddar Burger with Onion Rings

With the same colour scheme of a famous fast food restaurant, I thought this was just going to be another run-of-the-mill burger joint. But I was proven wrong! They have some fantastic offerings and what I like about Lucky's is that you can customize your burgers - patty, cheese, sauce, toppings, bun - ALL OF IT! The best kind of option to offer to really picky eaters like me! :D

And I really love well done breaded onion rings, so Lucky's did deliver in this aspect, which made me a really happy customer :D

It was barely busy in the outlet I went to (at East Houston Street), so I'm not too sure if they're not that well known in the city, if it was just the day and time I was there or the location of the outlet itself. It really is quite a good burger joint to get your burger fix!

Look them up on their website here for locations and menu offerings!


6. Five Guy's Burgers and Fries

Photo courtesy of http://www.myballard.com

This burger joint started off as local restaurant in Washington, D.C. and eventually franchised themselves across the US. Still serving hand-formed burger patties even after 20 years! Didn't managed to get a photo of the burger I got because Duane ate it too fast -.- But from the picture above, can really tell the patty is hand-formed! It's like a squished meatball!

And the burger is pretty decent!

FREE TOPPINGS!!!

Their menu is really limited, a good example of quality over quantity. Another good thing about Five Guys is obviously their FREE TOPPINGS! Who doesn't enjoy piling up their basic burger with free toppings???

Free peanuts!!!

They also provide free peanuts too! I remember not eating most of the peanuts I took away though. Instead, I gave them to the squirrels in the park ^^v

There are a couple of outlets in the city so give it a try! Information about them can be found on their website!


7. New York Burger Co.

New York Cheeseburger
Photo courtesy of New York Burger Co.

I remember eating at Chipotle right before heading into this burger restaurant, so I think Duane and I only shared the cheeseburger if I'm not wrong? And onions rings to go with it! The patty was pretty juicy, though this burger didn't make an impressionable impact on me. But then again, it was just a cheeseburger, so maybe if I had tried a different burger it would have been a different story?

Onion Rings
Photo courtesy of New York Burger Co.

I personally prefer breaded onion rings, but their battered onion rings weren't too bad! 

Check them out to here to see where they be at!


8. Smoke Joint

This joint got featured on Food Network's Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives so I just had to go check it out! After all, Joe's Cable Car got featured on Triple D and I really loved it a lot so nothing to lose right? (*Sidenote* Joe's Cable Car closed down in March this year though :( Because the owner, Joe, was retiring. But I'm glad that I managed to eat there at least once!)

It's not really a burger place, but as its name suggests, more of a barbecue joint. The smoked meat are served in platters, but we opted to have them as burgers.

Pulled Pork Burger with Slaw and Pickles

Beef Brisket Burger with Slaw and Pickles

Brooklyn Wings and Mac n Cheese

But to be honest, it tasted anything but ordinary to me. It's not bad, just not that great. Maybe I had too high expectations? Oh wells! I wouldn't mind popping by the area though, just for a sweet treat that I've included at the end of the post!

The Smoke Joint

87 South Elliott Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Tel: 718-797-1011

9. Bark Hot Dogs

Photo courtesy of glenwoodnyc.com

I guess it would be a bit strange to go for their burgers here when they've got the words 'hot dogs' in its name, but they were honestly not too bad! It's a really warm and inviting restaurant located pretty near the Barclays Center. 

Photo courtesy of Caroline Russock via aht.seriouseats.com

Photo courtesy of Caroline Russock via aht.seriouseats.com

Battered onion rings again...which turned out to be pretty decent. One of the better battered onion rings out there!

They do catering too, which I find pretty awesome. Just check them out their website for more information about it!

Bark Hot Dogs

474 Bergen Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Tel: 718-789-1939

10. Smashburger

Photo courtesy of Smashburger

It's a typical burger joint pumping out the usual favourites, along with a few quirky creations of their own, such as the Avocado Ranch Veggie Black Bean Burger. They do also allow you to create your own burger, so that flexibility on the menu is a plus point too!

Haystack Onions
Photo courtesy of snackfixation.com

THIS. This was good. Crispy and well-seasoned. I approve!!! Just that it's advisable to order this to share, because it gets a bit gelat (Malay expression to denote extreme weariness of repetition) after eating so much of it.

Look them up here for more information about their menu and locations!


11. Corner Bistro

Bistro Burger

Corner Bistro is considered to be one of those veterans' to be on such Best Burger in NYC lists, so I was pretty excited to try it!

Photo courtesy of quiksilverpronyguide.wordpress.com

Located in West Village, Corner Bistro might be a little difficult to locate and you might just walk by it without realising, so look out for its neon sign! It's a small place with just a couple of tables and a bar, and also has a very straightforward menu. But the food that comes out of the kitchen is incredible simple and delicious! I would recommend going for the Bistro Burger or Chili Burger. My only gripe would be that the patty could've used more salt? Other than that, I would definitely recommend anyone to check out this place to have drinks and burgers with your friends.

Corner Bistro

331 West 4th Street, New York, NY10014

Tel: 212-242-9502

12. Burger Heaven

It may be named 'Burger Heaven', but this diner serves up not just burgers, but breakfast food and sandwiches too! Saw it on some burger list I browsed through on the website so I decided to give it a try with Duane one day.

Burger Heaven Burger with Curly Fries and Coleslaw

Burger Heaven Burger with Coleslaw

If you're wondering why there are 2 portions of coleslaw in the photo above (obviously my plate), it's because I switched out the fries for another portion of coleslaw. Initially I tried to switch it to onions rings, but the staff wouldn't allow it, so we got those as a side instead.

Onion Rings

I was pretty disappointed with these though. On the menu it read 'Crispy Onion Rings', but these didn't stay crispy past a few minutes :( Plus it cost about USD$7 and the portion was so little! 

Overall, I would say the burgers and overall meal here was average. The burgers were great but the onions rings was such a let down! Wouldn't mind going back for their burgers I guess!

13. Schnippers

Photo courtesy of Nick Solares via aht.seriouseats.com

The burgers here are really well prepared here - toasted bun, fresh condiments and a patty so juicy and packed with flavour. It's a decent place to go to for your burger fix! But it's not their burgers I'm really crazy about though. 

Photo courtesy of tasty-eating.blogspot.sg

BECAUSE I LOVE LOVE LOVE THEIR ONIONS RINGS! Thick cut and breaded, how not to love??? Just like how I've gone back to Shake Shack for their burgers multiple times, I've gone back to Schnippers just for their onion rings SO MANY TIMES! Doesn't help that both Shake Shack and Schnippers are located a minute away from my old workplace! This one here really reminds me of Joe's Cable Car onion rings, which is saying a lot, considering that I've tried so many other places serving up breaded onion rings!

Orders take quite a while to be made, but I assure you it'd be worth it! Affordable and quality tasty food is seriously the best combination. Definite recommendation to try this place!

Click here to find out what else they have to offer and their various locations!


14. Homecooked!

Nothing better than cooking your own burger, because you can customize it and add whatever condiments you want!! Pictured above is an 80/20 beef patty seasoned with salt/pepper/garlic powder/onion powder topped with slaw, corn, caramelized onions and bacon, sandwiched between a grilled potato burger bun. I cooked it twice in a day. First time for my lunch and the second for dinner (for Duane to try). Super yum!!!


Overall, I would say this list of burger joints is pretty decent. Only missing places serving up gourmet-esque burgers I guess? But who cares about it being gourmet or not? What does gourmet even mean??? As long as it tastes awesome right??

I hope this list helps whoever is intending to travel to New York! Or the States in general since there are a few places are located outside of New York as well.

If you've got any other favourite burger joints in the Big Apple/States, please feel free to leave a comment so I can visit them if when I go back to the States!

...

*BONUS*

This is for everyone, but especially for my fellow Singaporean friends: FRESH SUGARCANE JUICE. The closest you can find, albeit not being chilled with ice.

Sugarcane juicer I am so not familiar with

It's a sugarcane juice stand located next to The Smoke Joint and situated right next to a neighbourhood deli. I'm not certain of its operating hours though, because sometimes when I'm passing by the area on the bus, the stall isn't in operation. But most of the time they should be there from late afternoon to early evening.

Duane waiting very excitedly and patiently for his sugarcane juice

Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the sugarcane juice itself because Duane was very excited about his drink so it was finished really fast. It was strange for me to drink it though, because it was room-temperature (they don't serve it with ice). And also, they don't strain the juice before serving it, unlike the Singaporean hawkers, so you're left with bits of inedible sugarcane fiber at the bottom of your cup. Definitely a turn-off. But, I would drink this any day over the bottled versions of sugarcane juice sold in the supermarkets (if you can actually find them). 

Inevitable

Picnic with my EMP colleagues at Sheep Meadow in Central Park

I can't believe that it's already been 6 months of me living here in New York! And we're finally going into the last third of the year! Time passes way too fast.

11 July 2014 marked the last day of work for me at Eleven Madison Park, the #1 restaurant in North America and #4 in the world (based on the San Pellegrino's 2014 list). It was a bittersweet affair for me, because even though I detested the 330am wake up calls in the morning to get to work, work itself and the people that surrounded me there made everything better. Every day that I've spent in that kitchen only made me want to push myself and get better each day. "It can only get better from here", one of the many encouragements' I've heard going around the kitchen.

I really struggled for a couple of months to find my footing in the restaurant, and I'm glad I eventually did.

I was labelled the Black & Whites' girl, because I spent 4 months dipping those darn cookies. At one point, someone asked me how many I had went through since I started working at the restaurant. My estimate would be about 40, 000 cookies in those 4 months. Cutting, baking, dipping, sandwiching. Crazy amount. But I guess the most enjoyable part about dipping the sweet cookies would be the area I worked at itself (I don't think I'm allowed to mention of said place for several reasons, not that it's super secretive or something), because I have heard so many sighs and made so many conversations with a lot of the cooks and chefs. A very odd place to make conversation but nonetheless, those conversations actually made my day most of the time :)

Sweet B&W tops 

"And we start them simply; black and white cookies is the first station you enter into, so it's a little bit tedious but gets them thinking more so about detail. So there's pressure to make it perfect, but not a huge amount of pressure to be super-fast." - Chef Angela Pinkerton, from an article I read online.

Of course I managed to carry out other production projects when someone took over the B&W station, and I definitely have learnt so many things during my 5 months at EMP.

1. Tempering chocolate by hand! One of the most important skills as a pastry chef, in my books.

2. Make It Nice. The restaurant's motto/catchphrase, because we owe it to ourselves to serve the guests only the best and not anything less.

3. Pushing myself, no matter how stressful or demanding life gets. Because that's the only way to move forward.

It is inevitable to say goodbye to New York in a few weeks, but I've really enjoyed my time here and it's time to move on. I've met some incredible people and made some wonderful friends. It really was an amazing experience which was more than I could ask for.

With Ellen, Mike and Shante in EMP's kitchen

So what's in store for me next? It really is up in the air at this moment. I have the awful decision of deciding between two passports and that really would determine my course of action in the long term. Hopefully I'd have a clear idea of what to do once I get back to Singapore. But for now, I'm just going to enjoy the rest of my vacation here in New York! :)

I have obviously done a lot more here in New York, and I even made a one week trip down to Toronto to visit Caro! So now with all the spare time I have, hopefully this space will be updated more frequently of the places I have visited, dined at and everything else under the sun!

Umami Burger

Cute 'U' lettering imprinted on the burger bun!

So I mentioned previously that I met up with two friends for dinner on separate occasions. On my third night here, I met up with Cassie, a friend I've known for more than 15 years but hardly connected with back in school (we found out we were in the same Primary One class!), for dinner at Umami Burger. It was my treat for her as a way of thanks because she trained down all the way to the airport at 11pm on a school night to pick me up when I arrived >< SO SO GRATEFUL FOR HER KINDNESS!

Cassie was raving about their Truffle Fries, which she eventually got for herself, and since I don't take a liking for potato, I ordered the Tempura Onion Rings.

Tempura Onion Rings (USD$4.50) and Truffle Fries (USD$3.50, background)

It wasn't fantastic. The batter was under-seasoned and the onions just tasted bland. Not something I would order again. It doesn't even come anywhere close to the ones I had at Joe's Cable Car in San Francisco. The burgers and the onions rings there are the best in the city. BEST. 

For the burgers, I had their classic Umami Burger ( shiitake mushroom, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, parmesan crisp and umami ketchup). Cassie had the Cali Burger (butter lettuce, slow-roasted tomatoes, house spread, house-made American cheese, caramelized onions). I cannot remember all the sauces they served us to dip the fries/onion rings in, but I know there was umami ketchup and garlic aioli. 

Umami Burger (USD$11) and Cali Burger (USD$11, background)

I really liked the parmesan crisp! It gave the burger some texture, rather than the normal melting cheese (which I love!!) that comes along with most burgers. It was a pleasant burger to consume and enjoy, along with catching up with Cassie and tips on living in the Big Apple.

They've got a few outlets spread out across the US, and the one I went to was in Greenwich Village. It's a rather small place and it gets packed pretty quickly once it reaches around 7 or 8 in the evening. So if you're ever visiting NYC, I would recommend this place for their burgers.

Umami Burger (Greenwich Village)

432 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10011

Tel: 212-677-8626

Ssikkek Korean Grill BBQ Buffet

The Korean craze in Singapore has been quite vibrant in recent years, with many Korean restaurants, snack shops and Korean supermarkets opening up. I'm not a huge fan of K-POP music or Korean dramas, but I do enjoy a few laughs over watching Running Man and Family Outing. Started watching the latter because I was starting to wait for RM episodes each week.

I really do like the concept of Family Outing and with each variety show, each cast member would build up their persona on that show, which makes it so interesting and hilarious to watch. My favourite segments of the show would be their dinner and breakfast preparations HAHA. So typical of me, I know. But it is interesting to see how they gather ingredients, and it doesn't hurt to learn new ingredients that these Korean celebrities have been growing up with. To cut the long story short, I will mentally salivate over the food they prepare and will develop a craving to eat Korean food. 

I guess it's just their food culture and the way the meal progresses that intrigues me. 

A few days ago, Duane brought me to Ssikkek Korean Grill BBQ restaurant that every Singaporean will ABSOLUTELY LOVE. Reasons being #1 It's a buffet and #2 It's affordable. So Singaporean. 

This restaurant has been around for slightly over two years and recently relocated at United Square.

The seating area is quite big, probably able to fit about 200-300pax. It wasn't very crowded when we dined in because they were going to end their lunch shift in an hour.

First time seeing a curved grill top, which is something I would not recommend because all the drippings just slide off into a pan at the bottom that the staff collect at the end of the meal and throws out D:

There's a simple layout of the food area. Those with the lids are food items that have already been cooked and ready for consumption, like soups, rice, jap-chae, ddeokbokki and more. I didn't get to try all of them though.

Vegetable/pickled vegetable station! On the further end was the raw meat section. They had a mixture of chicken, pork and beef, both spicy and non-spicy.

Salad/fresh fruits station. They also placed the ssamjang* and salt and white pepper mix at this station. I wish they had gireumjang** though, which I prefer over the spicy ssamjang dipping sauce.

*Ssamjang is a dipping sauce consisting of chili paste, soybean paste, sesame oil and other ingredients.
**Gireumjang is a simple condiment consisting of sesame oil and salt, sometimes with a dash of black pepper

Drinks station. Didn't visit this section though, because iced water was sufficient for us. If you wanna order alcoholic beverages, there would be additional charges.

GRILLED MEAT!!!!!!!!!! *DROOLS*

If you know me well enough, I really love meat. Especially beef!!!! So usually at buffets like this, I'd just feast on meat. Not much on the other food items like soups, which tend to make me feel bloated super fast. The marinades for the different types of meat were quite good!

If you ever see ddeokbokki in a buffet line, my advice would be to skip it. Yes, it's one of my favourite Korean dishes because of the QQ texture in the rice cakes, but it doesn't fare well at buffets as it does in an a la carte setting. There would be carryover cooking from being left in the warmer for too long, and as a result, the rice cakes get mushy and just horrible to eat. So, just skip it.

*UPDATE*
Went back to eat at this restaurant again and my advice to my fellow ddeokbokki-lovers out there would be to take these yummy rice cakes from the buffet line ONLY when it's freshly replaced! It so happened that I noticed the designated area for ddeokbokki was empty, so once they were replenished, I didn't hesitate to take a small serving of it. They included a couple of hard-boiled eggs too, which was a lovely surprise, so first-come-first-served :) Nonetheless, the freshly-cooked rice cakes had the QQ texture I love and it was piping hot so yippee!

Lettuce for ssambap and jap-chae. The jap-chae wasn't too bad! Could use with a little more seasoning though! The coldness of it made it a little off-putting, but definitely more palatable than the ddeokbokki.

I was really stuffed by the end of the meal, even without drinking most of the soups! (I only had a few spoonfuls of their kimchi soup)

My #1 advice for eating at buffets would be to not stuff yourself silly JUST because there's a free flow of food. If you want to try EVERYTHING on the buffet line, take a little of everything. By a little, I mean a spoonful or two. And once you figure out what items are really appetising to you, load them onto your plate and sink your teeth into them. This still doesn't mean you should stuff yourself until you're bloated and on the verge of vomiting everything out. That would totally ruin the entire experience of eating.  I've been to too many buffets to experience what it feels like to overeat and lose my sense of taste. The aftermath of that really isn't pleasant.

You know that phrase 'Eat to Live, Live to Eat'? I live to eat. So naturally I'd eat until my stomach reaches its 'satisfied' level, and once in a while, exceeding that level by a little would be alright.

Overall, the experience at Ssikkek Korean Grill BBQ restaurant was pleasant and I would definitely return again, for their meat and other items I didn't get to try the first time round. It'd be a good place for a big gathering with friends or family members. They do accept reservations so that's a plus point, especially when big groups are involved.

Like I said earlier on in the post, this buffet is affordable and value for money for its weekday lunch at only $14+ for adults ($9+ per child). It added up to be about $16 per adult after taxes. They have different  rates for dinner and weekend services, so go check it out on their facebook page.

Do note that on weekdays, they open in two shifts, 11.30am - 2.30pm and 5pm - 11pm. Their last orders are half an hour before the shift ends. So for example, once it reaches 2pm for the lunch shift, they'd start clearing the buffet line and by 2.30pm, they expect you to be ready to foot the bill. On weekends and public holidays, they open from 11.30am - 11pm, so no worries there :)

Ssikkek Korean Grill BBQ Buffet

101 Thomson Road #B1-15-17/34, United Square, Singapore 307591

Tel: 62548123