If you claim to be a burger lover, be prepared to eat your heart out at Mandarin Oriental. This year, for the Merdeka celebration, myBurgerLab joined hands with venerated hotel Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur to offer customers burgers inspired by exclusive Malaysian experiences!
As it is with myBurgerLab, their combinations are wacky, off-the-charts, but no less delicious. Mandarin Oriental KL’s Chef Timothy Perera, who is also Sous Chef of AQUA Restaurant & Bar, created two of his own burgers and well, we got to try them all!
Without further ado, here are our thoughts on their Malaysian-inspired burgers for the Burger Fest.
To say we were intrigued by their burgers would be a lie. We were flat-out curious (and hungry). The names were enough to pique our sense of adventure; some with fairly-explanatory monikers such as The Lamb & Mint, and the Burger Daging Berlado. But, the Mala Nashville Fried Chicken Burger and the Water Balloon Burger did leave us pondering their taste.
Well, for starters, the Lamb & Mint burger was hands down our favourite thanks to the juicy and well-seasoned lamb patty, topped with grilled artichoke, sundried tomatoes, lettuce, sheep ricotta cheese and a Tzatziki sauce. The mint was strong as well, however, it did not overpower the lamb patty.
The Burger Daging Berlado was also a huge hit thanks to the Sambal Belado complementing the beef patty, and the grilled eggplant adding a very different flavour to the whole burger. For those who aren’t exactly lovers of all things spicy, it might be a hot mouthful, but still definitely worth the taste.
You’d think the Mala Nashville Fried Chicken Burger would be fairly spicy as well, thanks to the “mala” in its name. But, despite its cili padi infused pickles, it was not as spicy as we believed. The butterflied fried chicken breast was well-seasoned and cripsy, while the honey and butter sauce made it a little sweet and buttery on the tongue.
However, the Water Balloon Burger had a much milder taste compared to the rest. The grilled watermelon and chopped lychee certainly ensured the burger was juicy and sweet despite its savoury beef patty. It was definitely a flavour profile that we haven’t enjoyed before!
In addition to the burgers, several beverages had also been curated to complement the meal. We had the milkshakes; the Chocolate Indulgence and the Strawberry Delight, and a refreshing drink aka the Grassberry (lemonsgrass, lime juice and sparkling raspberry). And for those who wanted to party, there was the Rambutan Tini, which combined vodka, rambutan juice and sweet vermouth.
The Burger Fest was certainly a scrumptious mouthful for National Day, and we hope to see more collabs between myBurgerLab and Mandarin Oriental in future!
