Burgers at &Made by Bruno Menard, Singapore

All this burger businesses. And the competition. And the ongoing inventiveness of some burger joints.

All in all, as a mere consumer, I’m grinning like a Cheshire cat, happy that my burger fixes is no longer confined to expensive gourmet burgers ( the ones above RM25++ in some F & B outlets which only offers one or two options on the menu), Carls’ Jr (my default choice for the fast food category since we do not have MOS here) or the occasional burger run in Singapore and Thailand for yes, MOS Burgers.

That’s me. Give me a good burger and I’m a happy girl! 😀

Our current KL joints has certainly upped the game and I am satisfied that I can chow now on good burgers at an affordable pricing of RM15 – RM20. “Gourmet” burgers doesn’t have to be an occasional treat due to budget constraints anymore. Now everyone can eat good burgers! 😀

Remember my RM128++ foie gras burgers in Prime, Le Meridien or even the mini ones in the famous L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Singapore?

These 2 are prime examples that even slabs of foie gras can’t save a dull patty nor paying a premium price guarantees a well made burger.
For me, it’s all about the patty. No doubt every component matters, but at the heart of the burger is the main filling – the patty, be it meat (chicken, beef, veal) or vegetarian.

At time of writing, if I were to just cross over to our neighbour; the little island called Singapore, I will be rewarded with burgers so much more satisfying, dollar for dollar.

On my last trip I had Omakase Burger, Dean & Delucca, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon (yes, those very mini burgers you see above) and well, good old MOS Burgers. I was bowled over by Omakase Burger and came home with that burger joint firmly in my list of must-visit whenever I’m in Singapore.
This trip, I aimed for Two Blur Guys, another round of Omakase Burger and &Made by Bruno Menard. And &Made was so good, I paid 2 visits!

Dry aged beef.
Dry aged beef in my burgers at &Made and aged dried beef for my steak at Skirt, W Hotel, Sentosa.
Damn, that just changed the game. The carnivore in me no longer crave for a mere steak, it’s now “Dry aged please, thank you.”
Arguably I did enjoy Japanese Kobe, Ohmi and some top grade wagyu before but truth to be told, these marbled fatty grades can be a bit too much due to its fat content. I would struggle to finish anything more than 150g. Every chew oozes fat, pleasurable at first but slowly gave way to “jelakness”after 150g or so.

&Made burgers are the handiwork of Bruno Menard,  the first 3 Michelin Star Chef to be permanently based in Singapore since January 2012. I have actually met him in June during the World Gourmet Summit 2012 and found him to be a very approachable chef.

Instead of a glitzy menu, &Made is essentially, a burger joint. And with prices to match.

Trust me, dollar to dollar (no conversion of RM to SGD), these burgers are worth every penny. You can opt for the basics, or you can start adding truffle oil to your fries and luxe-ing up your burgers with foie gras.
But seriously, who needs all that when the deep, concentrated beefy flavour of the dry aged patties assailed your tongue with its juices at every bite?

The ‘B’ Burger – SGD19.

Look at this. I very nearly passed out with glee seeing the moist insides and pinkish colour!

Warily, I took a bite, almost worried that it might disappoint. But it didn’t.
It was really one marvelous burger! The beef, the beef, the beef. Oh damn.
Bite after bite. I stopped talking, stopped complaining about the WIFI that won’t allow my phone to connect, stopped taking pictures and just ate.

The melted Comte cheese (one of my favourites after first discovering it in Paris) lovingly blankets the patty, lending its strong yet slightly sweet taste. And caramelized onions done right does pair fabulously with the beef, which is why you see “caramelized onions” a lot on the menu when the item in reference is a burger . Not many get their caramelized onions right, but I can assure you that you would love the caramelized onions here at &Made.
There was an addition of housemade sauce of capers and garlic mayonnaise to the whole ensemble, but it neither distracts nor overwhelmed the burger, and instead merely a small amount, just enough to impart its taste.

3 Little Pigs (SGD 23) is a pork burger made of chorizo, bacon & pork fillet; a loose patty, very savoury and stronger on the salt. Obviously a Michelin star chef would know how to balance this out. This came served on with Japanese cabbage, shitake mushrooms, pickles & yuzu-kosho mayonnaise.
The Japanese cabbage is “coleslaw” on first sight but with a dressing reminiscing of roasted sesame. The pickles did its job – sweet, crunchy and incredibly tangy. The yuzu-kosho mayonnaise provided mild heat, though barely noticeable.

The 2 of us are pretty big eaters, but the burgers are filling! We certainly felt that we got what we paid for.
Besides, each set comes with adeptly fried fries perfectly seasoned on its own (there’s no such thing as low salt fries ok? It’s either seasoned right or otherwise) but please do not waste a single drop of the &Made barbeque sauce.

This isn’t anything like the commercial barbeque sauces available anywere. Fresh, chunky, thick and complex, we even dipped out fingers in to wipe it clean after we were done with the fries. Then we asked for extra. And ate it on its own.
God, I couldn’t ask for a better dining partner. He’s a foodie too. And a Penangite just like me. We are hard to please, yes but we appreciate good food when we taste it.

“Are you full?” He asked.
Me: Yeah. Stuffed.
He: Cool. Let’s order dessert.
Me: Of course. 😀

The Lollipop Waffle ($9) is fun and comes with a selection of caramel, white and dark chocolate sauces. I like the dark chocolate sauce the best.

My dining partner for my second visit is a worse critic. You know what they say about chefs never liking anyone’s food other than their own. Ok, not exactly, but I’ll say they are never easily impressed.
He went for The ‘B’ Burger and for me it was the Duck Confit Burger since the duck was the special of the day (this burger was previously in the menu and had been taken off ).

The ‘B’ Burger stayed consistent; thick Comte cheese, moist pink patty, excellent caramelized onions. He couldn’t taste the caper garlic sauce at all but I doubt it mattered .

All of us would be familiar with the traditional confit of duck but here it was given a variation with red cabbage pickles & pepper lime mayonnaise.

I find it a wonderful fusion of flavours, interestingly almost a cross between Oriental and French.

The crunch of green apples and sweet red cabbage greets you before opening up to the savoury flavours of the duck. However, if you’re a first timer at &Made, stick to the beef.

&Made offers hearty burgers at reasonable prices (I warn you, do not covert from RM to SGD) and I would recommend it to anyone who is a burger fiend. I felt that very burger combo have been thought out at every level of detail.
I can’t get enough of &Made burgers and I’ll definitely re-visit during my next trip to Singapore. Perhaps I should “challenge” Chef Bruno and craft my own burger? All patties in one go?
Hmm no, that would wreck the taste profile. Maybe triple play of beef, pork and lamb together?

You can stalk them on their FB page for their latest creations and specials. Chef Bruno recently debut a Shredded Beef Burger as a weekly special. Beside &Made, L’Entrecote Express is worth checking too for their well, Entrecote steaks with its legendary sauce and golden french fries.
Yes I think I need to head to Singapore again SOON. 🙂

&Made by Bruno Menard

9 Scotts Road, Pacific Plaza, #01-04/05/06, Singapore, Singapore 228210
+65 6690 7566
Hours: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm