Where's the beef? (Part 1)

Part: 1 | 2

Morton’s of Chicago: USDA Prime Burger

This burger doesn’t win any awards for innovation. It’s topped with standard, but choice ingredients: a toasted sesame bun, a huge slice of ripe-red tomato, raw red onion, iceberg lettuce, a choice of sautéed mushrooms or onions (try the more flavourful onions), two thin strips of bacon (that are actually crispy!), plus the cheese (Swiss, crumbled blue or cheddar). Finally, there’s the star attraction – the USDA Prime hand-ground burger patty, broiled to lock in the delectable juices.

Burgers often need to be spiced up with sauce or toppings. But in Morton’s creation, done to a perfect medium, the high-quality beef refuses to be ignored – charred on the outside, melt-in-your mouth tender on the inside and dripping with juices after your first bite. Served with hand-cut, potato-skinstill- present Idaho french fries, this simple offering sparked a small surge of pride for my American countrymen; it seems there are some areas, perhaps just a few, where we can still kick a**. There are plenty of riffs on the burger formula these days, but this rendition of the traditional meat-and-bun classic makes such experimentation seem unnecessary. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Where: Level 4, Mandarin Oriental Singapore, 5 Raffles Avenue

Contacts: 6339 3740; www.mortons.com

Costs: $30 with fries

Prime Society: Las Vegas Wagyu Burger

When Fleur de Lys started selling the FleurBurger 5000 in Las Vegas, a burger that costs a jaw-dropping US$5,000 (S$7,200), it challenged the assumption that this was lowbrow food, made to be eaten on the run. This over-the-top offering is something many of us poor sods will never have the dough (or the poor financial sense) to experience. However, now chef Damon Amos has adapted the decadent recipe for Prime Society’s lunch menu, making it approachable for more modest wallets.

Two small burgers are served on toasted sesame brioche buns with naturally smoked char-grilled bacon, truffle salt, summer truffles, a dash of truffle oil, micro herbs, plus a drizzle of a seemingly tomato-based secret sauce, topped off with the drool-inducing ingredient – a pat of foie gras butter. The mince is made in-house from Wagyu beef, ranked a grade 9-plus, forming patties that are delectably tender and deftly cooked to a rosy medium. The strong taste of truffles and smoky bacon makes this elegant treat worthy of the high price tag. Light years away from the fast-food variety, these burgers shouldn’t be gulped down with a Diet Coke (god forbid); they are made to be savoured with a glass of bold red wine.

Where: #1-20, 10 Dempsey Road

Contacts: 6474 7427; www.theprimesociety.com

Costs: $42 with fries.

Botak Jones: Botak Burger with Cheese

Scattered around hawker centres islandwide, Botak Jones was founded by American Bernie Utchenik, and makes a seductive promise: ‘Damn good food at a damn good price’. The chain sports a menu, full of comical quotes and mouthwatering descriptions, that makes for an entertaining romp through traditional American ‘delicacies’: hot dogs, chilli, gumbo, steaks and, most importantly, burgers. Available in sizes ranging from mini to massive, the burgers are meant to be served medium to medium-well.

Although the standard Botak Burger that I sampled was overcooked, the patty, fresh veggies and cheddar cheese were simple yet full of flavour. Add to this the friendly staff, and the diabolically delicious and very aptly named WHOOPASS© Cheese Fries – very crispy crinkle-cut fries sprinkled with a piquant seasoning, topped with an Everest-sized cheddar cheese chilli con carne that’s both spicy and sweet – and Botak Jones earns a place in my heart way above the fast-food outlets that share a similar price tag.

Where: Orchard Youth Park, 121 Somerset Road. Additional locations: Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bukit Batok, Clementi, Depot Road, Marine Parade, Serangoon, Tampines, Tao Payoh and Woodlands.

Contacts: 6735 0225; www.botakjones.com

Costs: $8.50 with a side

Part: 1 | 2