I suppose it was Jughead Jones who introduced us to hamburgers. As a small kid, I drooled over the pictures of those brown buns in Archie comics, and was rather surprised when I had my first burger in a beautiful little restaurant called The Tea House in Delhi’s Regal Building back in the sixties. I bit into the fluffy bun — and became a lifelong fan of burgers.
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But burgers are not what they used to be. In recent times, the patties that nestle between the two buns have taken on different avatars — some delicious; some hair-raising. Ever heard of a paneer makhni burger? Or a blue cheese onion ring burger? These are some of the latest offerings from burger outlets in the city.
A chain called BurGrill has various kinds of burgers on its menu, including a tandoori chicken burger. It has branches across the city (and elsewhere), and the burgers cost between Rs 79 and Rs 350. Their non-vegetarian slider box has three burgers (classic chicken cheese, classic mutton cheese and fried chicken) and costs ₹ 399.
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Burger Avatars Peri peri chicken burger | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
New outlet
The other outlet — with a cloud kitchen in Chhattarpur — is called Dallas Burgers. It will be open for delivery within a week, but, to begin with, it will only operate in South Delhi. These burgers, again put together with fresh farm-picked ingredients and patties made to order, cost between ₹ 300 and ₹ 500. The veg menu includes the 4-Cheese Patty Melt with Madras Curry Mayo and Tofu Burger, and the non-veg menu includes a Hawaiian Burger and a God of Lamb Burger. The outlets have other dishes such as subs, wraps or paninis.
But it’s the variety of burgers that makes you wonder. Gone are the days when a burger in Delhi meant a chicken or a mutton patty, wrapped between two buns. We grew up on college burgers – fried buns with fried patties, tomatoes and onions — and were awe-struck when Nirula’s offered us burgers with large, sesame-topped buns. Over the years, though, burgers have morphed. I realised how it had changed when I had Aku’s Meister burger – a lamb patty with a fried egg, some bacon, cheese and caramelised onions and sauce —last year. Then, a place called Boss Burger offered, among other fanciful things, a Mutton Ghee Roast Burger.
African Peri Peri | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Dallas and BurGrill confirm that this is a trend that is here to stay. I greatly enjoyed the 4-cheese burger from the former – it had a veggie patty with a piquant flavour ensconced in cheese. But the burger that gave me immense joy was its Chicken Stripers with Bacon Jam – the sweetness of the jam complemented the chicken patty, while the bacon gave it a nice kick.
BurGrill’s paneer burger was surprisingly good, too. The cottage cheese patty was soft, and had taken in the flavours of the tomato-based sauce. Their Peri Peri Chicken Burger was, not surprisingly, hot. But the salt quotient in the burgers was a bit too much for me.
Burger lovers are going to enjoy these new varieties. Doors are opening up and flavours are being experimented with. I think Mr Jones would doff his crown-like hat to these newbies.