Eating a burger with perfection, that is without making a mess, is an art. Just as cooking a pate, is one. And although I did not perfect the art of eating a burger (half of the bun's ingredients kept falling out and my hands were smeared with sauce), the chefs at Keys Hotel sure got the technique of making a great pate down to a T.
In a city where most prefer eating idlis and vadas or fried rice and chilli chicken, a burger festival comes as a whiff of fresh air. That is why when I heard that a burger fete is on at Keys, I grab some friends and head over to its restaurant. Now, for me, a burger is all about finely ground meat with the right blend of ingredients, toppings for the pate and so on. I have had only a handful of vegetarian burgers that have had me still drooling over it days later. My friends seemed to feel the same way too. And so, we order a Classic American Burger, The Morrocan Burger, and the in-house speciality, Keys Decker.
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The Classic American Burger was best described in two words – juicy, yummy. The pate has been marinated generously in Worcestershire sauce and is topped with caramelised onions, mustard and pickle.
The Keys Decker is the restaurant's healthy option of a burger. Served in a multi-grain bun, it had pan-grilled bacon, fried herb-spiced oat meal and chicken pate, fresh greens and coleslaw. What I loved about this burger is that the pate, which was more cutlet-like, had a generous blend of herbs. I could detect oregano and the egg, although fried, had a touch of gooeyness in it. The restaurant has a vegetarian option of this burger with pan grilled bell pepper, aubergine and oatmeal and root vegetable pate.
The Moroccan Burger is not for those who want to look pretty while eating a burger. The pate and trimmings inside the burger spill out of the puny bread roll and this burger, unlike the others, which you can cut into half and break them down to eat, is impossible to fit into your mouth. Although the flavours in the burger were delightful, the meat in the pate was a tad tough.
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The fries that come along with the burgers are golden brown, crispy on the outside, with a light fluffy interior that tastes of potato. A soft drink of your choice is served as part of the meal.
Vegetarians do not have much of an option at the fete as Vega Bun and Chunky Burger are two other burgers for them apart from the Keys Decker.
The festival is on until February 19 . The timings of the festival are from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.