Dinner Review: Burger Labo at 41 Malan Rd, Singapore 109454

One of the best things about meeting foodie friends is they will tell you where to eat. And that was exactly what happened when I met my friend in Toyko. He told me that BurgerLabo is where all the chefs will congregate after their shifts for a bite and they do up the most amazing burgers. At the sound of that I immediately perked up and made it a point to suggest it when I was back and meeting another friend (who loves steak and burgers).

Thus the long trek into Gillman Barracks. I could smell the burger joint from far away (probably downwind) but that's always a good sign (outside smell good, inside smell no).

I made a phone reservation (after 4pm) and we were sat at the counter, nearer to the food :) There's also a neat bar alongside if you're hankering for an alcoholic cocktail, or sake! 

Here's the BurgerLabo menu, PDF taken from the website's Feb 2020 upload.

ANYWAY! My friend got the Basic Burger (S$18) - a la plancha, which means grilled on a metal plate. featuring a 120g Black Angus beef mixed with Toriyama Umami Wagyu A4 tenderloin and other cuts, alongside grilled organic tomato, green iceberg lettuce, American cheese (important!) and house-made bone marrow 'butter' and sauce. I also added truffle fries for $3 to share.

Anyway it was a good night - my friend enjoyed her juicy beef burger very much indeed. And she took a bite of mine, which gave her the chance to compare the real and fake beef. The latter, she said, was nuttier, and I could sort of taste why! 

For me because I was trying out the plant-based, flexitarian diet, I got the Almost Burger (S$20) that is made with vegetarian 120g patty of Impossible meat and Omnipork. But because I have a healthy distaste for all sorts of onions so I asked if it's ok to have the regular Basic Burger ingredients instead and they were cool with it. (I was ok with the bone marrow butter sauce, in fact, since I am not strictly vegetarian.) I loved my Almost Burger - it wasn't too artificial tasting or mushy-textured (my experience with MOS Burger's Impossiburger was horrendous). I would give it a solid 4/5!

We also gave a couple of their local inspired desserts a spin - the House-made gula melaka sorbet and sea salt (S$10) and naked chendol (S$13). Delish! Both tasted similar due to the gula melaka but once again mine, the chendol, had more 'green' in it, haha. Props to the BurgerLabo team for creating these so it's not just another burger place.

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at BurgerLabo and found it to have great burgers and excellent desserts on a quiet weekday night. However my brother went after and reported back saying the burgers were kinda disappointing and dry, so I don't know if the consistency is all there. Perhaps I need to go back and try it again...

BurgerLabo

41 Malan Rd, Gillman Barracks, Singapore 109454

+65 66940940 (call after 4pm)

Tuesdays to Thurs 5pm to 11pm, Fridays to Saturdays 5pm to 2am (!!)

Closed on Mondays and Sundays