I am somewhat of a gourmet burger fan, having travelled around parts of Singapore to try some of the best NON-fast food burgers I could find (though Shake Shack's pretty good). So I was definitely intrigued when I was invited by the owner of Aburiya to taste their new 100% A5 Japanese wagyu burgers imported from Hokkaido. I am intrigued as I realised that I've never actually had A5 Japanese wagyu before in a burger, despite the myriad of Japanese wagyu shops in Singapore. So I headed down one rainy weekday to the shophouse restaurant.
What I learned from Kitagawa-san, the owner of the yakiniku restaurant (which also has its OG branch in Robertson Quay since many years ago as well as an offshoot next door called Wagyu Aburiya: Steak & Sukiyaki) was very enlightening. Basically he imports WHOLE black cows from Hokkaido for his yakiniku and steak restaurants, but all the side cuts, tarrow (beef fat) and tendons are then used to make the burger patties, which then passes the cost savings to consumers. That's why it's just S$16 for a 150g single cheese burger, teriyaki and spicy single patty burger ($22 for a double and $28 for a triple). Bonus - there's minimal food wastage. I call that a triple win!
Here I've got the Bacon Cheese Burger (S$18) set (+$8), which also comes with free flow fries, a potato salad and a soft drink. It's a pretty sweet deal and the 150g patty is definitely sufficient for lunch. The Japanese potato salad was super addictive and the fries came with some custom yuzu mayo dip.
What I learned is also how much effort goes into constructing the bun, starting with the custom-made buns that are denser and 20% larger than normal so as to withstand the juiciness of the wagyu patty. The owner actually got a Japanese bakery to make these "mochi-texture, like Mr Donut" buns with 100% Japanese flour and the baker insisted on using Echire butter, which is one of the most premium butters on this earth.
I was also told that other than the burger sauce, there's a special yuzu mayo that goes into the burger using specially imported yuzu kosho from yuzu farmers in Tokushima in the south of Japan. That is A LOT of effort that goes into the burger! Here's what it looked like, cut into half. What a beaute.
The burgers were really as soft as you'd imagine, with the buttery buns with a bit of a bounce providing little to no resistance. The wagyu patty was juicy, tender and carries the distinctive wagyu flavour. Then my tongue gets to the rest of the items - the salty bacon strip and the peppery yuzu mayo comes into play. I also tried the Spicy Cheese Burger (S$16) and it was similar except for a stronger spicy taste (still acceptable for me!) with a miso chilli sauce.
While it is true that there are non-Japanese wagyu burgers out there that tastes good, I must say that these Wagyu Bites from Aburiya don't just taste good - they taste better than the sum of its mighty parts, all of which were made with care and attention to detail. I'll highly recommend you guys to check it out for lunch or dinner!
🙅 Thank you, next
🤷 Try if you are an wagyu fan ✔️
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Aburiya @ Tanjong Pagar
108 Tanjong Pagar Road, Singapore 088526
Mon-Fri 11.30am to 2.30pm, 6pm to 10.30pm
Sat-Sun 6pm to 10.30pm
Walk-ins for lunch ok OR reserve on Chope
Thanks to Kitagawa-san for the invite and kind hospitality!
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