Patricia Eats: The Burger Lab

Never play with your food.

It was always a rule at the dining table. I've lost count how many times parents and elders remind the young ones, or how strangers and fellow diners frown upon little children toying with the food on their plates. But at The Burger Lab, I think it is well encouraged to have a little fun with your meal.

Our office recently relocated to Five E-com in MOA Complex. Not that it's a big deal, but we're at the gastronomically-friendly side of the area. With half of the mall being renovated and lunch staples are closed, it's either we bring baon to work or look for new places to eat in.

I was on a quest to find good burgers. Lo and behold, there's a new burger place in the Prism Plaza (Two E-com). I've only heard of its name, but after checking out social media and of course Looloo and Zomato, I was convinced I should try it. A few days ago, I was able to convince Eunice and Efren too. Yay!

The Burger Lab is actually a bar. But there's more on the menu beyond alcohol. I carefully reviewed the menu on Zomato. There are several ways you can get a burger, from a plain "Sad Burger" to the most adventurous one like the "The Cardiac Burger". The menu is easy to look at - the name of the burger, the ingredients and of course the price. Price ranges from Php170 to Php360.

Eunice's Cheese-Stuffed Burger (Php230); effin' oozing with cheese!

Efren got a Pizza Burger. With extra bacon. The love affair of meat and guys. Lol. Medyo nainggit ako sa mozzarella cheese. Costs Php225 before the bacon. He then asked for ketchup, and whoa. It came in a syringe. 

I got this Smoked Gun Burger (Php270), because between a spicy chicken burger (Buffalo Soldier Burger) and one with barbecue sauce, barbecue wins for me. The coolness factor with this one was it came in a glass cover, smoking, then revealed my burger. It was a good burger, the patty was really juicy and the coleslaw was just the right amount of tang. Although I'd prefer to order this next time with the barbecue sauce in a separate container. It was too much for me - but it was still good that I want to order it again next time.

We also had milkshakes (Php120) - what burger meal would be complete without milkshakes? I got a classic vanilla milkshake, which is usually my test for good or bad milkshakes. The others got chocolate milkshakes. I personally liked the creamy vanilla flavor, but the fact that their blend still had chunks of ice in it doesn't make me want to recommend this to anyone. It's pretty good though, an insect dove in my drink and enjoyed it.

Efren also ordered chicken wings (Php195). Weird as it is, it was supposed to be an appetizer but was served after we were finished with our burgers and almost done with our milkshakes. One order's about 6 pieces, so it was enough for the three of us. It was not that spicy as I was expecting it to be, and it the ranch dip really complemented the wings.

I'd give this restaurant 4 stars (out of 5). If it weren't for the milkshake-stealing insect and the late chicken wings, I'd give the Burger Lab a perfect 5 stars. But, things happen. And I'd try to remember to ask the server to separate the sauces next time. 

The Burger Lab is located at 4/F Prism Plaza, Two E-com Building, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City

Contact Number: 832-5838

Open 2pm - 10pm (Monday - Friday); 2pm - 2am (Saturday)

Hot Off the Fryer: Taiwan's Hot Star Large Fried Chicken

Fried chicken is probably one of those food that will always make it on anyone's comfort food list. I could only nod my head to agree.

Last week, we had one of those days where office pantry food isn't appealing and you finally ran out of choices in the nearby mall, my coworkers and I decided to head to Blue Bay Walk in Macapagal Avenue to try what anything new.

There are a few shops open, including Payless and a kitchen store. Restaurants are operational when we went there, with "staples" such as McDonald's and Starbucks, along with an eat-all-you-can establishment. A little exploration and we found Hot Star Chicken.

Hot Star Chicken opened in the Philippines last February, all thanks to Richard Chua. Yep, the same guy behind Peanut Butter Company. (We thought it was operated by the same company that runs Army Navy because the interiors were quite the same.) Hot Star's goal is to deliver street food that is authentically Taiwanese and amazingly addictive. You can easily spot this restaurant with its bright blue exterior. Unlike in other countries where it's grab-and-go, the Philippine is the first sit-down branch.

Hot Star's claim to fame is their signature deep fried chicken breast that's about 30cm long. You can have it in three flavors: Original Large Fried Chicken (seasoned with S&P), Crispy Large Fried Chicken, and BBQ Large Fried Chicken (the original flavor glazed in BBQ sauce with sesame seeds). You can order the fried chicken alone for P110 to P125 or you could add P35 to enjoy it with rice and a regular Pepsi product drink. Other chicken choices from the menu are Chicken Popcorn, BBQ Wings and Chicken Sandwich.

The menu also includes Crispy Fish and spaghetti. You can also find Chicken Skin on the menu. You can opt for mushroom soup, mashed potatoes or fries for you sides. There's also a crunchy Fruit Salad which is a fruit salad that has chicken skin. Dessert choices are soft serve cones or Ice Crush (a milkshake-ish concoction), both of which are available in Almond or Black Gulaman flavors.

We opted to get the BBQ wings and shared among ourselves. It was good and quite tasty. It goes well with their rice gravy. Comparing it with the Korean fried chicken competitor next door, I'd go with Hot Star on any given day. Service was fast and from where we were seated, I could see the kitchen was spotless.

Crappy cellphone photo. :p

Based on what we ordered, I'd say I'm going to come back and try the other dishes. In my book, it's a 4 out of 5. I'd even recommend my friends to eat there.

If happen to be around Macapagal Avenue or Roxas Blvd., give it a try. You can check out the Express Lane to feel how the original branch works or if you're in a rush.



Hot Star Large Fried Chicken is located at Blue Bay Walk, Macapagal Avenue corner EDSA, Pasay City and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.