Bingeing on Burgers

CEBU, Philippines - I must confess I'm a burger fan!

It's my weakness. Hamburgers are my recess snack default in high school – the oversized, fluffy bun with Papa Banana Ketchup+mayo spread and of course the tiny well-done, ahhmm overcooked, patty – that despite its lousy presentation and taste, is still comfort food for me. There were no grilled burgers in my side of town that time. We only had the burger joints stationed across the schools that offer thicker patties (oilier that is), with add on options of coleslaw, cheese and sunny-side-up egg. Well, there were occasional trips to the big cities though where I was able to try the fast food stuff like Jollibee, McDonald's and KFC. Verdict: the "previous" KFC chicken burger concoction tops!

Moving to the Queen City meant more burger tasting. I was introduced to Casa Verde's humungous "family" burger (it's definitely for "sharing"), Angel's Burger's buy 1 take 1 that appeals much to the studes, Hot Shoppe's (downtown Colon) ordinary yet tasty burgers that my colleagues feast on in the afternoon, and thank God for the grilled burgers of Burger Joint and my best-loved Flame It! The latest I had was Burger King's classic BBQ burger, which they say is a must-try whenever a Cebuano is in Manila, which I rated 3 stars out of 5 in Twitter. I'm no expert in hamburgers; I'm just a fan of the good stuff.

Burger buzz: Last month, I was at the Breeze and Buko Bar of Shangri-La's Mactan Resort & Spa, together with some media friends and food bloggers to sample the Best Burgers in Town, six delectable burgers available only until this month.

Fresh from its sweet victory at the recent Taste of Cebu Burger Throwdown organized by Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC), the award-winning Burger Ni Nato Bai (This Is Our Burger) is indeed worthy of the citation as the champion of the said competition. This screams Cebu: beef burger patty with pickled papaya (yes that's atchara in your burger!), chicharon (pork crackling) and local cheese in a guitar-shaped (guitar industry, step up!) bun served with banana chips. The taste is very Filipino, an explosion of different flavors! My kind of burger. hahaha

Since last month, The Croc has gained a lot of patrons. I'm not surprised. It draws attention due to it's a unique offer: breaded crocodile meat with rocket lettuce, tomatoes and onions, served in a pan de sal bun with spicy tomato salsa and fried sweet potato chips. This also got the nods of my fellow diners.

Another out of the ordinary is The Big O – ground ostrich patty served with a slice of grilled pineapple (I'm reminded of Jollibee Amazing Aloha), lettuce, tomatoes and Brie cheese (soft cow's milk cheese) in a sesame seed bun served with farmer potatoes.

The name itself suggests what it's made of. Order a Teri-chic if you fancy a lean chicken burger: spicy chicken patty topped with sautéed shitake mushrooms and bean sprouts, served in a seaweed bun with terriyaki sauce and potato wedges.

Parrot-ific is a wellness buff's healthy option that perhaps appeals as well to Japanese diners. Parrot fish patty, tomatoes and onions served in a sesame seed bun with wasabi mayonnaise and vegetable chips.

Lastly, it's an oh la lamb option for Lamb Oriental. Lamb meat patty with feta cheese served in Oriental flatbread with Tzatzki sauce (Greek cucumber yogurt sauce) and crisp potato sticks.

That was quite a burger degustation!

The Best Burgers in Town menu is available at Breeze and the Buko Bar. For inquiries and reservations, please contact Shangri-La's Mactan Resort and Spa, Cebu at (63 32) 231 8224 or e-mail [email protected].  (FREEMAN)