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The Beef serves what is arguably the best burger in Metro Manila.
There are really, only three items in the menu: the hambuger (PHP275), the cheeseburger (PHP295), and fries (PHP85).
But The Beef, which stands right next to Chef JP Anglo’s Liberation Shawarma at Hole in The Wall in Century City Mall, gives its diners the option to have the burgers with fries, like a meal set (starts PHP350). It also offers extra patty (PHP180) and extra cheese (PHP50) for heavy-hitters.
The menu should clue in the diner that at The Beef, it’s all very simple and straightforward. This is exactly The Beef’s burger philosophy: to unclutter the burger. You’ll see this as its mission on its menu board: “The best uncluttered burger on this side of the planet. No insecure oversizing. No customization. No fancy topping.”
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On a slow Friday afternoon, we went to try The Beef’s cheeseburger with fries (PHP395 including service). We only had to wait less than 5 minutes, but that’s also because there were no lines. It was a slow Friday afternoon.
The order comes with ketchup and herbed aioli. The fries had a nice crisp to them. They were a bit too chunky and cut too largely for our preference, but they’re fries. Being too chunky and large is hardly a sin.
The first thing we noticed about the cheeseburger was the bun — holy hell, it was a soft and buttery brioche with a cute crackle on the toasted edges. It was then that we realized bread is an often overlooked component in the burger business. We’re just too happy to report that finally, someone remembered and paid enough attention to it.
And then comes all the pretty things in the middle —the ample amount of vegetables, the cheese that glues all of it together, lending a nice level of salty creaminess to it all, some bits of bacon that is always a good thing, and the star of the show, the beef patty.
Oh boy, the beef patty. I was told it was made with beef chuck from cows raised in the US and beef back fat from local Wagyu beef. No wonder it pulled a rich and solid flavor.
Its dripping should tell you how juicy juicy juicy the patty was. But despite that juiciness, the burger didn’t crumble. It’s a good thing that came very much appreciated — the dripping was messy enough.
If only Kalayaan Avenue wasn’t such a bitch to navigate, we’d probably have The Beef at least once a week. But that’s not the case, so we’re making a deal with ourselves to try and see if we can manage a bi-monthly trek.
The Beef, Hole in the Wall, 4/F Century City Mall, Makati. 10am-10pm
Look at that loaded beauty! For good measure, we paired The Beef’s cheeseburger (PHP296) with Joe’s Point’s Fish Rider Pale Ale (PHP220).
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