While sitting in Starbucks today (toffee nut frap is the best frap. ever.) the craving for The Handburger struck and we headed down to Raffles City basement for some burgers!
It was about 5.30pm when we reached, and The Handburger serves mini sliders from 3-6.30pm every day, so I was torn between getting a full sized burger and 4 mini sliders. The sliders give more variety, but the full burger comes with a side which the sliders don't! So in the end, the full burger won.
We decided to try the pulled pork burger and the smoked duck burger, along with a serving of fries and a chilled tomato. I love how they use different types of homemade buns for different burgers.
The pulled pork burger comprised a heap of pulled pork with bbq sauce, on lettuce and tomato, all within a rustic bun. I've not encountered a pulled pork that I've not liked - they're always juicy and flavourful. Safe to say, it was good.
However, what stole the show was the smoked duck burger. Such a wonderful taste sensation! Smoked duck breast, lettuce, tomato, thinly sliced leek, mandarin oranges, and topped with a drizzle of peanut sauce, all in a wholegrain bun. The duck was not the least bit dry (and this is from someone who isn't very fond of breast meat), and the taste of it is kind of indescribable. I've never had smoked duck before but you can actually taste the "tea" in it. The orange slices give it a lovely twist and adds a refreshing flavour complementing the duck nicely.
Then there was the chilled tomato! I think I could demolish a few of these at one go. A cold, peeled, chilled tomato stuffed with coleslaw and topped with an orange dressing (I can't quite put my finer on what's in it). Feels wonderfully healthy, the cloeslaw has not been "over-mayo-ed" and the tomato is so plump and juicy! The Handburger's pretty smart to have created a unique side dish - I'll come back just because of this alone.
Handcut fries - nice and thick with skin on. How wrong can homemade fries go?
To top it all off, we had a peanut butter and banana milkshake. I seem to sound like a broken tape recorder saying good things about this place, but I can't find a fault with the milkshake. I don't know why some reviewers said they couldn't taste the banana in the milkshake - I definitely could! The first taste that hits your tongue would be that of peanut butter, then a few seconds later the taste of the banana. And not too cloyingly sweet to boot. As we hit the bottom of the glass, there were a few chewy bits of marshmallow. I have no idea if they blended marshmallow in hmm. But the torched marshmallow on top was a nice addition.
I am so definitely coming back here again. The seating's rather communal - like what you might find in a school canteen, but the food and efficient service (water gets refilled ever so quickly) makes up for it. I love how the whole restaurant concept revolves around everything being handmade - such a signature of the Spoon Spoon creaters. The next time I'm going to try the beer battered calamari, the duck confit burger, and maybe the sliders for a bit of everything!
