9.12.05

A tale of two burgers

Yesterday, due to the exigencies of errand-running, Terz and I were forced to partake of a meal at McDonald's. He asked me to get him a McChicken meal and went off to get a table. I stepped up to the counter, ordered his meal, blanked out when the woman asked me if that would be all, and hastily added, "And a Big Mac meal."

No, I wasn't thinking. Yes, this is the power of McDonald's relentless marketing through the decades --- that when confronted by the urgency of making a consumer decision, my brain lapses into some subliminally preprogrammed mode and utters the two words that are at the core of the McDonald's faith.

I mean, seriously, I don't like eating the Big Mac. I don't like eating much that's at McDonald's at all, but if I had the chance to think rationally about what would be the least undesirable of all its dietary options, the Big Mac would not be it.

Nevertheless, I had one: a soggy, squishy and truly unappetizing Big Mac. I couldn't finish it. I'd been starving before, but looking at the Big Mac long enough made those hunger pangs dematerialise instantly.

Even the fries were a disappointment. Time was when the point of going to McDonald's, really, was the fries. But after so long away, they tasted the wrong kind of salty and crispy. Yuck.

So much for that hopeless "meal".

On to happier events. Today, we wound up in the back of the back of beyond: Botak Jones.

Botak Jones

I don't have the street address for it, but it's in Tuas, just around the corner from Tanjong Gul camp. (For non-Singaporeans, this means that it's about as far west as you can go on our tiny island before you cross the border to Malaysia.)

In a manner of speaking, it's not that hard to find because it does lie along an actual road that's in the street directory and you can take an expressway (the Ayer Rajah Expressway) almost all the way there. So Sunset Grill still wins the prize for being the most unlocatable restaurant in Singapore.

Also, Botak Jones occupies two hawker stalls in a large coffeeshop that serves the workers in this industrial area. It doesn't have its own restaurant space per se and so has little control over the ambience. To wit, the unprepossessing view from our table tonight:

Botak Jones

And because the coffeeshop already has a drinks stall, Botak Jones doesn't sell its own beer or any other fancy drinks.

What Botak Jones does have, and this is nothing to sniff at, is burgers of this variety: three meat patties stacked atop each other, smothered in cheese because that's how askgerard.com (formerly known as G-man on this blog) asked them to make it.

Big ass burger

I had my own burger, just one patty thankyouverymuch, and it was tasty and meaty, and it held together rather well.

One of the staff told us they're opening a branch in January at block 608, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 --- but as Terz remarked, what's the point if you don't have to drive all the way to the ends of Singapore to find it?

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9 Comments:

At 12/09/2005 11:57 am , Blogger NARDAC said...

That's gross. Both stories... EWWWWW!!! Between that and your atomic lettuce story, I swear your site is becoming the best to go if you're on a diet. Grossitating to the max.

Btw... it was probably more intelligent just to post a pointer towards the Pinter speech, rather than any half-witted personal entry. But, I'm half-witted. So be it.

 
At 12/10/2005 1:13 am , Blogger  said...

did 2-burger Teo live up to his name? =)

 
At 12/10/2005 9:43 pm , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hmmm ... actually MacDonald's ain't that bad when you're hungry and need something in the stomach in a jiffy. :)

 
At 12/11/2005 3:40 am , Blogger Tym said...

Nardac > I have been eating poorly of late. Just had really mediocre economy rice last night too, because I was in a rush and hungry. Need to improve the diet this week.

Btw, your entry was not half-witted at all :P

儒 > No, he had lamb chops. He's not as much of a burger person as I am.

Chandler > I used to think that too, but this week's experience really put me off it!!

 
At 12/11/2005 5:13 am , Blogger sternstadt said...

Re: Macs. The grilled chicken foldover is not horrible. Yes, it's still Macs. But next time, try that instead of the Big Mac (if you end up in the same situation again).

 
At 12/13/2005 3:17 pm , Blogger Elia Diodati said...

That does look pretty gross. But believe it or not, I've seen worse here in Fat Land.

 
At 2/13/2006 11:11 am , Blogger Tym said...

Ah, nothing like puerile judgements, by an anonymous commenter to boot, to spice up an old comment thread.

 
At 4/13/2006 11:48 am , Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you really want a good burger and few beer without paying too much try Blooies Roadhouse. The food there are really good try yourself to believe.:))

one at 49 Jalan Tua Kong (Siglap) one at Science park 2

 
At 4/13/2006 11:34 pm , Blogger Tym said...

Yep, I'm familiar with Blooie's. See the notes of my hunt for the Great American Burger in Singapore.

 

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