A bun musical: Try 'BTS burger' and other musician-inspired dishes at Woodside Inn

Spice Girls burger

If your favourite musician reminded you of a dish, what would it be? It's a question that the folks at Woodside Inn, Mumbai, took quite literally, such that they ended up creating burgers that are culinary odes to musical legends. If you head to any of their outlets in the city next week, you're likely to hum a Baba Sehgal rap when you dig into a thecha paneer burger, themed on the singer, and "find what you're looking for" with their U2 car bomb burger with tenderloin patty and a Jameson bacon ketchup. These burgers are among the 11 decadent creations that are part of the month-long Sound Bite Festival.

BTS burger

The music and food celebration is the 15th edition of their annual beer and burger festival. Pankil Shah, director and co-founder, Neighbourhood Hospitality Pvt Ltd, which runs the popular eatery, tells us the festival is back in a physical avatar after two years of the pandemic. "Every year, we do different themes, be it Oktoberfest, happy picnic or zodiac party. This year, we wanted to showcase one of our core experiences apart from burgers and beers - music. The music we play is something we put a lot of thought and care into," he shares.

RHCP burger

The team has tuned in to their musical icons to infuse elements of their art and personality into the burgers. Take for instance, the Bryan Adams'-inspired vegan burger (Rs 845) with Blue Tribe's no-chicken double patty, soft-spot ‘cheeze' melt and grated spiced EVO egg. It makes for a giant, wholesome feast, with smoky vegan bacon bits and a moreish maple ‘cheeze' poutine. Adams, Shah informs us, embraced veganism back in the '80s before it became cool. With a soft spot for Red Hot Chili Peppers (RHCP), we gravitate towards the red cheetos-ensconced chicken burger (Rs 795) that blends a touch of sweet with spice. It pairs well with the cool tropical slaw of purple cabbage, pineapple and raw mango.

Baba Sehgal. Pic Courtesy/Instagram

For all the ARMY fans in the house, they have a BTS Korean fried chicken burger (Rs 695) that is slathered with an indulgent dark soy caramel and is downright addictive. The Spice Girls Sunday Roast tenderloin burger (Rs 895) is packed with finely chopped slides of buff that sit sturdily between the buns. The spice quotient is medium while the portions are generous. If you're a meat lover (who may or may not like the Spice Girls' playlist), this one is bound to be your-pick-me-up on a rainy day, with a chilled beer for company.

The festival will also offer 16 brews for tipplers. Six of these have been brewed for the festival, including a dark chocolate hot sauce stout by Bira, a mangosteen-flavoured one by Great State Aleworks and a nitro rice lager by Gateway Brewing Company, among others. Throughout the month, the three outlets of the eatery will also host vinyl nights and performances by the likes of Bombay Beatnik Buskers who will generate funds for the Desire Care Institute; Suchita and Anusha; SIMETRI and Dissonant Harmony, among other artistes.

Pankil Shah

The music doesn't end there. The king of culinary rap tributes, Sehgal, will whip up an exclusive rap number for this festival. "All of us grew up listening to his music and I used to have his cassettes back in the day. So, it's cool to have him write a song about burgers," Shah admits. After rajma chawal and biryani, we will keep our ears peeled for Sehgal's bun tribute.

From: July 19 to August 19; 11.30 am to 1.30 am
At: Colaba, Bandra and Andheri outlets
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