Trying out two of Mumbai’s hottest new burger joints

Zorawar Kalra’s new burger joint is a smash hit, though the gold leaf on buns is an expensive addition

There's been a lot of buzz on social media about Louis Burger, the new takeaway venture that restaurateur Zorawar Kalra has launched. People have been posting paeans to it on Instagram, gushing about how good the burgers are. Well, the good news is that none of it is hyperbole. We tried the fare, and can confirm that Kalra has a winner on his hands. It’s rare for us to not pinpoint a single flaw in a new eatery, and if we had to pick one for this place, it would only be the fact that the ostentatious gold leaves stuck on the buns of two of their limited-edition offerings — truffletake burger (Rs 888) and Louis grand royale (Rs 695), packaged in fancy black boxes — are somewhat over the top because they don’t really add to the taste. Otherwise, we had nothing else to pick on.

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Louis grand royale

And how could we, when the burgers are things of uncomplicated beauty that focus on quality ingredients? Don’t expect nasty stuff like processed cheese here, because the sunshine-yellow English cheddar glistening between the buns is jolly good, to use an apt British description. Even the buns aren’t factory-made nonsense, they are baked in-house. But the patties are the real heroes of this place, be it in the lamb, chicken or vegetarian options. The one ensconced within the smash buff cheese burger (Rs 335) is in fact such a hefty piece of delicately flavoured meat that it might permanently put you off the flimsy, soulless versions at fast-food chains. And the truffletake burger lives up to its name because the earthy flavour of the fancy fungus permeates the palate with every bite.

So, the point is that sometimes, you can believe what you read on the Internet. Those who gave Louis Burger a public thumbs-up weren’t off the mark. Burger joints are a dime a dozen in Mumbai. But you now know where to go if you’re looking for premium quality at affordable prices (most of the items cost between R215 and R385). It’s only the two limited-edition burgers that are expensive, but you can put the blame partly on the blingy gold leaf for jacking up those costs.  

Time: 12 pm to 11.30 pm
At: Louis Burger, Kamala Mills Compound, Lower Parel
Call: 8433942801

Nothing to mock here

Of all the options at a burger joint in Santacruz, the mock-meat one impresses the most

Hashtag One is a new burger place in Santacruz West that has achieved the impossible. It has made this writer’s partner appreciate the taste of a mock-meat burger. When told that’s what the patty is made of in the dish titled doppelganger (R350), her immediate reaction was to screw her face up in disgust and exclaim, “Ew, mock meat, why?!” But we actually couldn’t believe our ears when, after unpackaging the burger from a cardboard box and taking a bite, she changed her opinion to, “Mmmm, this is actually quite nice.”

Seoulful

It indeed is, because we view mock meat with suspicion too, and though the mushroom-potato patty in this burger had a firm bite that didn’t quite replicate the texture of meat, it didn’t make us miss animal protein at all. The subtle herbs it was flavoured with, and add-ons like soya jalapeno and caramelised onions elevated the taste further. But all said and done, the unapologetic carnivore in us couldn’t be suppressed for long. So, we turned our attention to Seoulful (Rs 400), which gets its name from the Korean tabanjan chilli paste smeared on the grilled chicken patty. It’s an unusual ingredient for a burger at a Mumbai joint, but we’d definitely like to taste more of it given the pleasant sweetness it added to the dish.

Doppelganger

Ofishal (Rs 550), which is a fish burger, didn’t work as well, though. The red-snapper patty coloured green with Thai chilli basil flavouring was quite bland. But then again, we aren’t the sort who’d go weak in the knees at the mention of something like a fillet-o-fish burger anyway, because a fish patty isn’t our favourite thing on Earth. Having said that, we didn’t care much for mock meat earlier either. But Hashtag One has changed our opinion on that front, and that, let us assure you, is no mean achievement.

Time: 12 pm to 12 am
At: Hashtag One, opposite Porsche showroom, Santacruz West
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