my Burger Lab

Sometimes change sneaks up on us ever so slowly, we don't even realise it's taking place.

One such time, was when I was preparing to write this post and realised...

WTF I can't believe I've become one of those schmoes who queue up for ages to eat anywhere. TWICE!

But after the initial horror, I'm relieved to say, at least the burgers here was pretty awesome, so I guess I'm going to put the first time down to research, and the second one down to having nothing better to do on a Friday night. That last bit is sad, I know.

So, the menu is pretty much what's on there. Cleverly placed, so you can decide while you wait in line. Other things to keep you entertained while you wait in line include a wall full of polaroids of supposedly satisfied customers, and a bunch of notes written on currency tacked on the board next to the photos. You can also alternate between scanning the menu, and actually watching their kitchen staff whip up those burgers and fries while you ponder which burger to get.
So, once you've placed your order, gotten your number (like at the post office), you're now out of the queue and forced to wait around awkwardly for your order. I say awkward because between already very full tables, the preppy-college-kid-looking staff clearing tables so that the even more people who are circling the tables like vultures waiting for a spot to open up can sit down, there's hardly any space to stand without being jostled. It also annoys the crap out of me that the staff, and quite a number of the patrons all look and talk like they've been cast to be part of some young adult drama series set in a burger joint.

So here comes the bit where going through all that becomes a little more worthwhile: the food!

 

So, first trip there, I had the Chicken A+ which was pretty good. I did not expect the bun to be as beautifully soft and warm as it was. But of all the things I've ever eaten, I'd probably put it at an A-. Still, better than most places. The eating experience was also probably impaired a little by the fact that I was standing at the bar-like counter near the entrance - the only table left. 

The second time there was one random Friday night, a couple of friends and I decided that burgers, instead of beers, would be our poison. One of the two said friends, lived a convenient 3 turns away from this place. So this time, we had a better solution to all our parking problems - both for the car and our backsides. 

This time I got to enjoy my burger - The Hulk was the burger of choice this time - in the relative comfort of my buddy's spacious dining room table. That said, I'm pretty sure it wasn't the relative comfort of my eating space that makes me say this oily little piece of heaven is the burger that deserves an A+. Highlight of the burger - the fried avocado, also available on some of the other burgers, and as an add-on for a price I don't remember. 

Omnomnomlicious indeed.

Okay, I can't believe I wrote that word, especially while not even remotely talking about Sesame Street. Ick.

facekara 7 and the punctuality conundrum

The last message read:
Ok guys, I've made the booking for 1pm. Don't be late.

That sounded pretty serious. Like most people around me, Joan has never been one of those people I considered a stickler for punctuality.
But I'd pulled an "On the way" on her the day before, when I was running 20 minutes late for badminton, and I was the one with the whole tube of shuttlecocks.
So, I didn't want to take the "Don't be late" too lightly.

It was another one of our little Groupon-bought adventures.

None of us had any idea where this place was, other than that it was in Sunway Pyramid. Their Facebook page wasn't very helpful, either. Here's a hint to businesses: you might want to give people easy access to information about how to really get to your doorstep. Directions so simple that people with no sense of direction can use would be good.
Mercifully, I bumped into another one of our little group somewhere along the way, who had also gotten lost. We eventually located it tucked away in a little corner past Italiannes and Teh Tarik Place.

At the top of a short escalator was the reception area which consisted of a fountain/pond thingy that joined the two sides - one with the counter and all the rooms, the other where the kitchen presumably was.
It was a half hour wait before the rest of our party arrived, during which said friend and I stood around the reception area, markedly void of chairs, hearing the muffled wails that were supposed to be renditions of Adele's music.
Note to self: people may hear my very syok sendiri version of Rolling in the Deep, too!

When we were shown to the room, it seemed decent enough. I was also kind of happy that they use a touch screen system - no more fiddling with remote controls that are labeled in Chinese! Even more entertaining was that you could add to your syok sendiri-ness by adding clapping and cheering sound effects. But then we were told that the system lags and we should allow it a couple of seconds each time after we click on something.

Well, it didn't just lag - which was a little annoying, because that meant the music lagged, too. But after a couple of tries, the whole system hung (hanged? I still haven't figured out what's the correct way to express this). We eventually had to move to another room. By this time, we were about half an hour into our three-hour session, which they very kindly let us extend.
During this time, we also had conclusive evidence that the walls were way thinner than they should be. In between songs, we found ourselves having a good laugh joining in on the rather amusing selection the people in the room next door had going on - Abba and Justin Bieber amongst them.

All that aside, we all left pretty satisfied, having spent the afternoon acting out our secret desires to be part of a boyband, a rock band, a diva and an indie songstress.
But I probably won't be rushing back for more lagging backup music, and screechy microphones that took a long time to calibrate or whatever you do with them to make them not screech.