Burgers are messy, greasy, fast food, right? Wrong.
At least that’s not the case with Burger Rebel, a high-end burger joint that’s meant to be more “sophisticated.”
Three years ago, Burger Rebel’s owner, Daniel During, recognised a gap in the market for burgers that were tastier, less greasy, and not messy to eat.
So, he came up with the idea of serving sliders, not any kind of sliders, but ones containing ingredients not traditionally seen on burger menus: Items like foie gras, beef tongue, and blue cheese.
Subsequently, after the success of his first branch in Wafi Mall, During opened a second branch in Souk Al Bahar this May 2015.
“Ladies said that they love to eat burgers more often, but they don’t because they’re messy and they don’t want to eat them in front of their husbands especially,” said During. “So we thought, why not create sliders?”
Another useful side to the mini burgers is introducing new flavours to children.
“It’s easy for mothers to get their children to try something new if it’s in the form of a burger,” he explained.
Arguably, that would work not only for children, but for adults as well.
For example, foie gras (pictured above) and beef tongue are an acquired taste. However, throw them in a burger bun and most people are likely to try them. Throw them in sliders and more people are likely to try them.
As they should. Because the sliders at Burger Rebel are as promised: tasty, not greasy, and not messy.
The bread, meat, filling, and sauce ratio is just the way it should be. And the best thing about them? They can be shared.
But Burger Rebel tends to everyone, not only meat lovers. There was one particular slider called the Forestiere, a veggie burger.
Instead of meat, it had mushroom, cheese, and greens. Surprisingly, that was enough even for a meat lover. The mushroom made for rich and moist bites.
The special thing about this joint’s burgers is that almost everything is home made. The bread buns, the beef brisket, the hotdogs, and the sauces are all made in house.
Yes, we did say hotdogs. Get this, they serve seafood (pictured above) and rabbit (pictured below) hotdogs. Of the two, we favoured the seafood, which comes with moist mashed potatoes.
Served with the courses is a refreshing lemon mint mocktail that went well with all the dishes.
Yet just as impressive as the main dishes and drinks were the starters. Those included beetroot crisps (pictured below) and “Rebel Wings.” We thought the crisps were a brilliant use of an underrated and underused vegetable.
The Rebel AKA chicken wings also had a creative twist. They were covered in parmesan cheese and served with sweet and sour sauce.
Oh, we forgot to mention that the plates were simple wooden cubes.
But that’s drifting from the point.
Perhaps more “rebellious” than the main dishes and the starters were the salads.
One particular dish, the Roasted Beets and Halloumi salad, was an unusual combination of beetroot, Halloumi, and orange slices. We’re delighted to say, it’s one combination that works.
Another salad, the Watermelon and Cherry Tomato salad, was a mixture of mango, watermelon, parmesan, and rocket leaves. That was one of our favourites, too.
Interestingly enough, the salads were brought in a jar first, with each layer of the filling sitting on its own, and then served into a bowl on the table.
Whilst all the dishes were served, however, boredom didn’t strike at Burger Rebel. Instead, puzzle games were handed to guests to keep them entertained, and they weren’t easy to crack.
Another sign that the burger joint is up to date was the décor.
Unique in its own way, it was filled with second hand furniture and wall graffiti.
The table chairs alone were covered with old newspapers and comics. They was even one with the picture of the hit television Turkish series Sultan Suleiman.
The cherry on top was the Sweet Corn Cake dessert (pictured above). Though it sounds regular, amazing would be an understatement for this dish.
Served alongside a berry sauce and whipped cream, the corn cake has just the right balance of sweetness. To us, it’s something you can eat a ton of and still crave more.
As for the eatery’s staff, they were friendly, inviting, and hard working.
In a nutshell, Burger Rebel is the Anna Wintour of burgers if ever there was one. Not many might understand it or even like it, but nobody can deny its exclusivity and uniqueness.
Follow us on
