FoodMetroManila

Sister to the Burger Bar and with five locations (as of this writing), the place that began in UP Town center is now officially a metro manila staple. Thanks to the opening of Tim Ho Wan and Ippudo, the waiting lines have disappeared but the place still gets packed during peak hours. We got there one hour before the mall’s closing and we barely got squeezed into a table.

The name alone gets people’s attention. It’s derived from the eight cuts of beef from which 8 Cuts bases its awesome burger patties on: Chuck; Rib Eye; Short Rib; Sirloin; Brisket; Hanger; Flank; Ox Tail. I haven’t been to Burger Bar but they say that the only difference is the “8th Cut”, the Ox Tail, hence the name.

They grind these cuts, then blend some of them together. This ensures that you get to enjoy everything good about each cut. The result is a wonderfully tasty, juicy, food coma inducing epic burger.

Although 8 Cuts have set burger combinations in their menu, their biggest draw (for me anyways) is “The Boss & The Blends” option. This lets you be the boss and have your burger your way. Choose your bun, your free toppings, your preferred blend, and some other fantastic toppings and sauces for a truly personalized meal. And yes, they can let you put bacon on your burger. Major pro!

This was the option we went for and we are patting ourselves on the back for a very wise decision.

For starters, Beer Battered Fish and Chips

This isn’t exactly a starter on 8 Cuts’ menu, but “Beer Battered” got us hooked and we ordered it while thinking about what to get for the rest of the meal. Those fish were perfect! The batter tasted amazing while the fish itself was so moist and perfectly seasoned. The tartar sauce binds it all together and we had one of the best fish and chips we’ve had this side of Metro Manila.

The chips, however, were dry and not warm. The sort of cajun seasoning on them was good though.

The Boss & The Blends, my girl’s burger

Looking at it now, it just looks like an ordinary home-made burger. She ordered a House Blend patty, on a brioche bun, with lettuce, tomatoes, jalapeno, and blue-cheese sauce. The jalapeno and the sauce are underneath the lettuce. If you feel that this was way too few, yes she will agree with you.

So what did my girl do? Order more jalapeno. This time in the jalapeno ranch sauce form. I told you she likes to eat spicy food. Also, miraculously, there is a strip of bacon there atop her patty! More about that later.

The Boss & The Blends, my burger

My burger used the Game Day patty, on a kaiser bun, with lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, their sauce #4 (similar to thousand island but with a slight spicy kick), pickles, mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions, and BACON! Yeah! Look at those strips of Bacon! Somehow that combination worked, and I had a delightful meal.

My girl got bummed that she forgot to order bacon, and we were too hungry to wait for an extra order. So… I had to give her half of mine. The things I do for love.

Drinks, to wash everything down

She ordered a watermelon martini, but we didn’t think it would be this big. The martini had a very faint hint of alcohol and had a sort of bubblegum flavoring taste. It was so sweet that my girl didn’t want to bother with dessert.

I got myself a beer. I originally thought there would be Corona upon reading “imported beers” in the menu but the server shut that expectation down quickly. Upon asking what are available, he told me only Hoegaarden and Stella Artois were there. I also like the smooth taste of wheat beer so I went with this and was still satisfied. Good burgers always work well with beer.

Ruminations…

You probably have concluded by now that we had a wonderful time eating here. The option to create our own burgers was our main draw and we were totally happy and satisfied with the end products. The patty was seasoned well, beautifully rare, and perfectly juicy. The toppings and sauces were also fresh compliments. Offering beer (or alcohol in general) pretty much sealed the deal for me.

These are not ordinary burgers. I would really recommend you try their burger blends and be the boss. Be bold and experiment with different flavors. The attentive servers are there to guide you if you’re not sure what to choose. You wouldn’t be disappointed!