12 January 2017 was an exceptionally hot day. Normally on days like this, I would never even contemplate leaving the office, even if it means I have to eat instant noodles, packed lunches (or more recently, just get it delivered). However on this day, which reached a peak of 35 degrees with a real feel of 39 degrees, I ventured to the other side of the city, because my beloved Charboys was reopening. Long term readers of mine will recall that I did a review of them when they were situated in West End, at the Boundary Street Markets. They closed not long after my review when the markets were shut down last year and it broke my heart. So when I heard that they were reopening outside of Taros Express after a long hiatus, I dropped everything, disregarded the sweltering heat and went out at once.
What I had originally thought was some sort of separator hedge, turned out to actually be their centre of operations. It was essentially a food truck without the wheels, or something akin to a certain shipping container. Customers ordered from the counter and their receipt had a number which they called when the food was ready.
Their menu remained largely the same as it used to be, with the addition of the Brekkie Burger and Southern Style Chicken Burger. Whilst they had two options for fries on the menu, I was advised that for now they were only serving regular size until further notice.
Seating was quite limited, with around half a dozen tables and stools in the space between Charboys and Taros, but it was relatively easy to find a seat because most people had gotten their orders to go (maybe because it was so hot).
Despite the slight backlog of orders, my food was prepared in seven minutes, which is always good when you're pressed for time during a lunch break.
My companion ordered the Cheeseburger, which contained a beef patty, American cheddar, Tomato, Onion, Lettuce, Charboys special sauce, along with ketcup and mustard, with an extra addition of bacon. In short, he loved the burger, especially the meat which struck a good balance between chunkiness and crumbliness. He said that it was hearty without being oily, and the sauce combo was just right.
After ordering, my companion also happened to realise that he forgot to put in an order for a side of chips. Making a latter addition, we were both surprised and impressed by significantly larger portion which almost filled up a whole tray (which means that I could steal some off him). As for the taste, they were super crunchy and freshly fried. My readers will know that my preference is for shoestring fries, and these were the perfect cut. They were also really well seasoned, which set itself apart from the competition (my companion swears it was chicken salt). Whilst fries may not be very expensive, a little generosity like this goes a long way in making customers feel appreciated.
Like my order at Mr Burger, I chose the Double with a side of regular fries. It came with double beef, double cheese, onion, tomato, lettuce, Charboys special sauce, ketchup and mustard. I have to say that this was probably the best burger I've had in my life. It has has either dethroned Miel in my heart, or at least ranks equal to it. The milk bun was fluffy and soft on the inside, and nice and toasty on the outside. It didn't have sesame, which was appreciated, and I also liked the glaze, which was very aesthetically pleasing. As my companion mentioned, the meat was perfect. It was grilled to just the right amount of caramelisation, well seasoned, and crumbled in my mouth to then get mixed up with the gooey tasty cheddar cheese. The salads were fresh, but they didn't make up that much of the burger. Maybe a couple more slices of lettuce would have balanced it a little more. As for the sauces, they were mind blowing. With three sauces in a burger, I could see Charboys made a real effort to make sure that the sauce had a right consistency to cling to the burger rather than running out. Overall, its the closest thing I've had to a perfect burger. Thank goodness they are back!Value: 8/10
Service: 9/10
Environment: 6/10
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