It’s a little ironic I’m typing this article while sitting in a McDonald’s when the topic is about good burgers.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m sure there are some good burgers in Mekdi – the grilled ones come to mind – but I rather have Burger King any day of the week..
Those living in Subang Jaya have plenty of options when it comes to other burger joints – Carl’s Jr, KGB and Burgertory – among others.
There are also plenty of roadside burger stalls – Ramly, Otai or a slew of stalls that have homemade patties.
Damn, my mouth is watering just thinking of them all.
But for all of the choices available, my go-to ‘Abang Burger’ is Samsuri Salim who runs the Aroma Burger stall in USJ 14/1K.
As his tagline goes … It’s worth the wait. And yes, it can be a crazy wait at times.
Last week, after a late-night “meeting”, three of us had the craving for burgers. We tried calling him – regulars can call and place their order then pick it up – but he wasn’t answering his phone.
So we drove to his stall where he told us he had to ignore incoming calls as there was a 90-minute wait!
We decided to order anyway – as did several other patrons who came after us.
Here’s a funny story. Years ago, when I ordered my burger, Sam said there was a 25-minute wait. A lady who had arrived before me was told the same thing but after 10 minutes or so, started complaining it was taking too long.
Sam just smiled and continued making his burgers, but another customer told her: “If you want good food, you have to wait lah.
“If you want fast, go lah to McDonald’s but it won’t be as good. He warned you it would take 25 minutes.”
The woman sheepishly apologised and replied: “Yes, his burgers are worth the wait.”
I’ve been going to Sam’s stall for 20 years and he has never disappointed.
And no, he doesn’t sell premium homemade patties … just good old Ramly burgers.
Now, making good Ramly burgers isn’t hard unless you have the cooking skills of an Orangutan which one stall near the New Straits Times office in Bangsar unfortunately did.
That was many, many, years ago and the shop didn’t last long, unsurprisingly.
While it’s not hard to make good Ramly burgers, it is equally not as easy to make great ones, and here, Sam excels.
Everyone I have introduced to him has gone back for more. We reckon the reason why his burgers taste so great is that he actually makes them with love.
Unlike some ‘Abang Burger’ who crack several eggs at once then place the burgers in them – there’s no even distribution of egg to burger ratio – Sam does it one by one.
He carefully cracks an egg and spreads it out on the griddle before carefully wrapping it around the burgers and cheese. There is no wasted motion.
He takes his time to make sure he gets each order right.
Sam also uses an array of sauces and condiments so you can have it banjir ala a sloppy Joe if you will. Or you could tell him to go easy on the sauces.
Onions, too, can be caramelised if you so desire while the burgers can be garing.
If you want cheese, it can be on top of the burgers or you could ask him to slice the burger into two and insert the cheese between them.
So many options, for a humble burger. And Sam makes them with an ever-ready smile.
Aroma Burger … it’s worth the wait.
Address: USJ14/1K
Operating hours: Sunday-Friday, 6pm-2am (During Recovery Movement Control Order).
