Burgers with that British factor

FOLLOWING THE success of its two outlets in Bangkok’s eastern Pattanakarn area, Papa’s Kitchen has heading downtown with the opening of a new branch at Siam Center.
In operation since late last month, the new outlet called Papa’s Kitchen Metro offers a selection of 21 burgers, nibbles, salads, bangers ’n mash and BBQ pork ribs. Pastas and pizzas are not available though as the kitchen is too small to accommodate the equipment they need. 

Taking its cue from industrial chic, the new venue has plenty of bare cement, metal, corrugated iron and exposed metal ducts and the wall is covered with hand-painted scenes of London’s Carnaby Street – the epicentre of the British youth revolution during the 1960s – and portraits of British icons like the Beatles and Charlie Chaplin. 
“Our two locations on Pattanakarn Soi 30 and at the Park on Krung Thep Kritha Road are family-style restaurants aimed at people who live on the outskirts of the city and don’t want to trek into town for good Western fare. When Siam Center approached us about opening a new location downtown where most of the shoppers are young and trendy, we felt it was an ideal opportunity to expand the business and explore the potential for delivery services to downtown areas,” says its director of operations Tom Tabruyn.

The brand, founded by Bangkok Burger guru Jim Moroney, uses freshly baked brioche buns made exclusively by Maison Jean Philippe – one of Bangkok’s viennoiserie specialists, which provides artisanal breads to top restaurants.
“The brioche normally has a slightly sweet taste, but our special bun is more savoury. It’s also light and fluffy with a slightly crispy texture outside and a soft inside that absorbs the sauce,” he adds.

Chicken Wings 

For a snack, try the Deep-fried Chicken Wings (Bt169 for six/Bt299 for 12) that come with a choice of three sauces in different level of spiciness – BBQ, tabasco chipotle and maple syrup, and “help me” hot. The wings are tossed with chopped spring onions and served with homemade ranch dip. Other great eats are Fried Salt & Pepper Calamari (Bt229), Spinach & 3 Cheese Bake (Bt199), Carbonara Spring Rolls (Bt199), and Nachos (Bt249). 

 Caesar Salad 

Worth trying is the Caesar Salad (Bt239/Bt279) offering grilled chicken breasts that are marinated with buttermilk for a soft texture then served on a bed of fresh and crispy cos lettuce with boiled egg, croutons, crispy bacon and parmesan cheese with homemade Caesar dressing.

Fish & Chip

The British favourite, Fish & Chips (Bt329), features a large fillet of cod perfectly batter fried in a blend of three oils to ensure the outside remains crisp while the fish inside is soft and juicy. It’s served with French fries, tartare sauce and malt vinegar. 
Three burgers are on the menu, all of them so big that wrapping your jaw around the chunky beef patties and other ingredients is almost impossible. The Guvnor (Bt459) has 250-grams of beef with cheese and bacon and The Chuck Norris (Bt499) offers two 170-gram beef patties, giant onion ring, two rashers of crispy bacon and cheese. 

Siam Metro Burger 

Available only at Siam Center is the Siam Metro Burger (Bt479) featuring a 250-gram beef patty served in freshly baked Panini with buffalo mozzarella, beef tomatoes, rocket salad, fresh basil, pesto sauce, garlic mayo, red onion and balsamic vinegar drizzle.
 “We use premium Australian beef, but our pork and chicken are locally sourced. Our burgers are American style but with an English influence. American-style burger is normally plain with just a bun, beef patty and cheese but we go for the European influences with different toppings like coleslaw, sauteed mushroom, pickles and fried egg,” says Tabruyn.
And also unlike in the States, most of Papa’s Kitchen burgers come with a knife and fork.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich 

Chicken lovers can munch on a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (Bt289) - brioche sesame seed bun with strips of deep-fried chicken thigh marinated in buttermilk and tossed with hot sauce with layers of lettuce, chopped onion, wasabi coleslaw and ranch dressing. It’s served with French fries, but you can pay an extra of Bt35 to have waffle fries tossed with paprika powder.

Moshi Moshi

Moshi Moshi (Bt289) is a Kurobuta pork patty char-grilled to juicy precision with teriyaki BBQ sauce, wasabi coleslaw, beer battered onion rings, garlic mayo and lettuce. 

Chocolate Malt 

For drinks, there are ice cream shakes like Chocolate Malt (Bt149) with chocolate chip and whipped cream or Coke Float (Bt99) – coke with soda, vanilla ice cream and chocolate chip. The cocktails like Mojito and Passion Fruit Frozen Margarita are Bt199 a pop but go for Bt169 during the happy hours from 5 to 8pm daily.

Coke Float 

To celebrate the opening, Papa’s Kitchen Metro has two special deals for early birds (10am to noon) and students (2 to 5pm) with a burger set for Bt199. You get the choice of Big Cheese Beef Burger, Moshi Moshi or Buffalo Chicken Sandwich served together with wasabi coleslaw, French fries, and a choice of soft drink.

TAKE A BIG BITE
Papa’s Kitchen Metro on the second floor of Siam Center is open daily from 10 to 10.
Call (091) 804 1250 or visit “Papa’s Kitchen” page on Facebook.