How to Make the Perfect Cheeseburger
Chef Gabriel Garcia is a self-confessed burger fanatic. The dish holds a special place in his heart, harking back to the delightful burgers he savored in the United States during his summer visits throughout his youth.
"I’d get sad though going back home to Manila because the burgers available here at that time tended to be either fast-food style or adapted to suit the local Pinoy taste. I wanted an American diner-style cheese burger,” the head chef of Elephant Grounds tells Esquire at the 10th anniversary event of the cafe in Bonifacio Global City.
Later on, other restaurants started popping up, offering different burger variations and that made him happy. But at the end of the day, all he wanted was a good plain American diner style-cheeseburger.
So when he finally had the opportunity to create his dream burger for Elephant Grounds, he went all for it, and this became the highlight of the café’s 10th anniversary menu.
“It took me nine months and six drafts to release this burger because I wanted it to be perfect,” says the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde culinary arts major.
Very important in making a great burger, says the young chef, is getting ideal cuts of premium quality beef. "The blend is around 70% top sirloin and 30% short plate,” he says. “The short plate has a good amount of fat, so when the patty renders, naluluto niya ang onions. [The short plate] also works well with the taste of sirloin.”
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He wants to serve medium-cooked burgers so diners can enjoy the best of both worlds—“that char outside and that juicy, clean, sweet flavor of the meat inside.”
To achieve this, they procure freshly frozen slabs of meat, which they then carefully thaw to negative 1 degree Celsius, then slice and grind in a temperature-regulated fabrication room.
“Then we shape the meats—make sure they’re thick enough—blast freeze them again, and transport them [to the stores] in a freezer truck. So the only time the meats actually thaw close to outside of refrigerator temp is when they’re about to hit the grill,” he says, adding, “I don't do anything to the meat. No onion powder, no garlic powder, no pre-salting. The salt only gets in contact with the burger right before grilling it.”
Initially, he thought of a burger in brioche bun, but decided otherwise. “I hate soggy buns. I wanted to create a burger that really holds itself together, so I opted for a white bread that’s more neutral to complement the meat,” he says.
Drawing references from what he enjoyed as a kid, Garcia incorporates animal-style sauce which has pickle juice, mayonnaise, mustard into the EG Cheeseburger. “Everything about this burger is intentional,” offers Garcia, who previously worked as a baker for Panaderya Toyo.
We sampled the burger at the launch and we can say that Garcia delivered his promise of a no-frills cheeseburger that’s cheesy, juicy and satisfying to eat. Complementing the signature sauce is the right amount of American cheese, pickles, and lettuce. We agree with MJ Chen, Brand Activations Manager of The Standard Group about the size of the burger, “You feel busog but hindi bloated na busog. Hindi rin siya bitin.”
Great to enjoy with the burger is their milkshake line, available in Toasted Rice, Acai, and Hazelnut flavors; their ice cream served in Original, Red Velvet, and Charcoal cones; and Elephant Ground Hong Kong’s specialty coffee, the Americano Air, a micro-aerated iced Americano.
The Elephant Grounds expanded menu will be available daily, from 8 AM to 10 PM on Monday to Thursday and Sunday; and 7 AM to 11 PM on Friday to Saturday, at Lower Ground, One Bonifacio High Street, BGC and Level 1, The Podium, Ortigas City.
