Burger-lovin'

Turning Japanese: Sango!, the Burger Master

MANILA, Philippines - It has to be said. Apart from having some of the tastiest, topping-laden burgers you’ll ever taste, Sango’s thick, tasty green tea shakes are made of awesome.

Sango’s interiors are like J-Pop heaven-meets-your living room: colorful origami cranes bedecking the counter, a flat screen television showing Japanese music videos, manga comic books decorate their walls.

“Sango!, which opened in 2006, was originally owned by a Japanese couple, until it was bought by a Filipino corporation,” says Sango! representative Teng Calixihan. “What makes it truly Japanese is its sauce, which is imported from Japan.” Each hefty burger should fill you up with their soft buns, fresh vegetables, and pure beef patty, all slathered in Japanese sauce.

Their bestsellers include the Master Burger, Master Cheese Burger and the Yakiniku Rice Burger. Calixihan attests to using the freshest ingredients, with no extenders. The burgers are cooked fresh upon ordering.

More to try this summer are their cornflake shakes (the maccha azuki contains green tea), as well as their Master fries, thick-cut potatoes in Japanese sauce.

Sango! has branches at Makati Creekside Mall, Pearl Plaza in Ortigas, and Alabang South Supermarket. Their newest branch will open this May in Rockwell.

The healthy burger: Good Burgers

They say you can’t have your cake and eat it too. But with the eight-year-old Good Burgers, you can have nutritious, as well as tasty food, all in one burger.

You have a lot of choices in this place: for your patty, either chicken or veggie; for the size, Good (Small), Better (Medium) or Best (Large); for your bread, whole wheat or white. Their patties are also grilled. “Our burger is a break from the usual burger you get from fast foods, since it’s something that most conscious eaters want,” says co-owner Darah Consunji. “It’s pure chicken without extenders. [Our burgers] are made of ground chicken so you still get the texture of the regular burger, but it’s not as greasy because it’s grilled, plus it’s lean chicken.” Their veggie burgers on the other hand, are made of wheat and soy. 

You’ll never get bored with their flavors. The bestsellers are the BLT, which contains a bit of everything (bacon bits, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese sauce, etc.) and the margherita (roasted tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella, cheese sauce, etc.). Other popular innovations are the Persian (comparable to the shawarma with its aioli sauce), the three-cheese varieties, the simple Just Burger, and the hot Silly burger. The way they do their flavors could remind you of ice cream Ben & Jerry’s Graveyard concept. They invent a flavor, see how their customers respond, then retain it if it’s a hit, or pull it out if otherwise. They usually introduce a couple of flavors on a quarterly basis.

Good Burgers does mostly take-out and delivery, but a couple of their branches have eating areas.

Good Burgers has branches in C5 Pasig, Kapitolyo, Greenhills and Sikatuna Village, Quezon City. Call up one of their branches (671-GBGB or 636-GOOD) for more information.

The nightlife burger: The Burger Avenue

There are a couple of things you might want to take note about The Burger Avenue: One, you can call them the nightlife burger. “Yuppies usually come in, after they have their gimmicks,” says owner Martin Silverio. Maybe all those burgers can be a good absorber for the beer.

Then there’s the Ridiculous Challenge. Finish the Ridiculous burger – which consists of three thick patties and three cheese slices between a couple of oatmeal buns – within five minutes, and the burger is free. It’s usually a lot of fun with the barkada and yuppies cheer each other on during the challenge, and recently, even svelte actress Rhian Ramos was able to complete it. Silverio says that the challenge is good networking for them since people bring their friends, and word of mouth goes around about the burgers.  

Burger Avenue’s burgers are grilled on special volcanic rocks. The smoke blends in with the taste of the patty, and contributes to the flavor of the burger. Their underdogs are their specialty burgers. “When you say Ridiculous Burger, they think Burger Avenue, but I would also recommend the Crispy Bacon Melt, the Chili Con Burger, Wasabi, Cream Cheese and Garlic, Blue Cheese,” says Silverio. They also have their own style of steak sandwich, as well as onion rings, sloppy joe, and hotdog with their own chili and cheese. Rice lovers should also have no problem since they have Salisbury Steak rice, Tenderloin tips rice, and chicken salpicao as well as their own spaghetti.

Visit The Burger Avenue at A. Venue Mall, Makati Avenue. Search them on YouTube, for videos of the Ridiculous Challenge or add them up on Facebook.