Melaka lass whips up a real ‘Malaysian burger’
MELAKA: The battle to create the definitive Nasi Lemak Burger is heating up, and an eatery here has become the latest to charge onto the culinary battlefield with its unique gastronomic offering.
Inspired by the Merdeka mood, Eggxtra restaurant has unveiled its own Nasi Lemak Burger to capture the fancy of foodies.
Owner Gan Chai Yee, 33, said the idea of the local rendition of the Western burger came to her following the hype created by McDonald’s Singapore and local burger joint myBurgerLab, which introduced their Nasi Lemak Burgers recently.
“The Merdeka month is when we enjoy (doing something special) every year, because it is the time we to do something that reflects our (Malaysian) heritage.
“This year, there is a craze going around over the Nasi Lemak Burger because Singapore McDonald’s has it — but it’s funny that Malaysia McDonald’s is serving the Spicy Korean Burger instead,” she said.
Gan reasoned that since all the ingredients for nasi lemak were available at her cafe, she could help Melakans satisfy their craving for Nasi Lemak Burger by offering it herself, saving them the hassle of going to Kuala Lumpur (where myBurgerLab is) or McDonalds
in Singapore.
“We (originally) wanted to create a Nasi Lemak Cake, but the burger seemed more acceptable.
“We started planning this since last month, and experimented with eight to nine different variations before finally settling on this for our menu.”
Gan said together with her chef, she made sure their Merdeka-inspired
burger tasted “Malaysian” before offering it to customers on Monday.
“A lot of our regular customers like (trying new things) and they seemed to like the presentation and taste,” she said, adding that the Nasi Lemak Burger would be available until Sept 17.
Gan said this was not the first time the cafe had come up with a Merdeka gastronomic novelty.
She said last year’s special offerings included Nasi Lemak Toast and Satay Toast.
Eggxtra’s Nasi Lemak Burger comprises a fried chicken patty covered with a layer of sambal, and a fried egg sprinkled with ikan bilis and peanuts. The whole thing is sandwiched between two soft buns.