Craving for Burger? Crave Burger Restaurant
March 25, 2010 15 Comments
I once thought of having a list of top burgers in the Philippines, with the Brothers Burger definitely at the upper echelon. Then they closed the Rockwell branch (Makati) and I had to transfer my food hunt to their branches in Trinoma Mall and Tomas Morato (both in Quezon City). With the change of hunting grounds came waning interest in having the Top Burgers List.
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- Crave Ultimate Burger (served with caramelized onions, cheese and maple bacon)
Plus my doctor “forced” me to go on diet (one of the reasons why I hate to go visit doctors). No sense of creating a list if you can’t taste what you’re supposed to rank. But something made me change my mind (about tasting burgers, not having the list).
A friend casually dropped a line that there’s a new great burger in town - Crave Burger. Another said the same thing and, taking it a step further, suggested that I try this Iloilo-based burger. There’s a branch in White Plains, Katipunan (QC), he said. Word of mouth, a very effective marketing tool.
So, diet be damned, I went out the next day to try it. It wasn’t difficult to find the place, though it would have been easier if the symbols were familiar.
When we came in there was already a family of eight halfway their sumptuous burgers. There were 2 persons in another table. We took another 2-seater, leaving one more table vacant. The restaurant is not big. Nothing extravagant or pretentious about it. It’s cozy, though. And, as we soon discovered, it served good burgers.
“May I have a Crave Ultimate Burger, please?“, I declared after scanning the list of burgers from the overhead menu. I hesitated for a second or two because I suddenly remembered the rule about not saying “Can I have a burger, please?” (yes, you “can”, but you “may” not). I was also trying to decide if I should upgrade to Crave Double-Double Burger. Maybe next time, I thought. Let’s start with the Crave Ultimate Burger, served with caramelized onions, cheese and maple bacon.
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- Crave Burger
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- Crave Burger Restaurant logo
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- Crave Burger Menu Board
Now, here’s where I should tread with caution as I proceed to describe the burger. Each one has a different opinion. What’s said here is mine (and you may have your opinion reflected in the comment section below).
The bun is not as good as Brothers Burger, but it’s definitely better than that of McDonad’s, Jollibee or other fastfood joints. That leafy vegetable is crunchy-fresh, the tomato just the same. The whole shebang is a yummy mixture of bright, lively colors: red, yellow, green, brown.
The 100% beef patty? Fairly good. Not overwhelming in taste; you’ll run the danger of eating more without noticing it. No hint of bitter aftertaste, unlike some fastfood burgers. Not oily. Not as juicy as Brothers Burger, but more delicious. A good burger.
(Going back to the list, what’s your Top Five?)
There are no good burger joints in the Philippines. I have looked, and am sad to say, stick with McDonald’s if you crave for something. At least you get some value for money.
There are joints that try to sell gourmet burger. But they are, at best, pathetic copies of holiday-visited burger places in NYC (e.g. burger with foie gras, truffle-infused burgers, etc…). There are simply no orignal ideas coming out of the gourmet set in Manila.
Brother’s Burger is the worst burger I have ever eaten. The after taste almost made me hurl.
Finally, I cannot stand the buns they make here. It is like eating three spoonfulls of sugar.
I would definitely agree, Crave Burger so far for me is the best burger in town in price, quantity, and definitely QUALITY. 100% Beef burgers. YUm Yum!
Try BF homes Drift burger! The best I’ve tried so far
Marty, if you say that it’s the best, then perhaps it’s worth checking if we’re in the area. Which BF is this? And which part in that BF? Thanks.
Teenee/Fred.
216 Aguirre Avenue, Phase 2, BF Homes Parañaque
From the main gate its just a little past Chi’s Brick Oven, but Drift is on the right side.
Burgers are the best, onion rings and fries are good too..chicken burger, I’m not a fan..others I haven’t tried yet, since I keep ordering the burger.
Francesco, I would assume you work for Mcdonalds, or your taste palette is not really as advanced as other burger eaters. After taste of the gourmet burgers come from its char broilled smoky taste and it complements with other ingredients of the burger… the bun can be changed to wheat bread so you wont have to load so much Carbo dummy.
To Francesco: You just had to rub in that you are this burger eater who has high burger standards but then you suggested to stick to McDonald’s. Are you high? Hahahaha
Ang sarap naman niyan nakakagutom
sana may commercial sila sa t.v para makita nila na sikat ang crave burger at mapansin ng mga tao na itong crave burger masarap ito weeeeeeeee. picture palang masarap na.
I love the burger from Army Navy, Burger Avenue, Brother’s Burger and Kenny Roger’s cheeseburger
Yes, Army Navy’s Bully Boy is the best so far.
Guys, I think Francesco was suggesting that McDonald’s burger meals serve with good “value”. And one gets the originality of the burger concept, instead of copycats in Manila. Frankly, I have tried Jollibee, Brother’s burger, and some others. They do not make as good burgers as one can find in, say, T.G.I. Fridays. You guys who love burgers in Manila (in the burger places that you have mentioned) are really missing out a lot. You really haven’t taste the real burgers yet. Back to the case of McDonald’s, yes they may not serve the best burgers on Earth, but the value formula is there and they serve quickly, something I find many Pinoy restaurant don’t know how to accomplish. Also, if you don’t like the taste of your burger at McDonald’s, just tell them for an exchange, they will just dump your burger and get you a new out without hassle. In conclusion, I do wish that one day, Pinoy restaurants will start serving burgers which are as tasty as their western counterparts. Also, please make it original, not just making copies and changing names.
Mas masarap sa jollibee! yun Champ nila! MAsyado ma-oily yun brothers burger & Wham! though di ko pa natikman yun CRave! Anyway, jollibee still the best!
I’m sure hard core gourmet burger eaters would have to disagree on a lot of burgers here in the Philippines where any staple food is good enough with just salt and pepper; it’s just not fair to compare it to NY or any American burgers where American WASPs and Anglo Saxons have perfected making it for hundreds of years. Probably restaurants try and mimic recipes with a Philippinized taste just to have Filipinos a taste of what’s to expect of a typical US burger joint and derivatives. You also have to consider where the beef came from, just imagine imported Wagyu or Angus or Kobe beef, time spent in storage, etc. It’s not as fresh as what they are getting from there. You just have to suck it up with Batangas beef or whatever that is served if you do have a craving. Or else, fly to NY or anywhere in the US to have a taste of White Castle or In and Out or Bobby Flay’s overly expensive burgers.
Tried the burger, fries,onion ring and blue ice tea/ lemonade.This was at BF. probably not the burger you’re looking for-if your looking for the 100% beefy burger taste.
Patty is big but the taste is pinoy home made burger-taste like what my mother used to make which has chopped onions, bread crumbs as extenders-so the taste is not meaty.Similar taste to the burger at YumYum Tree at Rustans Makati back in the 80′s only bigger
Fries and onion rings were greasy soggy.
Tried it but will not do it again.
Still searching for the best burger….
@marty - i’m from bf (dela rama) and i havent tried drift. i’m choosing between drift and crave burger. can u give me a hint on how much the burger costs at drift? thanks!