Burger joint goes 'healthy' with chicken patties

MANILA — How do you stand out in the tightly contested burger segment?

Make it healthy… or at least healthier. This is what the owners of H.I.D. Burgers did and this decision proved to be correct since the burger joint, which started in Cainta and Antipolo, now has several branches, including one at City Golf Plaza in Pasig, which will have its official opening on Saturday.

H.I.D. Burgers uses patties made from chicken meat. Instead of coming up with a sandwich like the McChicken or KFC’s Zinger, H.I.D.’s chicken burgers try to approximate the look and taste of an all-beef patty.

“All our burgers are freshly made from 100% chicken. No extenders,” it said.

“Your burgers are also not pre-cooked so please allow several minutes of cooking time. We guarantee that our flame-grilled H.I.D. burgers are worth the wait.”

While H.I.D. burgers look like the standard hamburger, the texture gives it away since it certainly doesn’t have the bite of a beef burger.

But taste-wise, these will certainly satisfy your burger cravings with a wide array of add-ons from mushrooms and coleslaw to several kinds of cheeses; and styles like the Sicilian, Chicano and the Mediterranean.

If you’re not that strict with their diet, you can even choose to add bacon.

At the same time, if you are following a no-carb diet, you can avail of the burgers with lettuce leaves instead of the rather interesting — and tasty — pandesal bun.

But if you just got to have an all-beef burger, H.I.D. has added the Beast Mode BLT, which comes with a 200-gram patty made from beef and bacon, in addition to two strips of bacon.

To go with your burgers, customers can order Classic Potato Wedges (with salt, pepper and olive oil) or the more gourmet Cheesy Bacon Wedge Fries.

Apart from burgers, H.I.D. also has several types of hotdog sandwiches, as well as Hungarian sausage slices, which you can enjoy as pica-pica.

Also popular among regulars are the Hot Wings, which comes in six flavors ranging from mild to spicy; and the Chicken Nuggets with BBQ or garlic sauce.

For the grand opening of the City Golf Ortigas branch on Saturday, the first 100 customers starting at 2 p.m. will get free burgers on their next visit, while all deluxe burgers will be upgraded to premium for free from October 15-17.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

A meaty adventure: An addition to your list of favorite burgers

For burger lovers out there, here are a few additions to your list of meaty and juicy gastronomic adventures.

First stop is a restaurant in Makati City which offers Australian cuisine, the Bondi & Bourke. The restaurant takes pride in their Australian burger served with mouthful of tasty ingredients including pickled beets, steak, bacon and egg.

But aside from a must-try Australian burger, customers can also enjoy a freshly-baked savory meat pie and a Parmesan cheese-filled breaded chicken fillet.

Next stop which is surely taste bud-satisfying is a neighborhood diner and burger house in Quezon City, the Chunky Sam's Diner. With its burgers made of freshly ground certified Angus beef, home-made buns and organic vegetables, no wonder it already has a mass loyal customers despite being in the business for only a year now.

The diner's best-seller is the "Sam's Blue", a burger stuffed with Danish blue cheese, mozzarella and onion confit.

Chunky Sam's Diner also offers the perfectly grilled baby back ribs and the cheesy "hot flaps", a serving of buffalo wings with blue cheese dip.

ANC, Cityscape

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

No burgers at some McDonald's in China

SHANGHAI - McDonald's outlets in Beijing and Shanghai have yanked their flagship burgers off the menu after a key US supplier recalled products made by its Shanghai factory, which is alleged to have used expired meat.

Authorities in Shanghai just over a week ago shut a plant owned by privately-held OSI Group for mixing out-of-date meat with fresh product and later detained five officials from the OSI subsidiary which operated it, Shanghai Husi Food Co.

The factory's customers in China included McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, coffee chain Starbucks, Burger King, 7-Eleven convenience stores and Papa John's Pizza, according to the companies.

An operator from the McDonald's national delivery hotline said Monday that beef and chicken items were unavailable in the Shanghai area, though fish and pork could be ordered.

"We have stopped selling all products related to Husi for food safety. Products affected mainly used beef and chicken," he said.

At a McDonald's in central Beijing, counter staff told customers that the branch only had the Filet-O-Fish sandwich.

At every cash register, there were signs in both Chinese and English reading: "We regret to let you know that currently we will only be able to provide a limited menu at our restaurant."

It was unclear how wide the shortages are. By the end of April, McDonald's had more than 2,000 restaurants in China, according to its website.

McDonald's China could not be immediately reached for comment.

OSI Group, based in Aurora, Illinois, announced over the weekend that it was withdrawing all products made by the factory in Shanghai.

"We are compelled to withdraw all products manufactured by Shanghai Husi from the marketplace," OSI said in a statement dated Saturday.

The parent company was conducting an internal investigation and had installed a new management team in the wake of the incident, it said.

"Should any misconduct be uncovered, we will take swift and decisive action against those responsible, including all relevant disciplinary and/or legal measures," the statement said.

State media said last week that authorities had confirmed allegations aired by a Shanghai television station, that the factory used expired meat and mis-labelled products.

The "bad meat" scandal, as it has been called by Chinese media, has spread to Japan and Hong Kong -- a special administrative region of China.

McDonald's said Friday that its more than 3,000 restaurants in Japan had stopped selling products made with chicken from China, regardless of supplier. Japanese convenience store giant Family Mart stopped selling chicken sourced from the Shanghai plant.

In Hong Kong, McDonald's suspended sales of chicken nuggets and several other items including chicken burgers, salads and lemon tea after admitting it imported food from the problem factory.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Burger Project urges diners to design own burger

MANILA -- The Burger Project, which recently opened its latest store in Quezon City's Scout area, was originally supposed to be a hotdog joint.

But fate in the form of celebrity chef Sandy Daza intervened and the concept was changed into that of a gourmet burger joint.

“We couldn’t determine what really was the best burger in town, so we decided on a make your own burger concept,” explained Cheg Ed Bugia, who also owns the Filipino restaurant Pino, its vegetarian counterpart Pipino, a food-court outlet Brgy Bagnet, the fruit and snack bar Daily Squeeze and the newly opened Pi Breakfast and Pies.

At Burger Project, guests can design their own burgers—from the bun (I’m partial to their brioche bun) to the meat or patty (choose from US Angus beef, local beef, which Bugia gets fresh daily, chori, chicken, or a tofu patty, a bestselling vegetarian option).

Diners can also customize their burger with different gourmet cheeses, dressings, fix-ins and toppings.





Those who are less inclined to experiment can choose from several "designer burgers," featuring tried and tested combinations like the Western Bacon Melt, which has bacon, sautéed mushrooms, bacon, barbecue sauce, tomatoes and onion rings.

Burger Project also features a burger of the month, usually designed by friends of the restaurant, including the likes of Rico Blanco, "It's Showtime" hosts Jugs Jugueta and Teddy Corpuz, baller LA Tenorio and author Ramon Bautista, to name a few.





Diners can also choose from a variety of side dishes. The onion rings came in a large serving and were crisp and tender inside, while the sweet potato fries were reminiscent of Max’s fries.




Other sides included buffalo wings, potato fries and mozzarella sticks.

As burgers go really well with milkshakes, Burger Project also has a milkshake menu with each milkshake said to have five scoops of ice cream.

Aside from regular favorites such as vanilla, strawberry, cookies and cream, and chocolate, Bugia recently launched a new milkshake menu boasting of innovative flavors like a creamy avocado, a black forest-inspired milkshake, a sweet-savory queso de bola milkshake, and the fan favorite the cookie butter milkshake.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

CaliBurger to open first PH outlet in Makati

MANILA – The metro’s foodies can welcome the new year with a new burger joint, the latest foreign restaurant franchise to open in the country.

CaliBurger, which was established by entrepreneurs from California and serves “Cali-inspired” burgers and chicken sandwiches, is set to open on January 15 at the new Century City Mall in Makati, according to an announcement on the Facebook page of CaliBurger Philippines.

"Next BIG thing to hit #Manila. Watch out for it 01.15.2014," the post read with a photo of a burger.

A statement posted on CaliBurger International’s official website last October 22 said its first Philippine outlet was supposed to have opened in December. It also added that the 4,500-square-foot restaurant will include a bar and an al fresco area where “guests can enjoy their premium burgers, sip cool beer, and listen to premium Cali music.”

The statement also quoted Enrique Gonzales, chairman of IP Ventures, a private equity group investing in CaliBurger Philippines, as saying that “our goal is to make this CaliBurger a showcase for the entire Asia Pacific region.”

Another statement posted on website and dated on December 18said CaliBurger will open its second restaurant in Manila in “a free-standing, two-story building on a 1,000 square meter lot in the busy Timog area of Quezon City,” while a third outlet will be opened “later in 2014” on Boracay.

“Our strategy for the first two CaliBurger restaurants in the Philippines is to build stunning, location destinations in the most popular, trendy areas of Manila that allow customers to fully experience the Premium Cali eco-system,” Gonzalez was quoted as saying.

The statement said CaliBurger’s products use”100% lean grass-fed beef, buns baked fresh, top-grade chicken, hand-selected vegetables, zero trans-fat oils, sauces made in house and hand-mixed shakes. Our made-to-order meals are always prepared in open kitchens, and our restaurants incorporate advanced technologies to create a unique dining experience.”

CaliBurger, which has outlets in Shanghai and Hong Kong, is known for its Cali Cheeseburger and Cali Double, Wild Style Fries, Santa Fe Hot Wings and Chipotle BBQ Chicken.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

The secret of Mos Burger's success in Japan

TOKYO - Hideyuki Sato, 38, who has loved trees and flowers since his childhood, believes his current job is the most suitable one for him.

As chief leader of the agribusiness group at Mos Food Services Inc., the operator of Mos Burger hamburger restaurants, Sato procures vegetables to be used for hamburgers directly from farmers across Japan.

Unlike many other fast food chains that prepare hamburgers beforehand, Mos Food Services starts making a hamburger with fresh vegetables after it receives an order.

The company, which runs about 1,400 shops across the country, sticks to a policy of not using vegetables that are produced abroad or preserved for long periods in refrigerators as it believes its customers favor its food because of freshness.

Sato and his colleagues go to see contract farmers many times a year to keep themselves updated on how they are growing vegetables and confirm whether they are not using any excessive amounts of pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

"We always take care so customers can eat our food without any worries," Sato said.

Mos Burger restaurants are open at all times of the year and need to prepare fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce and onions, each day.

The Tokyo-based company has thus contracted with some 3,000 farmers from Hokkaido to Okinawa Prefecture, making it possible to use vegetables from northern Japan during the summer, while procuring those from southern Japan during the winter.

"I travel around to see those farmers in more than half a year, and don't spend much time at home," he said.

Sato, from Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, enjoyed climbing mountains with his father in his childhood and developed a liking for trees, plants and flowers in due course.

After studying agriculture at university, Sato entered Mos Food Services where he believed he would work with vegetables.

"Vegetables on a hamburger may just be a supporting player to make meat taste better, but they're important ingredients," he said.

"I like developing new recipes using vegetables," said Sato.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Horse DNA found in burgers at second major Irish plant

DUBLIN - Burgers containing horse DNA have been discovered at a second major plant in Ireland, the country's agriculture department said on Monday, again pointing the finger at Poland as the country of origin for the raw materials.

Food companies such as Tesco and Burger King last month found that beef products supplied by an Irish firm contained horse DNA, a scandal that has hit retailers with a wave of bad publicity and left Ireland's 2 billion euro ($2.7 billion) beef industry reeling.

Results of tests on a Polish meat ingredient at Ireland's Rangeland Foods, a supplier of frozen burgers to restaurants, caterers and pubs including local fast food chain Supermac's, contained 75 percent horse DNA, the agriculture department said in a statement.

"This isn't a huge surprise, it's another depressing saga that has put Irish food in the headlines for all the wrong reasons," Irish Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney told national broadcaster RTE.

"It's not a surprise to me because this is the same product that has been going into Silvercrest," he said, referring to the plant run by Ireland's most powerful beef baron Larry Goodman, the first whose burgers were found to contain horsemeat.

Coveney's department said Rangeland has suspended production pending the outcome of an investigation and the company has indicated that none of the products, which were imported through a meat trader based in Ireland, had entered the food chain.

Rangeland, based in the northern county of Monaghan, exports burgers to Britain, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece and Cyprus. Coveney said the product containing the horse DNA was destined for the catering industry outside Ireland.

LEGAL ACTION

Initial tests on burgers produced by another Irish company, Liffey Meats, also tested positive for low traces of horse DNA, although further tests came back clear.

The minister said the only two other burger manufacturers in the country had both confirmed they have not used any Polish products, and that their products are 100 percent Irish sourced.

He has also asked the police and the fraud squad to join in the investigation and said the government would take legal action against those responsible if necessary.

Silvercrest - a subsidiary of Europe's largest beef exporter ABP Foods which is based just 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) from Rangeland - has lost its contract to supply both Tesco and Burger King with burgers.

Burger King, one of the most popular fast food chains in Britain and Ireland, said last week its affected burgers never reached any eateries. Tesco withdrew a number of products from its shelves, including one sample where horse meat accounted for about 29 percent of content.

Smaller retail chains Aldi, Lidl and Iceland have also sold beef products found to contain horse DNA.

Poland's veterinary authority found no signs of horse meat in samples from five slaughterhouses that were sending beef to Ireland and is awaiting results from the sixth, state news agency PAP reported on Friday.

Food safety experts say horse DNA poses no added health risks to consumers, but the discovery has raised concerns about the food supply chain and the ability to trace meat ingredients.

source: abs-cbnnews.com