The Oklahoma Beef Burger (Single Patty) — add: Fries + 2 pieces Chicken Tenders Came to know about the opening of The Only Burger at Tampines after scrolling through social media quite some time back. Located within the Happy Hawkers coffeeshop at 602B Tampines Avenue 9 in the Tampines GreenRidges neighbourhood, the same coffeeshop also houses other notable stalls such as an outlet of Mentai-Ya as well. Occupying a stall that faces the service road at the estate that runs alongside Tampines Avenue 6, The Only Burger should not be a stall that is too difficult to notice — the stall’s signage being of a bright orange that is no doubt attention-grabbing that will be quite impossible to miss. A Muslim-owned establishment, The Only Burger is the only stall in the coffeeshop serving up western fare at the point of writing — their focus being pretty much on their burger offerings especially given the namesake of the stall. The food menu at The Only Burger comprises of sections dedicated to Burger, Western and Sides — the Burger menu further being broken down to Beef Burgers and Chicken & Fish Burgers, while the Western section comprises of rice, pasta and fish offerings. Sides menu carried a list of side dishes that are good to be shared across the table — this includes items such as chicken wings, various types of fries, nuggets, calamari etc.. Having made our way down to The Only Burger after coming across some social media posts on the establishment, it is needless to say that the items that we had set our eyes upon on the menu are burger-related. Having skimmed through the menu that is positioned prominently at the front of the stall, we noticed that The Only Burger seems to be pretty flexible in allowing their patrons to opt for what they wish to go for.
The burgers are all listed at ala-carte prices, though it is noted that patrons have a choice to opt for single or double patty (extra charges prevail), as well as the option to add fries or fries + 2 pieces Chicken Tenders to the burger. Additionally, there is extra flexibility for patrons to swop their regular fries to spicy fries or six (6) pieces of Onion Rings at an extra cost of $0.50 on top of the price charges for adding fries or fries + 2 pieces Chicken Tenders. Amongst all of the items on the menu, The Oklahoma Beef Burger seemed to have stood out to us the most — probably also due to the menu listed the item in a different colour from the rest of the items; we had opted for our The Oklahoma Beef Burger to come with a single patty, with the addition of fries and 2 pieces Chicken Tenders. There is some waiting time involved with the preparation of the order — patrons will be handed an electronic buzzer upon payment which they will be paged to collect their orders at the counter once it is ready for collection. The Only Burger describes their The Oklahoma Beef Burger to come with elements such as the T.O.B Beef Patty, Double Sliced Cheese, Tomato, Red Cabbage, Coated Fried Onion and 3 Type T.O.B Homemade Sauce. On first look, The Oklahoma Beef Burger did come in quite a substantial size; entire paper tray being well-filled with the burger taking up most of the real estate in there. Since our order saw the add-on of both fries and the Chicken Tenders, the burger itself was plated together with the latter in a single paper tray, while the fries came in its own paper box. Interestingly, the fries do come with a small container of nacho cheese sauce with it; a nice touch considering how cheese sauce would typically constitute as an item with an additional charge at other establishments in general.
Sinking our teeth into their The Oklahoma Beef Burger, this was definitely a well-executed burger in its own right — the combination of the elements here can be described as classic, but it did feel like a burger where quite a bit of thought had went into it. Considering the size of the burger, we were impressed that they went with a burger bun with a lighter consistency; soft and fluffy, and buttered for a bit of flavour — nothing too firm, crusty or dense. As one goes further, one can find the slice of tomato included for a refreshing bite that gives some sort of tang that runs subtly at the back of the taste buds; all these with the Coated Fried Onion providing a light and crisp texture from the golden brown batter without having soaked in grease nor reeks of any undesirable notes of overused oil. The T.O.B. Beef Patty does come with cheese melted over it; the beef patty being one of the most impressive elements here considering how it seems to be a smashed beef patty — the texture of the beef patty being all loosened up with the patty also looking relatively flattened. One could also feel some parts of crustiness from the grilling of the beef patty, while the beef patty also tasted especially delicious from its own brine and definitely carried no gamey notes with it; the texture also being fairly consistent without being fatty or veiny. Everything seems to be gelled together by the 3 Type T.O.B. Homemade Sauce; brings a little umami and a slight tickle of spiciness into the burger. The fries were more typical; thick-cut fries that are crisp and well-filled with potato inside though such fries always fall victim to a slightly limp texture when left out there for a while. The Chicken Tenders remained crisp on the exterior even after an extended period of time, while the flesh within remains tender and moist — came especially savoury for the fried batter with a slight, non-spicy peppery touch. For an establishment running out of a coffeeshop in the heartlands, The Only Burger’s beef burgers definitely shone with its quality and execution; with prices of the single patty burgers being all priced just slightly shy of $10, it is needless to say that they are quite the name to look out for in time to come!
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