Grilled: Burgers Tailored to Your Specific Tastes

I'd been meaning to visit Grilled for a while, waiting for their renovation to finish and eager to confirm if what I'd heard was true – that Grilled is a must-try burger place, with very reasonable prices.

Grilled initially started out as a cart almost two years ago at the same venue. I spoke to the owner, Sadat Rahman, a university student, about why he started Grilled. "Cooking was my passion since I was 10, so when I started the cart, I never really looked at it as a business but as pursuing a hobby," he said. He then decided to renovate Grilled into the full-fledged restaurant, since the cart hype had died down. Grilled has continued to grow in popularity since then. 

The restaurant isn't too big. It's slightly narrow but not congested. The potted plants and photo frames hanging on the brick walls made for a homely décor and the lighting was soothing. 

Moving on to the main attraction: we ordered a Chicken Steak Burger (190 taka) and a Beef Burger (160 taka). The burgers themselves were mainly patty, lettuce and bun, which may sound a bit bland, which is why they have 7 extra toppings to choose from : (each around 25 taka only) mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, pickles, jalapenos, egg, caramelised onions and mushrooms. I was a bit tempted to add them all but luckily controlled myself just in time and settled for the cheddar cheese and mushrooms. You also have the option of taking extra patties, reasonably priced at 80 taka (beef), and 90 taka (chicken). 

I don't believe any burger meal is complete without a side of crispy fries and luckily Grilled has a very sensibly priced French fries side (which most similar places overcharge) at 80 taka and it includes two sauces – garlic and signature sauce, the latter was just the right kind of spicy. The burger looked a bit small when it arrived (pretty quickly) but by the time I finished – even though I was craving more – my hunger was satiated. The toasted buns were soft and fresh and the chicken steak patty succulent, juicy and flavourful. There were hints of pickle and some lettuce and the extra toppings complemented the burger nicely. The mushrooms were cooked to perfection. My brother had the Beef Burger with the same toppings and he wasn't disappointed. I took a Beef Burger back home and by the time I had it, it was no longer warm and I learned that this is a burger that tastes great even when it's cold.

I was happy with the service too; the staff was helpful and polite. In total, Grilled has six different burgers and two different sandwiches (which I have my eyes on for my next visit). In my opinion the best part is having the option to add toppings and patties to basically create a burger of your own choice; it pleasantly reminded me of the cooking games we're all familiar with. The next time you're craving a decent burger, head out for Grilled and definitely try the toppings. 

Facebook page: fb.com/Grilled.bd

Address: House 21/A (In front of IBAIS university), Road 27 (old)/ Road 16 (new), Dhanmondi, Dhaka.

Salma Mohammad Ali fears she is becoming a crazy cat lady and uses writing as a means to grasp on to sanity. Send her your views/hate/love at fb.com/salma.ali209