You see, not too long ago, Singaporean voters on a food forum, actually voted Fatboy’s the Burger Bar, tops for burgers in Singapore. That little burger joint on Upper Thomson Road was all the rage.  Now isn’t that enough impetus to make you want to try it out? Enough said. I was there like 5 minutes ago.

the cute black and white deco

We walk into Fatboy’s- the burger bar, at Publika, and I immediately warm up to the black and white caricature pictures all over the walls, of a fat man, presumably Mr Fatboy himself. Even the waiters sport the cool fatboy t-shirts. The seating at Fatboy’s – the burger bar, at Publika is informal, modern and laid back, with low tables as well as high bar tables accommodating a larger number of diners. The menu is straightforward and simple, and the main focus is on the burgers where you can choose from existing options or have your burger customised.

Fatboy t-shirts

Look at this fabulous Elvis Burger. A good sized pork patty slathered in peanut butter, with nice juicy bananas slapped on, and sandwiched between two round homemade honey oat buns. First impressions were – a terrifically appetising burger that oozed appeal. However, the patty that was made up of minced pork wasn’t as succulent as I had expected it to be. To make matters worse, this burger lacked moisture and the peanut butter and two bananas were not enough to save the day. I loved the honey oat bun though – much better than you normal burger buns. Terrific large cut fries as well, I must give credit.

the Elvis Burger

Then came the Philly Cheese Steak. This was tasty enough but no where near an actual Philly cheese steak from Philly. The bun was dry and not really appetizing.

the Philly Cheese Steak

Finally the Honey Mustard Chicken Kebab – boneless chicken fillets seasoned with honey mustard, skewered and grilled with onions and peppers on a bed of smashed potatoes and coleslaw. Tasty enough but again not outstanding. The mash was good though.

the Honey Mustard Chicken Kebab

In absolute terms, that prices aren’t too expensive (averaging RM18 a burger) but the burgers are just lacking in character, and sorry to say, succulence. In short, inexpensive but average burgers at best. The place is cheery and so are the waiters if that’s any consolation.. Will I be back? Depends… but hey, there are so many other new places to try at Publika.. it may take a while..

this girl loves her meat on skewers! 

HAPPY LEAP YEAR MY DEAR FRIENDS!! 2012 is going to be AWESOME.

when you eat this..

..in reverse.  A leaky back-side! Be careful not to scald your tongue because the cheese is runny and piping hot.. and the tomato base is just as runny. I like the fact that the cone is oozing tomato and cheese. I do not like as much the fact that the cone is rather small .. I could have eaten 3 of these!

Pizza is probably the most globally recognizable food today, maybe second only to the Big Mac. Me and my colleagues like this place because if you are out in the field, on the go and dining alone, you don’t need to finish an entire pizza on your own. What’s more, you can actually eat more than one type of pizza even if you are dining solo. These pizza cones offer that option. Actually , these cone pizzas have a rather chewy bread like consistency to the dough, that I like. I know it’s all very junk food-ish and all and not terribly gourmet, but sometimes I just like my fast food as it is.. Fast Food!

These pizza cones come in all pizza favourites e.g. the Margherita, the Pepperoni, the BBQ Chicken.. etc.. meats, vegetables, cheeses and other ingredients prepared in minutes. The menu is simple enough – they offer cone pizzas, pasta and side dishes such as sandwiches, bruschetta, garlic focaccia, soups and salads.

Classic Pepperoni Set with Soup RM15.90; BBQ chicken Set with Fresco Salad RM16.90; and pasta sets for RM7.90 only. Add a dollar to get Ice lemon tea.

The London Eye.

Me oh My.. the Eye!

Bigger than Life, Ben.

Walking to work against such a magnificent backdrop. These people look so immune to the beauty of their surroundings. I was once like that!

My pal, Churchill.

Sandwich and me, and Big Ben makes three.

Another shot at the Eye.

Graffiti.

Artist or Menace?

The Tate Modern – Britain’s national museum of international modern art.

The Man in the Hood, reads.

View of St. Paul’s Cathedral from my favourite bridge in London.

I love the near symmetry of this shot.

St Paul’s Cathedral.

Footnote: All photos you see above, were taken
using the Sony T100 

I have to say… I’ve never been a huge fan of the Wendy’s here in KL, but stepping into the Mont Kiara Banyan Walk branch (very near Solaris), I am a convert!

I still think it pretty much depends on the turnover of the branch, but the meat patties here, at Mont Kiara’s Wendy’s, are pretty decent. I could actually taste the beefy succulence of the burger this time.

At RM2.99 for a frosty/milkshake, it’s really a steal on Fridays.
If you cannot finish it , just take it home and stick in the freezer.. Voilà! Ice-cream to be eaten later in front of the TV

The parking is easy and the place has a laid-back, breezy feel to it. It gets rather packed during Friday lunch hour, but still enough place to sit around and enjoy your burger meal.

Add:
Wendy’s Mont’Kiara,
Unit No GF2, Banyan Walk,
K-I, Mont’Kiara Banyan,
28, Jalan Kiara,
Mont’Kiara,
Kuala Lumpur.

The red herring was Cumi kept looking at Tropicana City for the outlet to open because of the advertisements. However, it was Berjaya Time square that opened the 1st Papa John’s outlet.

We heard the little girl exclaim to the waiter “But it’s nothing like the one BACK HOME” (huge sad blues eyes)… and Cumi’s expectations fell.. but the girl was so sad, so forlorn so cute.. I just wanted to hug her!

Me, I had no expectations. I only needed lardy cheezy pizza.. and oh yea, some of those famous side dips that they keep talking about.

The breadsticks were fair. Apparently more chewy and ‘gooey’ in the states. These were a little hard.

The pizza sets are good. They come with 2 cokes (we had light coke instead!) and the breadsticks, so this is the one to pick if you are trying to impress your date (.. with pizza..Oh, you big spender you.. lol)

Well, the highlight for me was the GARLIC BUTTER dip. Way back then, Papa John’s came up with this great money saver.. an idea to reduce wastage of pizza crust and encourage people to clean up leftovers, by creating dips for just that purpose.

My, my .. little did I know how effective. I am one of those vain carbo watching chicks who doesn’t like to waste time with crust and only wants the goop (the meat, the good stuff)… but by the end of the night, Cumi was swatting my hands away from his crusty BITS.. (ooo .. so selfish la this boy)

Verdict? I liked the fact that the tomato base has a raw, rough unprocessed taste and that they are generous with it. I didn’t care much for the breadsticks but with that garlic butter, I’d dip and eat anything they serve up here

The differences? In the States, Papa John’s represents a cheap, tasty, fuss-free student meal but here in Malaysia, it’s priced and marketed as mid-range … cosy enough for families, upbeat enough for groupies, and cool enough even for the executives to eat at (Oooo.. the glamorous.. the flossy flossy)
Though the ingredients in the States are far superior (chewier dough, stringier cheese, heavier/chunkier tomato base), Papa John’s in Malaysia would now have to rank as my favourite pizza place, oh yeah.. For sure.