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I DOUBT anyone would suggest that burgers are good for you as there doesn’t seem to be a week that goes by without some report or study suggesting we’re all doomed for eating red meat.
But my 83-year-old mum often says, ‘in moderation a little bit of what you fancy will do you no harm’, and she’s not a woman to argue with. I love the occasional burger and so do my children, although it’s never a simple operation in Bahrain.
My kids like a plain burger in a bun. No sauce, no cheese, no gherkin slices, no nothing. But try explaining that to some of the counter staff we’ve encountered and all you receive is a blank look of glazed disinterest. As a result you take what you’re given and end up scraping off the mayonnaise with a napkin as absorbent as the paper you feed into a photocopier.
All that has changed, I’m happy to report, since the opening of Elevation Burger, a ‘fast casual’ restaurant in Seef Mall which serves imported certified organic beef freshly ground into burgers on the premises. The cattle it comes from was free-range and grass fed.
It’s been open for a few months now and gaining a glowing reputation with the business community based around the Seef district wanting something filling that won’t leave workers suffering from a serious bout of stomach-ache (a symptom often associated with fast food) for the rest of the afternoon.
Elevation Burger does it differently. You order your meal (one beef patty costs BD1.950) and it comes as ordered unless you choose added topping such as lettuce, tomatoes and raw onions, plus sauces.
There is a selection of other toppings and dressings for an extra 300 fils each.
For those wanting to avoid bread they can have their burgers wrapped in lettuce but these US buns are particularly tasty, so don’t avoid them unless you’re on one of those anti-carb diets.
I went for the cheese burger and was given a neat blue vibrating buzzer which would go off when the meal was ready for collection at the counter.
I sat at a table on the first floor overlooking the F1 entertainment stage placed in the airy Seef extension in an eating area set up like an old-fashioned street scene with gas lamp-style ornaments and a chain-linked fence. It’s a neat dining arena surrounded by other themed outlets.
I was too busy chatting to notice the buzzer buzzing but a pleasant waitress arrived with my order.
The question that first came to mind was Ö could I tell the difference between a quality burger and others I have tasted on the island? The answer was yes, this burger was exceptionally thick, juicy and full of flavour.
If I was to be picky, there were too many fries in my side order accompanying it. I asked for a small portion but all you get served is one size – large (costing BD1.250). They may have been freshly-cut and cooked in olive oil Ö but there were just too many of them.
It’s a waste that needs to be addressed, as does the lack of a coffee machine.
But to get in the spirit of things I settled for a cold bottle of ‘open trail’ Ginger Ale made with cane sugar, you guessed it, flown in from the US of A from Wild Bill’s olde-fashioned soda pop company.
The drink was not the only US representative in town, for Elevation Burger’s creator Hans Hess had flown over especially to check out the franchised operation last week and meet ministry executives on his first-ever visit to Bahrain.
Californian Hans, 39, set up the operation in 2002 when he noticed an opportunity to fill a niche by providing an alternative to the greasy burgers stuffed with chemicals, hormones and antibiotics served at most burger chains.
He and his wife, April, spent three years planning, researching and developing the concept.
Elevation Burger was formed and quickly dubbed ‘the next big chain’ by AOL Small Business and labelled an ‘up-and-comer’ in the better burger category by the Food Channel.
There are currently 28 Elevation Burger restaurants in the US and two international locations in Kuwait and Bahrain.
"We were driven by a passion to bring organic, sustainable and fresh food to a large audience and have been rewarded by the fact that people like it," said Hans.
And like it, they do in Bahrain, thanks to Bahraini entrepreneur Nael Mustafa, 42, a father-of-three from Saar, who discovered the concept by chance whilst on holiday in the US two years ago.
"I stopped off for a burger and it was really good. A couple of hours later I was walking around and didn’t feel bloated like you normally do after eating fast food.
"I went back the next day and carried out research on the company and looked at the franchising opportunities."
Nael says the feedback from twitter-using customers has been fantastic and he plans to open another restaurant in neighbouring Saudi Arabia in the near future.
"It’s all about the taste and what most customers are saying is that it is a satisfying meal that leaves them feeling invigorated afterwards rather than in need of a nap, which normally happens when they grab a burger at lunchtime!" he said.
"Also, at weekends parents have been saying for the first time they can treat their children to a burger and not feel guilty about it afterwards!"
