Story By Dolly Dy-Zulueta / Photos by Rafael R. Zulueta
For modern Pinoys, especially millennials—whose diet is composed mainly of burgers and fries and everything on the side—a restaurant that specializes in gourmet burgers and steak sandwiches should prove to be a piece of heaven, indeed. This is what made Charlie’s Grind & Grill a big hit when it opened. Just imagine huge, luscious and juicy burgers that have been designed to fulfill every burger lover’s fantasy—complete with all the works!
Not your typical fast-food type of burger, Charlie’s gourmet burgers are made with premium types of beef: Wagyu and Black Angus. So the first thing that you do when you order a burger at Charlie’s is to choose whether you want a Wagyu burger or an Angus burger. After that, you decide how you want to enjoy it.
Do you want just a simple cheeseburger, maybe a bacon cheeseburger or a cheeseburger with shrooms (mushrooms)? when you’re really hungry, you might go for double cheeseburger or double cheeseburger with shrooms? Perhaps, an even more gourmet Gorgonzola Cheeseburger or a San Miguel Beer Cheeseburger? Or, if you prefer smaller gourmet burgers, you may opt for the Sliders, and you can choose if you want just one piece of it or three, six or 12 pieces of the delicious bite-sized delights. And if you’re on a low-carb diet, you have the option to do away with the bun and have Lettuce-wrapped Cheeseburger.
The Wagyu versions are slightly more pricy than the Angus variations, but they certainly provide your money’s worth.
Just recently, Charlie’s introduced three new and even more indulgent gourmet burgers on its menu—Five-Cheese Burger (mozzarella cheese filled 1.3-lb Angus or Wagyu burger patty topped with gouda and cheddar slices, bleu cheese bits, drizzled with cheese sauce, on a brioche bun); Foie Gras Burger (1.3-lb Angus or Wagyu patty dotted with foie gras on truffle mayonnaise, topped with gouda cheese, caramelized onions, arugula and tomato on a brioche bun); and Sloppy Burger (Angus or Wagyu patty with a cheddar slice, topped with fried egg, a generous topping of chili con carne, dotted with jalapeño and onion, and drizzled with sour cream). As soon as these three new items were introduced in the market, they “flew” right away and became instant best-sellers.
What’s good about Charlie’s Grind & Grill is that the menu is so extensive that it also has good choices for diners who do not eat red meat. It offers Gourmet Chicken Burger (marinated fresh chicken-breast patty with white cheddar cheese, butter leaf lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mayonnaise and honey mustard on a butter bun with mango chutney and banana pepper). You can also have it in two other variants: Gourmet Chicken Burger with Shrooms and Lettuce Wrapped Gourmet Chicken Burger.
Even vegetarians have a place at Charlie’s, as the Shroom Vegetable Burger (Portobello mushroom, butter leaf lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, Japanese mayonnaise and mustard on a butter bun) is to die for. It’s so delicious and flavorful that you’d hardly think it’s vegetarian at all. You can even have it lettuce-wrapped, instead of on a butter bun.
Also on the menu are a Pulled Pork Sandwich (barbecue-flavored pulled pork and white cheddar cheese on a toasted beer bun with coleslaw on the side), Chick N’ Charlie, Cerveza Negra Fish & Chips, Shrimp Caesar Salad, Clam Chowder, Wings, Cheese Steaks and Pasta dishes.
Aside from burgers, fries are big at Charlie’s, because they come in different flavor variations, including Fresh Fries, Cheese Fries, Chili Fries, Garlic and Parmesan Fries, Sweet Potato Fries, Chili and Cheese Fries, Black Truffle Fries, House Fries (fresh Igorota Idaho potatoes with rock salt and ground black pepper, bacon bits, paprika, chili flakes and dill, topped with sour cream and cheese sauce), and the best-selling Dirty Fries (fresh Igorota Idaho potatoes, rock salt and ground black pepper, with bleu cheese, bacon bits, diced tomatoes, green onion, topped with grilled chicken bits).
■ Charlie’s Grind & Grill has three branches at East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City; Ronac Art Center, Ortigas Avenue, Greenhills, San Juan; and Greenbelt Radissons, Aguirre Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City. More branches are in the offing.