I tried Swensen's 'Ramly' burger and it's actually worth the $15.80 price tag

One thing I sorely miss from pre-pandemic times is ordering myself a piping hot Ramly burger from a random street food cart in Malaysia. On the bright side, you can find the burgers in Singapore (if you know where to look). In fact, more stalls have been popping up over the past few months.

Recently, even family restaurant Swensen's, known for its ice-cream and Western fare, has jumped on the bandwagon and released their own version of the famous burger, the Bagus Burger.

While some of you may be envisioning a thick, meaty patty, here's the catch — the burger is actually plant-based. Yes, you read that right. A plant-based Ramly-inspired burger. Intriguing.

Another shocking factor is the price point. Swensen's Bagus Burger, which features an Impossible meat patty, is going for $15.80 — pretty steep compared to a regular Ramly burger, which usually costs around $4.

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First impressions: Pretty beat up

The Bagus Burger consists of an Impossible meat patty wrapped with an omelette, just like an actual Ramly burger. This is wedged between two buttery brioche buns, some fried onions and drizzled with Swensen's Bagus sauce.

It also comes with a side of Swensen's signature fries and coleslaw.

I'll be honest, when the burger was delivered to our office, none of us were very impressed.

The burger had been wrapped in grease-proof paper but this was soaked with sauce. After gingerly unwrapping it, we found a pretty beat up, soggy burger that looked nothing like the photos we had been sent.

But what it lacked in looks, it made up for in taste. 

While Swensen's hasn't publicly revealed the ingredients of its secret sauce, it did taste pretty similar to the typical Ramly burger sauce, which is a combination of mayonnaise, black pepper sauce and chilli sauce.

If no one had told me that this burger was made with plant-based meat, I honestly would not have guessed.

I was surprised to find that the texture of the patty was very similar to that of an actual meat patty. It was also significantly thicker and chunkier as compared to your usual Ramly patty, giving it more bite.

While the sauce made the burger appear a mess, it was also the MVP as it ultimately made it taste like an actual Ramly burger. The creamy concoction was sweet and complemented the savoury patty, giving plenty of flavour with every mouthful.

The final verdict: Great option even if you're a meat-lover

So, would I eat this again? Admittedly, I might. I'm typically not a huge fan of plant-based meat alternatives, but this one was so good that I would willingly fork out the money for it.

I imagine that the burger would probably look more presentable in a restaurant setting, so please don't feel too put off by our photos.

melissateo@asiaone.com