[Media Invite] Launch of Gourmeiji Mushroom Swiss Burger @ Burger King

30 Prinsep Street, Level 1, ERC Institute, Singapore 188647

Website: http://burgerking.com.sg

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/BurgerKingSingapore

Delivery Page: https://www.bkdelivers.com.sg

Burger King is no stranger to the local fast food scene; many of us probably grew up eating their burgers. Founded in 1953 in Florida, United States, Burger King has since made its way across the world, becoming the 2nd largest fast food hamburger chain in the world.  Buger King first made its appearance in Singapore in 1982, and currently has 35 outlets spanning the island.

This is a media invited tasting by OMY and hosted by Burger King's marketing team. The event comprised of a kitchen tour and tasting of the new Gourmeiji Mushroom Swiss. Yes, most of us should be familiar their Mushroom Swiss Bugers - the shimeiji adds a umami twist with black pepper shimeiji mushrooms, and has launched since 3 December 2015. This burger comes in both the Chicken and Beef versions, so take your pick.

Just a little more information about the shimeiji mushrooms - besides adding a tasty "Umami taste" to the burger, it also brings about a firm texture. Best of all, mushrooms low in calories yet rich in Vitamin D, fibre, selenium and anti-oxidants! So get a load of these goodness in your burgers!

The event commenced with us bloggers or media personnel chopping a seat at the long row of tables. I spotted some familiar faces and made new friends while we perused the menu and studied the media kits available, to find out more about these amazing Gourmeiji burgers.

There was a photo booth for us to take some shots with adorable props. We were then each given a copy of the photo for keepsake. I was happy to finally grab a photo with Tracy (blogsite here) whom I always see at events.

We were given some "lessons" by the pretty Karen on Burger King and the burger, before the kitchen tour by Jonathan. Yes, Burger King has opened up its kitchens to the public for a tour, so you get to know how they maintain hygiene, how they prepare their delicious burgers, and what they do to ensure that your meals are served within 60 seconds. It was an eye-opener for some of us, and the crew was very friendly. No photos were allowed so I'll try to describe the process as interesting as possible.

1. An overview of the spacious kitchen and various stations within
2. The 1-minute hand washing, sanitising and nails-brushing process, followed by application of sanitizing gel. The crew washes up to the arms area and repeat the process on an hourly basis.
3. At the Broiler, we see how the patties are flame-grilled (yes, we watched the flames sizzle literally). No seasoning or oil is added to the grilling process; but the juice is preserved to avoid dryness of the meat.
4. Ground / minced beef patties are being used; hence it is important to adhere to a certain temperature (around 115°C) so no requests for doneness shall be entertained.
5. Temperature of patties are measured 3-4 times a day. If a patty does not meet requirements, it shall be discarded and the tray and apparatus all sanitized.
6. At the Preparation Board, we saw how the food were stored neatly with proper labelling. The crew toasted the buns for 10 seconds, then put the ingredients together in around 30 seconds. After which, the burger is wrapped up and given to the customers with a smile.

So yes, if you are interested in the Kitchen Tour and DIY Burger event, please feel free to contact Burger King at marketing@burgerking,com.sg or call 6754 7028. The price is a mere SGD$10.00 for adults and SGD$8.00 for children.

After our kitchen tour, we set about enjoying the new burgers! But first, we started with the Creamy Tomato ROCK IT fries that come with the Gourmeiji burger. It can be purchased at SGD$3.30 at ala carte price or upgraded with any upsize meals purchased.  So we'd just torn open the satchet of creamy tomato powder, poured it into the bag of fries and shook the bag. Voila- creamy fries with a tinge of sweetness.

The Gourmeiji Mushroom Swiss Chicken Burger comes with lightly toasted sesame buns, tender-grilled premium chicken thigh, melted Swiss cheese, Batavian lettuce, caramelised onions and of course, the mushrooms!  The first bite of the burger was amazing - tender chicken, squishy mushrooms giving a bite to it, and the flavour was just bursting with goodness.

Next, the Gourmeiji Mushroom Swiss Beef Burger, consisting of lightly toasted sesame buns, Whopper beef patty, Batavian lettuce, caramelised onions, melted Swiss cheese and mushrooms. The first bite was packed with punch - delicious, juicy and succulent, tinged with smokey hints that enhanced the flavours greatly. Personally, I preferred the beef to the chicken, but the latter has a charm of its own.

Just a disclaimer too, that the actual burgers are NOT served on plates with utensils. This is just for illustration and media tasting purpose.

Finally, desserts. Another of my all-time favorites at Burger King, something consistently good, would be the Hershey's Pie. Crusted hard with chocolate, the velvety interior was soft, creamy and luscious - this always perks me up!

We went home full and happy after a good meal, made happier with the great company, and further exulted by the gift bag comprising magnet board, gift vouchers, Beyond Mushroom Mask, a pack of Shimeiji Mushrooms, a mug and something like a post-it pad.

Thank you Burger King for the marvellous meal, information and great experience; and thank you OMY for the invite!

Intriguing Indonesia: Nongsa Point Marina Resort

ACCOMMODATION

It was a stressful few months, with work, business and wedding planning in tow, hence I decided to arrange a short weekend getaway in Batam's NONGSA POINT MARINA RESORT for The Beau and I - to beat the busy-ness in Singapore and just relax somewhere nearby.

I chanced upon this resort and thought it looked like one very own One Degree Fifteen Marina - okay, the less luxurious version, but the marketing photos had been fabulous, so I was bought.   A short ferry ride by Batam Fast, on a drizzling morning, brought us safely to our quiet, serene destination on a weekend morning.

Anyway, the villa looked good even as we were rounding the waters to dock - nestled amongst greenery sitting on the blue waters.  The almost-Colonial style houses looked so inviting, as were the rows of hotels with either tiny porch or balcony.  We chose Sea View over Garden View.

Prior to checking in, we were served a welcome drink. We also took a walk around the vicinity and spotted the Pool where we spent the better part of our mornings relaxing and swimming in. It was a long, languid pool that stretched lazily from the garden-side all the way to the front of the villa, so that we could overlook the beach!   The best thing was that we witnessed Monday morning pool-cleaning, so it gave us a peace of mind that their pools were at least well-maintained.

The main foyer where we waited to check in was clean, and there were electric points located at the seating areas for us to charge our devices.  Overall service was not bad, in terms of efficiency, friendliness and efficiency.  It helped that I spoke a little Bahasa Indonesia :)

This was the room we spent three days two nights in.  While the rooms were not incredibly spacious, they served their purposes well enough - we spent most time out of the room anyway. The balcony area was also our favorite spot - where we sat for wine, cigarettes, chitchat, cool breezes and sea-watching.


BEACH

I would love to share some views of the beach where our hotel was facing. The same beach surrounds the resort, and is cordoned off by the breakwaters so that the waves don't set in. There are many ships and yachts docked here, adding to the view.

At sunset, the views take on another magical form of its own, transforming the skies into a haunting hue and seducing the awe of the guests who witness it. Yes, I had the fortune to see these views - once from our balcony, and once in the pool when we were doing the late afternoon / evening swim!

Unfortunately, this beach is for relaxing in, picnics too maybe, and some photos, but there are no sea-sports.


RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Eh, you don't mean just playing pool and having drinks at the resort's lounge itself, right?

Haha, fret not. A short bus ride from here (chargeable) brings you to the Mega Mall, some 20 minutes away. If I recall correctly, it comes at hourly intervals, same thing for returning rides.   The Mega Mall is a very huge, spacious and modern mall, far better than the other malls in Batam - and there are many big brands as well as variety of stores here to choose from.

I did not buy much because we only planned to spend a couple of hours here, and most of the brands here are available back in Singapore too.   I did buy some Indonesian snacks, as well as Layers Kueh Lapis in Pandan flavour (SGD$12.00).  I had it during the other trip sometime back, and remember it was quite good, albeit a little greasy.

Other than shopping, the Resort can also arrange for Spa / Massage pampering sessions (from SGD$38.00 onwards) at the nearby sister-resort, Turi Beach Resort. Oh, golf and sea-sports sessions can also be arranged at Turi Beach Resort.

I personally love Javanese and Swedish massage, because of the gentle soothe they bring about, without inflicing too much pain or pressure.   After all, one of the main reasons people enjoy coming to Batam Island is for the massage, right?   Do book in advance, though, because you'd be surprised that even on a Monday afternoon, the spa / massage parlour can be fully-booked!



FOOD & BEVERAGES

Worry not about food here at all. Situated at Nongsa Point Marina Resort itself is a restuarant named Selera Restaurant, and hotel guests all get to enjoy 10% off their total bill.    Selera Restaurant serves Western-Indonesian fusion dishes at very affordable pricing, and offers both interior or outdoors seating at one's desire.

It was also the venue where we took two breakfasts / brunches as well as a dinner, since there was nowhere else to dine unless we head to Turi Beach or Mega Mall.   The interior was quite well-maintained and bespoke of rich modern Indonesian decor.

I started with a Banana Milkshake and hoped I didn't get stomach upset  - I didn't!  It was rather tasty, distinctive in banana's sweetness.

For mains, The Beau and I shared a Beef Rendang Padang Style (a popular local Beef Stew, rich in flavours of local herbs and spices and a hint of coconut; served with steamed rice), and Nasi Goreng Marina (thin egg pancake wrapped up with Indonesian style fried rice and served with marinated beef, fried chicken wings, fried prawns, chicken pandan, keropok and pickles). The food was pretty all right, I thought my beef rendang was quite delicious and succulent.

As for desserts, we shared a Fruit Fritters platter with vanilla ice-cream, and were shocked when we saw it was such a huge portion, consisting of deep-fried, battered pineapple, apple and banana. It was very filling; and sad to say that we could find better "goreng pisang" here in Singapore itself. But hey, for all the items we ordered, the meal cost less than SGD$45.00 in all, so we weren't going to complain, really.

Brunch and breakfast was consumed at Selera Restaurant as well, because it came complimentary with the room, and it was convenient.   While the food standard was very average, I have to give them credits for making efforts at preparing a rather hearty spread of different food items for the guests.

If one wishes to dine at Mega Mall, there are a few restaurants and cafes there to choose from, as well.   We were like ditzy crazies when we spotted A&W- yes, fast food; and yes, what's there to be excited about? Oh well, let's just say the childhood love of their waffles, root beer float and curly fries came flooding back all over again.

The Curly Fries was good - we should've upsized or ordered double; as was the Root Beer Float. The Hotdog had an interesting Satay sauce to it, and the Fried Potato (looks like Begedil?) thingy were pretty good. The Waffle was much paler in comparison to the crispy, golden-brown ones that we used to enjoy. It was still quite satisfying overall.

We bade the hotel goodbye and headed back to Singapore. Overall, it was a well-spent weekend with good, tranquil location and we relaxed plenty over chilling out with wine and swimming (yes, the later is very therapeutic). The view was lovely overall, and for the price of SGD$198.00++ a night, it was value for money.

If we do come back to Batam again, we might try the sister resort Turi Beach Resort or the much-raved Montigo Resort with its luxurious infinity pool.