Ai Xuan LauCafé Review: Wildfire Kitchen + Bar
Good things come to those who wait. Or in this case, to those who don’t mind a good walk. Tucked in a red brick house along the long stretch of Evans Road, Wildfire Kitchen + Bar is the newest addition to the street, joining the likes of Mr Prata and Assembly Coffee.
A rustic blend of wood and nature, Wildfire’s décor creates a laidback atmosphere to hangout and unwind. Lone incandescent light bulbs hanging from the ceiling coupled with their chill, upbeat music provides Wildfire the perfect cozy environment to sit and chat.
Inspired by the world-famous burger joint in Tokyo, the spacious self-service Wildfire (with both indoor and outdoor seating) bills itself to be an interesting addition to the trend of burger restaurants in Singapore.
Armed with over 60 labels of craft beers, it’s a place where the burger and beer combination is king. They specialize in 3 different types of patties: the full-blooded Wagyu (beef aficionados: it’s from a pure Wagyu cow, not crossbreeds like what most burger joints use these days), 120-day grain-fed beef, and 45-day dry aged beef.
Wildfire differentiates itself from other burger joints with their signature brioche burger buns – they’re a darker color compared to others with a lustrous sheen.
Though Wildfire’s marketing representative, Ng Yu Hui, 24, shares that these buns are not baked in-house, the restaurant works closely with their supplier to develop this customized version that’s unique to them.
Wildfire also uses the INKA oven from the UK and fuels it with smokeless Binchō-tan charcoal to grill their patties. It’s all in the name of creating a uniform char to enhance the taste and appearance.
Peeking out from under their signature brioche bun is a crispy bacon weave and a sweet relish of carrots and radish. Melted cheddar covers the wonderfully tender chicken thigh of the Sriracha Chicken burger ($16), hiding its deceptively heady spice punch. Do not underestimate the Sriracha sauce though: the spiciness of this Vietnamese-American concoction will get to you sooner or later. While certainly for adventurous souls, we found both the sriracha and relish too sweet.
Their signature Dry Aged Angus burger ($26) doesn’t disappoint. It comes topped with pickled gherkins and tomatoes, lifting the otherwise intensely flavorful burger. The dry aged beef coated with melted cheddar is tender and juicy – a hit with this writer! The buns, despite absorbing some of the jus from the patty, didn’t fall apart – telling of the quality of ingredients used. However, we would have preferred a small side of salad instead of fries to cleanse the palate after such a strong, meaty burger. Perhaps the management can look into offering a choice of sides?
Drizzled with tomato chutney and topped with melted mozzarella, these homemade meatballs ($12) are further stuffed with generous amounts of mozzarella. As always, the beef is juicy and tender, complemented perfectly by the tangy tomato chutney. Altogether delicious, if the burgers didn’t satisfy your hunger, this is a good add-on for anyone famished.
Wildfire Kitchen + Bar offers great ambience and great food in just the right locale to spend a quiet afternoon hanging out with loved ones. But messy eaters beware! Their plates can be a little small.
If you’d like to seek out this hidden gem, make sure to head there early; it’s pretty far away from any kind of public transport and they close at 10.30pm, so no late night drinking!
[xrr rating=4/5 display_as=textstars label=”Our Rating:”]
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Information:
Address: 26 Evans Roads, Singapore 259367
Nearest MRT: Botanic Gardens
Contact Details: (+65) 6734 2080
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildfirekitchenbar/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/wildfire.kitchenbar/
Opening hours: 8.30am – 10.30pm daily