MOS Burger

Category: Restaurants

Cuisine: Asian

Location: Tampines Mall, Singapore

Craving Score: 3 / 5

The first time I noticed MOS Burger was because of a long queue at the counter and the tables full of customers busy munching about what seemed to be regular hamburgers, fries and soda. What piqued my curiosity was that this was happening in odd times of the day, which is to say, the numbers nearly double at lunch time.

So what's a curious epicurean like me to do? Queue up of course, and try to find out what the buzz is all about. So I queue up and browse through the menu. Interestingly, there are a number of burger choices from the run-of-the-mill cheeseburger to a somewhat eccentric rice burger. At first I was overwhelmed by the choices. I mean, let's face it, having to choose between a burger made of beef, chicken or fish was not that hard when I go to the big M.

So out of the 26 items (that's just the main course mind you) to choose from, we grab the MOS Burger, just to establish a base line. Chilidogs, Teriyaki Chicken, French Fries, Garlic and Lemon Mussels and Ichigo Bliss fill up the rest (for now at least). To be honest, there is nothing special that I find in the regular MOS Burger. But it's on the rest of the menu that they really shine. The Chilidogs were great, not too chili, but not too bland. And the Teriyaki Chicken burger was a treat. Not as real as real Teriyaki, but this is as close as you can get in terms of the taste on a sandwich. The Garlic and Lemon Mussels were deep fried mussels covered in garlic and bread crumbs. This makes them crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I know we've all heard that before, but this gives that phrase a whole new meaning. The Ichigo Bliss we had for desert was a little less like-able. I mean, the concept was great, frozen strawberries with cream look really appetizing. It's when you realize that the 'frozen' part meant having to eat something that feels like ice that takes away the fun in it. Still, it's passable, considering most food chains only offer ice cream for desert.

Now, you might think, if the food is so great, why did I give it a so-so score? Well, you see, another part of the concept of MOS is cook to order. This means that the queue is not because they have so many orders at one time. It's because all of these orders are being cooked after the order had been taken. So you can imagine, if a group of 15 friends decided to order 2 hamburgers each, by the time they finish cooking for this batch, you could have ordered a Mega Mac, fries and Coke and start eating your ice cream before you get served at MOS. Don't get me wrong, the concept is fine, as it means you get freshly prepared and cooked burgers each and every time. But it also means that it's just like you had your maid prepare and cook a meal for you at home.

And perhaps that is where MOS sets itself apart. Where other hamburger joints advertise themselves as the biggest fast food chain in the world. MOS markets itself as the biggest hamburger chain in Japan. So it's a love it or hate it affair. If you have the penchant for good food and don't mind the wait, then by all means, MOS is a great place to eat in. However, if you just need a quick fix for your hamburger cravings, then the fast food chains are, well, faster.