curiously hungry: Grub Shack - You've Been Grubbed!

Being the new 'habba'* burger place in town, my friends and I had to try it out! Upon arrival I was not shocked at the line that formed by the door. If anything it promised more excitement and good food at the end of the rainbow. Ummm 20 minutes in we finally get to the till. 1 Lava, 1 Chuck, 1 Grub please! Vying for one of the three tables proved to be a challenge, but we managed to secure one. Another 15-20 minutes passed before we had our food.

I ordered the Lava burger. Mainly because the toppings are exactly what I'd choose in a 'create your own burger' kinda place. Pickles, Onions, Cheese, and "Special Sauce" (which we all know is a derivative of a thousand island, give it up McDonalds!) What makes this a 'Lava" burger is that the cheese is inside the meat. That's cool but I didn't care much for it. I felt it took away from the meat's juiciness. Ironic you say? It felt like the Lava's patty was a bit too over processed for my liking, which I can assume is to make way for the cheese. *[when I visited again I asked for a plain patty with the cheese on top. Ergo, forgoing the epithet 'Lava" altogether. But I preferred it that way. Their regular patty shows off the Angus beef that they serve in it's best light.]

My one grievance is the bun. They say it's brioche, which is fine, but I felt it was missing something. Maybe a bit more butter? Yeah it was soft but it just didn't combine cohesively with the patty. I felt like they were of two different standards. I'm being a bit critical here because the bun is so often disregarded and isn't given the same consideration as the rest of the burger's elements. I think they [grubshack] are aware of the bun's importance but I think for me it just fell short of the main goal. I like my bun a little toasted but not dry. It should be moistened by the juices of the meat and the condiments (needless to say the butter). And unfortunately I didn't get that, it was hardly toasted at all. BUT, the patty itself was so good I can overlook this egregious oversight.

The fries were a little on the peppery side but it's a fresh spud. Not frozen. Their Grub fries are a variation of a saucy French fries option you've probably seen before, aka. Fancy fries, Animal fries etc.

One item on the menu that would be criminal to miss is the peanut butter grubbie. How do I describe this yumminess? It's like a snickers bar had a baby with a molten chocolate cake. It arrives at your table, all nice and warm, almost ready to give you a [figurative] hug. (Well this place promises to serve 'comfort' food does it not?) The smooth vanilla ice cream just succumbs to the warmth of this glorious glob of Oooh! I don't know if it's the creamy peanut butter chips or the chocolate/caramel combo or the salty crunchy peanuts in there but this dessert is the bomb diggty! Ya feel me? I'm not sure if there's an entire Reese's cup in there somewhere, I had no time to eat and analyze. My dinner group devoured this sugary creation in less than 2 minutes! All I know is, make a little room for dessert, (that is, if you can) Hats off to the pastry chef, Mahmood Janahi. Well done sir!

I am looking forward to my next visit. I have the Elvis burger in my sights. Peanut butter and bacon in a burger? Curiouser and curiouser!!

*habba: n. an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something; a craze

**update: the bun IMPROVED! Also, I find that the burger tastes so much better when you order it to go. Trust me on this one!

The Grub Shack

Hamala Strip (next to Midway Supermarket)

+973 17131363

6pm-10:45pm (temporary)

*update* Open 'til midnight on weekends