Whenever I pass by a pasar malam, my first inclination is to contemplate if I wish to purchase a Ramly burger. Afterall you don't get to indulge in this craving all the time except when you chance upon a night market. Most of the time though, I get put off by the price tag and the fact that it is takeaway. So I jumped at the chance when my friend told me there's a dine in burger joint in Singapore serving this popular pasar malam indulgence.
Ministry of Burgers lets every Ramly burger fan have their cravings satisfied throughout the year without the hassle of hunting down the latest pasar malam and you get to enjoy your burger in air-con! Granted that their dine-in area is small and they probably cater to a wider takeaway crowd, I'm still glad this option is available.
The MoB burger comes in beef, chicken or fish patty ($3.90 single patty). You also can choose the double patty option. Each burger comes with sauce and an egg wrapped around it. Cheese and veggie are add ons at $0.80 each. As a whole, the bread feels rather dry unlike other buns from the more recognizable fast food chains. Perhaps this is to stay true to the spirit of your pasar malam treat. While the dish feels authentic, I haven't indulged in sufficient Ramly burgers to rate the burger. I'm pretty certain our mainstream fast food joints needn't view them as competition though.
Just like other fast food, you can order a combo (w/fries and drinks @$6.10 inclusive of burger). As there's customization, I paid an additional $0.60 for my briyani fries and $4.60 for my lightning drink. What you see in the photo is the briyani fries on the right and the cheese fries on the left. I'd say that while the fries are sufficiently tasty, be sure to drink lots of water.
This lightning drink ($5.90) comes in a number of colours with flavours ranging from tropical, mango, rose and vanilla. The blue one I tried is basically frizzy rose syrup with LED lights flashing. My friend thinks this is overpriced while I personally enjoyed the drink.
I'd like to credit the staff and team for their passionate approach to their business. I felt very welcomed and they were really hospitable. I also felt their sincerity in wanting the business to be successful. Simply for this reason, I urge everyone who is around White Sands to give these entrepreneurs a chance. As a business, I hope to try an improved version of their Ramly burger the next time I visit their joint. Because they are a restaurant, I think it'll be ingenuity if they succeed in retaining the spirit of the Ramly burger while improving the quality, like a juicier bun to start with.
Ministry of Burgers
1 Pasir Ris Central Street 3, #01-30, White Sands Shopping Centre