It’s easy to forget what the purpose of Welly on a Plate is, sometimes. Is it to get as many eyes as possible on Visa and their superior transactions per minute KPIs? Is it to extort thousands of dollars out of local restaurants so that they don’t get abandoned for the first few weeks of August? Maybe, probably. But, at its core and its original intention, it’s to allow restaurants to put their best foot forward and showcase their identities as culinary artists in the form of a burger.
The team at Lazy Juan nails that brief with the Asim Kilig Bistek Tagalog.
For context, Lazy Juan is a small Filipino restaurant that prides itself on authentic fare, and you can see that in the clientele it manifests. The local Filipino community packs this place often, and it’s so clear to see why in their burger offering. They’re unabashedly themselves, and they’re so proud of who they are.
The meat is less of a burger patty, and more of a smashed grilled steak that has all the great bite with none of the toughness. The spices are perfectly balanced and every bite is just as flavourful as the last. The onions are soft and almost slurpable, their sweetness soacking up the juices that escape the steak for an even meatier mouthful. The calamansi aioli is delightfully sour and refreshing, making use of a local ingredient to be the hero flavour of the whole thing. When they bring out the burger, they smile as they torch the cheese on top until it’s sealed shut against the soft bun.
The onion rings are among the best I’ve ever had. Crispy, soft on the inside, accompanied by more of that delicious calamansi aioli. They’re so much better than chips ever could be.
The Asim Kilig Bistek Tagalog is a brave burger, one that represents Lazy Juan’s story, culture and culinary philosophy. It is by far my favourite burger of the festival so far, and it does so while not playing into any cheap tricks, strange flavours or forgettable gimmicks. This is a proud, pure expression of Filipino creativity and I’m obsessed. It’s everything I love about this festival.
