Friday, March 19, 2021

Burger Review # 51: Confused Kitchen

Photo by Mark Avila
Date Visited:
February 20, 2021

Location: Milliken
BurgerTours Rating: 8/10



    Taste         Messiness         Price         Venue        Pluses   
Great
Chaos
$11-$15Fast Food Veggie

Website


Drew's Review

Hi, welcome back, or if you’re new here, welcome to our community. I’m your co-host Andrew and allow me to take you on this journey of wonder and intrigue. Every step on our journey will enhance your vision of Toronto’s burger scene. Every single paragraph filled with concrete descriptions of the burgers we have tasted. We invite you to join us in the discovery of the best burgers Toronto has to offer. We are pleased you are here and be sure to follow our every step as we devour and conquer the Toronto burger scene! 

Now onto the review… 

For this BurgerTour, we wanted to do something different. We didn’t want your typical American style hamburger from an average burger joint. We wanted flavour. We wanted to step it up for this review. So, without further introduction, we bring you to Confused Kitchen in Scarborough! 

Confused Kitchen is unlike any burger joints we ever ate at before. And that’s because it’s not necessarily known for its burgers. It’s a Sri Lankan restaurant fused with Canadian, American, Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine. One look at their menu and your hunger will be satisfied in many sorts of ways. But we went here for the burgers. 

And some of their homemade creations will have you questioning the toppings you normally would put on a burger. Some examples from the burgers on their menu: butter chicken, mac & cheese, jalapeño cream cheese…and the one that I had to try: a Jalapeño Maple Butter burger. Each burger comes with your choice of a beef patty, a crispy chicken patty or a beyond meat patty and every burger drizzled with a bed of coleslaw. 

Jalapeño Maple Butter burger/Photo by Mark Avila
We phoned in our order and within 30 minutes, our burgers were ready for pickup. We quickly drove to Brimley and Steeles and ate our burgers in the parking lot. The Jalapeño Maple Butter burger looked rather satisfying sitting with a bed of coleslaw drizzled on top in a white container. The first bite was a nice clash of every flavour; the maple butter was sweet and savoury and the jalapeño really kicked it up a notch with just the right kick for the after taste. 

Overall, it was a fascinating blend of sweet and savoury. Now, I wouldn’t necessarily put maple butter on the burger, but I was amazed from the result and it seemed to have complimented the beef patties really nicely. The beef patties were soft and chewy, and nothing really stood out with its flavour. But I was still stunned from the addition to the maple butter on this burger. It was like having breakfast for lunch. It was  weird, but it was welcoming. 

Overall, Confused Kitchen was a pleasant surprise. One so, that I hope to return in the future to dine for more tasteful fused meals. The burgers were neatly crafted to satisfy those in hunger and those wanting to try something out of the ordinary than a traditional hamburger. Every flavour meshed really nicely, and even though this was my first burger from them, I can see that Confused Kitchen can mash together two ingredients really well and have them compliment the rest of the burger. 

Until next time… 

7.5/10


Mark's Review 

A new month, a new burger tour. We decided to venture out of our local boundaries, and took a visit to the north Toronto where we visit Confused Kitchen. This fusion restaurant located at the corner of Brimley Rd & Steeles Ave, at the border Toronto and the City of Markham puts a South Asian twist on classic western dishes. 

Beyond Meat Butter Chicken Burger/Photo by Mark Avila   

Fries, Poutine, Wraps, Biryani, Kothu Roti (Sri Lankan Street Food, desserts, and exotic drinks from South Asia are just some examples their fusion offerings. 

Their menu gives you an option of Beef, Crispy Chicken, and Beyond Meat Burgers. On top of that, they allow you to customize your burger with over a dozen toppers to choose from. The Butter Chicken Sauce and the Jalapeño Maple Butter caught my eye from the start. But, seeing that we were dining out of a South Asian fusion restaurant, I thought of being adventurous and opted for the the Butter Chicken Sauce. 

 Butter Chicken in a burger? Never thought of it as an ideal combo so let’s give it a taste! 

I went for the Beyond Meat Patty with the Butter Chicken Sauce over a bed of Coleslaw. 

On a side note, I had asked for no Coleslaw… yet, to my surprise when I opened the container, there was Coleslaw! 

First impressions… it was a flavour explosion! The mild spiciness and pungent scent of Butter Chicken dominated my taste buds, and was surprisingly delicious. The coleslaw, even though I didn’t ask for it on my burger, I must admit was a great complimentary flavour to the butter chicken. It was creamy, but not too overpowering. 

Deciding to go on this adventurous burger tour definitely paid off. Trying a South Asian spin on burgers was something I thought could never work, but it proved me wrong. The experience from Confused Kitchen was very pleasant, despite the Coleslaw. I would say my favourite so far. Overall, excellent food and service brings this joint to the top of my list for 2021! 

8.5/10