Filling Station, a burger place I never knew about, was introduced to me by my friend, Fifi.

Ambiance. It isn't quite the family place so if you're planning to drop by, I suggest you go with your girlfrans or guy pals instead. Situated in Makati's so-called Red Light District, we don't really expect it to be anything conservative.

[caption id="attachment_1013" align="aligncenter" width="640"] (via www.jrhenry.net)[/caption]

The restaurant is easy to miss as the entrance is pretty small compared to... pretty much everything else in the area. The dining area is is up on the second floor and the area is a lot lot bigger than I imagined it from the outside. Upon entering the bar, you're greeted with paintings and posters and a small dessert counter.

On the second floor, there's the dining area and 2 small rooms. 1 smoking area, and 1 private pool table I would think. There are 3 pool tables in the main dining area which you can rent for P300 hour and the entire place is decorated with valuable-looking comic items! From superhero statues to what looks like old vendo machines from the 70s. If I had to call it anything, I'd say its a vintage diner. A cool, smoke-to-your-eyes, foreigner-filled one... not in a bad way.

Now onto the burger. I had very high expectations because Fifi labelled it as the best he ever had! Judging by the number of burgers I've had in my life, saying something is "the best" is a big word to live up to.

It interests me that they have two seemingly similar items on the menu. I'm torn between Filling Station Super Burger (F.S.S.B --yup, let's give it an acronym) and All American Burger. I asked them what the difference between the two is, apparently, one is made with local beef, and the latter, you've guessed it, American beef. Fifi suggested I go for the F. S. S. B. so I did.

When my order arrived, I remembered, when it's all too late, that I  did not ask for well-done again  (standart times) so, I was a little worried that it might not taste as good as I want it to! Oh well.

 

Hmm. They are slightly generous with sides, they threw in both French Fries and Onion Rings, I normally have to choose one between the two in most restaurants, plus, there's coleslaw. Yey!

INSIDE: I wasn't happy about the onions, I think they were too soggy. I don't remember seeing crispy shredded lettuce. Fortunately, the patty looks well-done. They might have guessed!

Excuse my camera in "disaster" settings.

Taste. I took my first bite... and BAM! My, my. Best. Tasting. Burger. Patty. E V E R. I am in awe. The bread was fine. Veggies were okay. Fries and onion rings, nothing special. Patty, HOLY. I can't remember the last time I had burgers this tasty. I am lost for words but I swear by the god of burgers, it's the best I ever tasted. Simply put, it might have just taken the spot of Chili's Old Timer. (Sorry, old pal.)

It's like the perfect burger flavour. When Louis, Oscar, Fletcher or Frank first created Hamburger, this must be what they had in mind.

Service. They had a push-button for each table which I think should have worked, but didn't. It was a little hard to get seen by the waiters behind all the huge decorations, but it was fine. There were very nice. Also, after getting the bill, they gave me free bubble gum! COO-HOOL. At 9pm, loud music started playing and a bunch of ladies started dancing around. The guys certainly enjoyed! Reminds me of Johnny Rockets. Very fun to watch!

Price. Good burgers come at a price. Filling Station Burger at Php 468 is above the average, and above expected. So if you're trying to get a good burger fix on a regular lunch day, you might still be better off with Chili's. It wouldn't hurt though to splurge on this one every once in a while. Or when you need it.

Verdict.
Judging by the look of menu prices against the location, I am guessing Filling Station Bar and Cafe is targeting foreigners as customers--which doesn't come as a surprise. The Filling Station Burger was top-notch and I couldn't wait to go back and try the others. Overall, it was a nice casual dining experience and I am definitely recommending this to you my fellow burger lovers to give it a try (if you haven't already).

Food Pick: Filling Station Bar Cafe #Burgerventures by Nitpickle