If a burger joint wants to survive, it needs to find a cosy spot between a rock and a hard place, ie between fast-food giants and restaurants. It needs to hack its way through an oversaturated market and grab our attention, and then, once we’re there, it needs to give us a reason to come back; Fuddruckers give us three.
First, the bar of fresh veggies for health buffs and do-it-yourselfers, with piles of sliced tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and plenty more, including hearty but somewhat disappointing coleslaw that was a bit too sharp. Secondly, the cheese-bar, two jars of melting cheddar and spicy cheddar that you can dispense on to your plate in limitless quantity. This, as far as we’re concerned, could be the eatery’s main selling point, if only they had a few more cheeses on tap. Thirdly the meats, and it isn’t just that they cook them well and exactly to order; you can stuff your burger with up to a pound of meat, that’s just under half a kilogram in one burger. One burger.
We most certainly did not order the one-pounder; this had been attempted on an earlier occasion and resulted in some serious napping. Instead, we started off with some chicken quesadillas, which were disappointingly bland, and a shrimp Caesar salad that squarely made up for them. We followed that up with a quarter-pounder Swiss melt, and the new tumbleweed burger, the first with mushrooms and the second with shredded, battered onions. The burgers were faultless, and purposely minimalistic (thus the veggie bar) and the meat juicy and delicious. Only one test remained: the strawberry milkshake. The result? Flying colours. The staff even brought us the mixer it was made in, and a spoon to pick at the leftovers; and pick we did.
The bill (for two)
Shrimp Caesar salad Dhs41
Chicken quesadillas Dhs30
Swiss melt 1/4lb Dhs31
Tumbleweed 1/2lb Dhs34
Milkshake Dhs17
Total (excluding service) Dhs15
