Half Pound Burger Bar & Grill: Affordable Angus Beef Burgers & Addictive Honey Butter Fries At Purvis Street

Whenever I hear of Purvis Street, I only tend to think about the various stores that sell chicken rice (although it is definitely more than just that). Located in the same vicinity, Half Pound Burger Bar & Grill fixes your cravings for hearty American burgers and other delicious grub.

A modern and well-lit space, Half Pound Burger Bar & Grill adopts a fuss-free dining concept with its graffiti designed by local polytechnic students, and wine crates used as wall decor.

It has a well-stocked bar that contains an impressive list of premium wines including a 1995 St. Estephe Calon Segur ($260), and imported bottled beers from all over the world.

Unlike the usual beers, these specially imported ones looked really colourful and they are all affordably priced at $13.

We tried the ACE Pineapple Cider ($13), which contains 5% of alcohol but it tasted just like refreshing pineapple soda. I’d say it is pretty dangerous because before you know it, you would have finished three bottles.

The ice cold Maisel’s Weisse ($10 for a half pint, $14 for a full pint) is a smooth German craft beer that goes well with the burgers. Definitely go for the full pint.

We started off with Hot Wings (6pcs for $10, 12pcs for $18 and 18pcs for $26) that were marinated with a homemade hot sauce and bits of birdseye chilli that added a lot of kick to the wings. It was really hard to stop munching on these.

Next up, we had the Honey Butter Fries ($10) that were topped with honey-coated bacon, spring onions and some chilli flakes. I never understood why there was a craze over a Korean brand of Honey Butter potato chips but after trying a “honey butter” dish, I totally get the hype.

Buttery potatoes elevated by the honey’s sweetness, this dish was really addictive and different from other renditions of fries.

The signature Half Pound Burger ($20) is a thick 220g Angus Beef patty that is paired with candied bacon, sliced cheddar, tomatoes, onions and mesclun salad. All the burgers come with a side of crispy fries, salsa and a housemade special butter sauce.

I loved that the juicy burger patty was cooked to a perfect medium doneness, which brought justice to the famed Angus beef (because the last thing on my mind would be chewing a thick and dry piece of cardboard).

Looking at how thick this burger was, it’s reasonable that I failed the challenge of taking one full bite out of this one.

If you are curious about the “feet” of the toasted bun (which resembled the feet of macarons), it was achieved with the help of toasted parmesan cheese, which created a layer of crisp on the bun itself.

Not a fan of beef? No worries because the Yakiniku Pork Burger ($19) was just as amazing, and went well with the same fluffy parmesan toasted bun, that will probably go well with all the burgers, anyway.

Packed to the brim, the grilled garlic-shoyu (soy sauce) pork slices were dressed in horseradish mayonnaise and paired with a popiah skin apple tempura (or fried apple ravioli, as listed on the menu) that added an extra oomph to the burger.

The entire dish contained Japanese-inspired ingredients which tasted really well-combined.

Moving on to the “grill” element of this place, the Squid Ink Linguine ($19) had a whole Cajun-style grilled squid laid atop a bed of jet black linguine

The squid itself was grilled perfectly well with a smoky flavour. Texture wise, it was slightly chewy but mostly tender and firm.

The seasoning for the pasta could definitely be improved because the pasta was a little fishy and tasted quite briny. However, I was glad that the grilled squid saved the dish. If you’re a fan of squid ink, you’ll love this.

Lastly, we had the Argentinian Ribeye Steak ($30) that came with a generous portion of garlic roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, grilled corn cobs, served with beef jus.

Marked with perfect criss-cross charred marks, the steak boasted a smoky charred flavour.

Although we requested for medium, the chunky steak was done medium-rare and was pink within — perfect for the meat lovers out there. The potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn combined well with the homemade beef jus.


Judging from the restaurant’s centralised location, quality ingredients and generously portioned dishes, I think that the prices are pretty justified. If you’re a fan of burgers and unique alcoholic beverages, drop by with your colleagues during your lunch break or get a table for dinner!

Expected damage: $20 – $35/ pax 

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Half Pound Burger Bar & Grill: 8 Purvis St, Singapore 188587 | Tel: +65 6906 1900 | Opening Hours: (Tues to Sun) 12pm – 10.30pm, Closed on Mondays | Facebook

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