Ashes Burnnit: Halal Mac & Cheese Charcoal Burgers With Handcrafted Beef Patty From S$9 At Golden Mile Food Centre

I’ve been to Golden Mile Food Centre plenty of times, so I’m familiar with its rich heritage and history.

Stalls there go back decades and started out as pushcarts along the old streets of Singapore, but Ashes Burnnit stands out—and in a completely good way.

All it took was a single glance at its black minimalistic signboard to know that it was run by hip millennials. The dish names were typed out in large and bold letters, traditional pictures of available dishes were replaced with simple graphics, and its prices were printed in bright colours.

To me, everything was super aesthetically pleasing, but maybe that’s because I’m a millennial myself. Whoops.

Ashes Burnnit was started by Syafiq in September 2019, but he has actually been working at Golden Mile Food Centre way before that.

Syafiq was part of the team at Burgs by Project Warung, and when the stall decided to move to Timbre+ and Viva Business Park at Chia Chee, he decided to stay behind to open his own burger stall instead.

Ashes Burnnit occupies the same spot as Burgs by Project Warung, so die-hard fans of both stall’s halal burgers don’t need to look too far.

I started out with the Best of Both World Burger (S$9/single patty, S$11.50/double patty), which came with a handcrafted beef patty, smoked turkey bacon, parmesan mozzarella cheese, and mac & cheese. It also came with a side of fries.

Fair warning: there is absolutely no way you can eat this burger while keeping your hands clean, because the mac & cheese oozes out of the burger instantly and everything becomes a sloppy mess of cheese, crumbs, and juice from the patty.

By the time I picked up the burger with both my hands, most of the mac & cheese had dropped out of the burger. However, the beef patty was a gorgeous light pink, and just by holding it up, I could feel the juices drip down my hand.

The patty was tender, juicy, and soft, and what I loved most about it was that it wasn’t overly seasoned with salt or pepper. As I took a bite out of the entire burger, I could taste the creaminess from the mac & cheese, the saltiness from the bacon, and the natural jus from the beef.

Though I couldn’t taste the charcoal smokiness from the black buns, I’ve got to admit that they were really soft and warm, just like fresh buns out of the oven. Mmm.

The second burger I tried was the Truffle Mushroom Burger (S$8/single patty, S$10.50/double patty).

Just like the Best of Both World Burger, it came with a handcrafted beef patty that had been grilled to a beautifully tender medium-rare, American cheese, sautéd mushrooms, and a truffle cream sauce.

I love mushrooms and truffle, so this burger was a huge hit for me. The fragrant and earthy truffle cream went well with the rustic umami savouriness from the sautéed mushrooms.

To me, the truffle wasn’t too overpowering, and I could still taste the sweetness from the cream sauce. However, my dining companion took one bite of this burger and immediately commented: “The truffle taste is too strong!” She then added that she wasn’t a huge fan of truffle as it tends to drown out other flavours in the dish.

Other than burgers, Ashes Burnnit also sells good ol’ mac & cheese. We tried its Grill Chicken Mac & Cheese (S$7), which was served with grilled chicken thigh, mac & cheese, garlic breadcrumbs, parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and topped with a mixed salad.

Mac & cheese is a tricky dish that’s hard to get right—sometimes the macaroni is too soft, the cheese might harden too fast, or the entire dish might end up too salty.

However, Ashes Burnnit’s mac & cheese was deliciously addictive. Every spoonful of mac & cheese was fragrant, creamy, and milky, and I really enjoyed how the crispy garlic breadcrumbs added a crunch to each bite.

Though Ashes Burnnit only sells burgers and mac & cheese, every single item on its menu is stellar. It’s definitely something I would order the next time I’m at Golden Mile Food Centre.

Plus, all of its burgers are priced affordably—its cheapest burger will only set you back S$5.90.

Expected Damage: S$5.90 – S$11.50 per pax