Potato Head Folk: Singapore Burger Review

“Fries are potatoes too”

When I hear “Potato Head”, I immediately think of two things:

1. The potato toy with detachable parts as seen in Toy Story

2. The acclaimed beach club in Bali, Indonesia, that finally made its way to Singapore

Potato Head Folk occupies the iconic pre-war shophouse that sits right smack in the middle of hipster heaven. The cuisine concept is international, with wisps of both Asian and Western touches to the menu. The culturally rich Keong Saik area just got a little more entertaining.

Three Buns is a burger concept by Chef Adam Penny, with recipes brought over from London. Potato Head Folk as everyone more fondly remembers, actually houses Three Buns within the building.

The building comprises of 4 floors. The first floor is a take away counter for Three Buns; the second floor sits Three Buns’ dining area, while the third and fourth floors comprise of a bar (Studio 1939) and a rooftop bar (The Rooftop). The owners did not want to change the façade of the shop house too much, hence the concept of Potato Head Folk was built around the architecture of the shop house.

The theme of the furnishings and décor is whimsical and fun, with hand painted murals of some nursery rhymes and capricious sculptures by renown creative David Bromley from Australia to give a grown-up childhood imagery.

The beverages served are just as fun and colourful as Potato Head’s interior- no boring people allowed. They only serve mocktails, alcoholic cocktails, beer, wine, and some housepours. Okay, coffee too, but who’s interested?

We tried the Zombie ($20), a handcrafted twist with rum, absinthe and a mix of other alcohols and fruit punch. The drink is freshly mixed and then served in a bottle. Definitely not for the faint hearted as the mix is strong – a bang for your buck.

We also had a lemonade, but that’s not much to talk about.

Wing-Its ($9). The taste of the sauce was a nice balance of sweet, salty and spicy, and kind of resembles sweet and sour pork from your local zhap cai peng stall. Though these wings were deep fried, the skin ended up soggy; maybe we left them sitting on the table a tad too long…

You can see Asian influences and condiments like spring onions and fried garlic on this buffalo wings rendition, showcasing their fusion concept.

Naughty Fries ($9). There is something naughty about these fries indeed! With an eclectic mix of both Asian and Indian spices, they add a nice touch to what would be considered a western item. I much prefer thick, hand cut fries rather than shoe-string fries as you can taste more potato.

They’re probably the best cheese fries I’ve tasted so far. The spiced béarnaise and beef chilli provide maximum sinfulness, and I would definitely come back again for them. Like the Wings, the sides are topped with Asian garnish, like parsley and green onion, and its a reminder that the chef is true to his roots.

Burning Man ($24). My tongue felt like it was set on fire after this one. The 150g prime beef patty was well grilled to our liking and the jalapeno relish was given an extra kick with hot ketchup and dashi mayo. The fiery levels are no joke here, so unless you can hold your spice well, be wary. You can request for the burger to be less spicy and they’ll just add less jalapeno relish.

Rambo ($24). The only lamb burger on the menu. The sauce was interesting – an aubergine pickle and cumin aioli with powerful hits of flavour. A great combination of sauces and bread, however I found the lamb patty a little dry with not much natural meat flavours by itself. We do hope the lamb quality can be improved in the future.

Their burgers at Potato Head come packaged in very cute wrappers, and a unique sticker for each of their quirkily named burgers. I kept the sticker for myself, and I hope to collect them all!

All their burger buns are made from Wholemeal. But if you’re carb conscious, you can opt for your burger to be made Protein-style- the patty and sauce would be wrapped with lettuce leaves instead.

Sticky Icky Wicky ($6). This is a sticky toffee pudding with Gula Melaka and toasted coconut butterscotch sauce. Toffee pudding is no doubt sweet as it should, but with an Asian twist via the palm sugar gula melaka.

I’ll have to admit the burgers are a little pricey, and doesn’t come with any sides. The ambience, side dishes and great company you’re with will have to make up for the extra value. I like that the recipes utilize very bold, robust flavours and attempts to uplift the casual neighborhood vibe, but nothing really blew me away despite the raging hype.

The only thing this place lacks is a beach and waves and bikini babes, just like in Bali. Quite a different concept from the Bali branch, with the only similarities being in the name.

Expected Damage: $30 – $50 per pax