Three Buns – Burger & Heads

What makes a perfect burger? Soft fragrant bun, tasty melted cheese, fresh pickles/veggies, juicy beef patty and topped off with rich creamy sauces.

The next time you think about good burgers, two words should come into mind: Three Buns.

Three Buns has such a unique exterior that it is difficult to miss when cruising down Senopati district.

It turns out that it is another project of Potato Head group, which usually spells very unique concept, good music, good cocktails but sadly to say, snobby hosts.

All of which are present at Three Buns with the exception of a snobby host.

My expectations instantly went sky-high as I am a fan of their burgers in their existing restaurants, such as their PTT Burger in the nearby Potato Head Garage.

I felt hip just walking into the restaurant. It has an open-air concept, common in Bali but is not working here in Jakarta where the air is more polluted and people aren’t wearing shorts and tank tops everywhere they go (I was in office wear).

It was noon when I visited and the transparent ceilings created a greenhouse effect.

Efforts to bring down the temperature were just a few measly standing air-conditioning and fan in the restaurant corners.Yes, the place is very hot!

On the plus side, their bathrooms are clean and fully air conditioned. At the risk of sounding dramatic, you may want to pay the toilet a few visits if you need to cool off. I did.

The menu is not extensive, serving mainly french fries and burgers.

Skimming through the menu, it’s clear that they are trying to infuse Asian flavors into what are normally very Americanized dishes.

The main star of the visit is the Four Floors burger. Four Floors beats all other burgers I have tried in Jakarta.

This burger may seem like a heart attack in a bun, but it is a must-order when you visit Three Buns.

Like the name suggests, the burger is made up of double layer of patty and cheese.  The double prime beef patty is thicker-than-normal, more crumbly and cooked medium-well. The cheese melts in your mouth and the miso-mayo and tomato sauces created a perfect finish.

Don’t be fooled by how non-photogenic the burger is, it was like biting into delicious juicy goodness. For burgers, the uglier it looks, the more delicious it tends to be.

Alternatively, you can order the Baby Huey which supposedly tastes similar without the extra layer of patty and cheese.

The Naughty Fries that we ordered are made of thick hand-cut potatoes, which is not my favorite. These type of fries are more difficult to find in Jakarta and I’m guessing costs more than their leaner-cut processed counterparts.

I personally still prefer the good old fashioned shoe-string fries, to get the crisp I yearn for from my fries.

The sauces in the Naughty Fries are not very harmonious and tasted a little weird.

I’m still sticking to Umabo for my french fries cravings (read our Umabo review here).

The second burger we ordered, the Burning Man, was a disappointment. The chilli sauce did not do the burger any justice. It tasted like Sriracha to me; spicy and sour.

Although it gives the burger the Asian touch as  intended, the sauce does not make a good condiment for a burger, in my opinion.

The third burger we tried is the Honky Tonk. Soya milk fried chicken with miso mayo sauce. It was surprisingly good as the chicken was perfectly cooked, perfect for non-beef eaters.  

Another not-so-good trait common to Potato Head restaurants is the fact that they tend to overcharge their drinks.

We paid 30k for this small cup for iced-tea. The sweltering heat did not help either.

If you’re going to bake your customers under the sun at least provide a generous amount of fluid.

Aside from the heat, this was a refreshing experience given there aren’t many decent burgers here in Jakarta. Three Buns is definitely highly recommended for burger fans!

Maybe it’s their strategy in an attempt to increase the table turnover, but I would probably take-away the next time I visit if they are not going to do something about the soaring temperature.

 

Food: |****  |          Ambience: |***   |         Price: |$$$    |

Opening hours: Monday – Sunday 11am – 12 midnight 

Location: Jl. Senopati Raya No. 90, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta 12190, Indonesia.

Telephone: +6221 293 077 80

Posted by PrincessFiona