Weekend Grub: Sals' signature Burgzilla will satisfy your monster appetite

While it may seem that Karachi is over its burger joint phase, we're still looking for a good place.

Sals The Eatery opened its doors to Karachi with a promise that your burger craving will be satisfied. What with so many restos going downhill or having inconsistent quality, I was eager to try them out and see if this could be the place I'm looking for.

Where to go

Sals is situated in the Shahbaz commercial area in the same lane as Pomo. The tiny restaurant houses two tables and has a very minimalistic design.

The restaurant also provides delivery to DHA, Clifton and I.I. Chundrigarh.

When to go

Sals is open from 12pm to 12:30am.

What to order

We were a hungry bunch that went to the restaurant and decided to try out as much as possible. While it has a limited menu, Sals' offerings are decent.

We may have been too eager to try Sals' burgers but owners Muhammad Moeed and Khizer Nouman really wanted us to try out their appetisers as well and we were on board.

We loved the presentation of Sals' mac n cheese (with a twist), which is served like a fried patty. While we loved the exterior crisp we do wish the batter was seasoned better. Sprinkling salt on top made a huge difference.

A lack of seasoning was a consistent issue with Sals' appetisers as the fried chicken bites and onion rings also needed a few extra notes to bring out the best of the dish, even though we really loved the crisp.

At this point I was a little concerned about what to expect with Sals' burgers but this is where the restaurant shines.

Sals offers their burgers in both chicken and beef and strongly recommends the beef. We did get one chicken variant just to try it out.

The Holy Smokes burger has a grilled patty topped with BBQ sauce - so the name makes sense - onion rings and pepperoni.

The onion rings provided a much needed crunch and the slight saltiness of the pepperoni adds a note to the smokey BBQ sauce which was very welcome.

Sals has gotten their beef patty formula down to the tee. The meat is tender and juicy and the seasoning of the patty is just what you need in a burger. The satisfaction of a good burger left the crew I was with in a happy mood.

We tried the Holy Smokes in chicken too and we agree with Sals' recommendation of ordering the beef. No shade to chicken but a good burger is beef, guys. Sure, those with an aversion to red meat wouldn't have an issue with it but the chicken patty did nothing for us.

The Chipotle Buster has no fancy additions. It has the staple patty, cheese and lettuce combo but the creamy sauce they top it with elevates the flavour to top tier. The chipotle sauce packed the right amount of heat where it doesn't take over the dish but harmonises with the rest of the flavours and once again, the patty was on point.

The Gold Fashioned is Sals' version of the basic cheese burger with onions, tomatoes and Sals' special sauce. I was intimidated when I saw the amount of sauce, assuming it's mustard. However, Sals has blended the sauce such that the strong tang of the mustard is muted and you get just the right piquancy. What with the other offerings of Sals having such strong flavours, this one wasn't appreciated as much at our table but I do see this being a satisfying meal for those who crave a nice basic burger with fresh veggies.

Sals' signature offering is the Burgzilla and it was a hit at our table despite its rather threatening appearance.

Double patty, loaded with cheese, onion rings, jalapenos, beef bacon and Sals' special smokey sauce, the towering concoction won us over by how balanced it was. No flavour overpowered the other but rather every note — the zest of the jalapenos, the crunch of the onion ring, the seasoning of the perfectly cooked meat and the cheese — could be tasted while supporting each other. I was genuinely not expecting this to be the hit it was.

However, those with a small appetite may want to split it in half because this is quite the meal!

Damage to the pocket

The appetisers at Sals range from Rs150 - Rs350. The burgers range from Rs450 to Rs750 and what I liked is how the price is justified for the quantity and quality you get.

I've been on the hunt for good burgers in Karachi and Sals just might be my constant.