Coconuts Bangkok is busy trying to figure out the link between firemen and hamburgers. Why, you ask? Last week we chowed down at Firehouse, a new fireman-themed burger restaurant set amid the classy/trashy bars and clubs of Sukhumvit Soi 11. Perhaps it’s about macho – a real man’s job meets a real man’s meal. Welcome to Firehouse, quite possibly Bangkok’s Manliest Restaurant.
Firehouse has already attracted a small flurry of attention on the net, with some seeing fit to crown the joint’s hamburger the best in Bangkok. Yes, you heard that right. Best in the city – wow. It was thus with barely-contained excitement that we showed up at the restaurant last week, half-starved and ready for flesh.
Lining Firehouse’s faux-brick walls are black-and-white photos of firemen doing their gutsy stuff, and what look like real firemen’s helmets under spotlights. But the quirky museum-feel aside, this is actually a pretty appealing place to eat, with decent leather seating and mirrors playing mind tricks that make up for the lack of space inside.
Tables are set with sturdy wooden barrels of peanuts and jars of pickles. The pickles, sadly, turned out to be a fail – at least as far as our tastebuds were concerned. Industrial quantities of sugar in the juice made the gherkins as sweet as candy. Vinegary candy. We’d even venture to say they might be too sweet for most Thai tastebuds. And that’s pretty damn sweet.
Happily, Firehouse scores points for its compact menu (Bangkok restaurateurs, take note: choice is pain). There’s clam chowder, a few salads, some “bar favorites” like fish and chips, chicken wings, tacos, wraps and sandwiches. And, of course, there are burgers – eight to choose from. We plumped for the Premium Burger, which comes in at THB195. That seems reasonable, though extras like brie, mozzarella, gorgonzola, bacon, onions and fried egg cost more. We added cheddar cheese for an extra THB40 (does anyone but the lactose intolerant go for plain hamburgers these days?). Our order arrived in an impressive 10 minutes or so.
Let’s come right out and say it: this is a pretty damn good hamburger. It looks appealing – a good size patty sitting in a nice homemade-looking sesame bun that glistens appealingly in the light. And tastewise, it was 90% there. The bread bun tasted fresh and the garnish of lettuce, tomato, onion and mayonnaise came in just the right proportions. We’d have to say that the burger itself was a teensy bit bland, but more seasoning in the patty would silence that complaint.
Served alongside is a bucket of thick-cut potato wedges. They, truth to tell, didn’t quite hit the spot, being slightly undercooked in parts and overcooked in others. Most importantly, they weren’t crunchy enough. Having said that, come the end of the meal, our buckets were empty. So they can’t have been that bad.
We also couldn’t resist sampling the Black Angus Burger – clearly the Big Daddy of the menu, and with a Big Daddy price to match (THB380). It’s really a surf-and-turf burger, with a 180g patty of Australian Black Angus beef teaming up with a grilled jumbo tiger prawn and a garnish of onion, tomato and lettuce.
The Black Angus Burger was noticeably better than the Premium in terms of the firmness of the patty and beefy flavor. The tiger prawn, we have to say, got lost in the mix and seemed like a slightly unnecessary luxury. Is it worth paying almost double the price for this formidable morsel? We’d say it depends on what THB185 means to you. Bear in mind that the Premium does not disappoint.
We didn’t get round to trying anything else on the menu, but Firehouse also does a prawn burger, chicken burger, fish burger and, intriguingly, “breakfast burger” (burger with bacon, fried egg, cheddar and garnish). We enjoyed what we ate at Firehouse and will be back for more. Bit more seasoning in the patty, crunchier fries and a good deal less sugar in the pickles and we’d really be talking.
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Dan Waites is a writer, translator, interpreter and glutton based in Bangkok. Follow him on Twitter:@danwaites
