Outside of the United States, Donald Trump is probably most popular right here in the Philippines.
Granted, that’s an increasingly low bar, but Filipinos really do seem to love the guy. In fact, a Pew Research poll in June found that 69 percent said they were confident in the US president’s ability to govern, something not even members of his own cabinet seem to agree on lately.
But if you’re looking for evidence of Trump’s popularity in the capital beyond opinion polls, look no further. Just a few blocks away from the soon-to-open Trump Towers Manila, a special menu of American-style burgers for the Team Insider Sports Bar at the Red Planet Hotel in Makati City proudly touts a burger named for America’s fast food-loving commander in chief.
And this isn’t just any burger. It’s “yuuuuge.”
How huge?
According to the menu, the burger is stacked with two US Certified Angus Beef patties, caramelized onions, sliced tomatoes, arugula lettuce, cheddar cheese, a fried egg, barbecue sauce, bacon and coleslaw.
It comes with a side of either New York fries, Alberta chips, or Wisconsin chips, which are served poutine style, topped with cheddar and mozzarella cheese and gravy.
The Trump Burger is certainly not your average burger, and neither is its price, coming in at a steep-for-Manila PHP550 (US$11).
That’s about twice the average cost of a burger in the Philippines, where prices generally run anywhere from PHP200 to PHP400 (US$4 to US$8)
But President Trump might be disappointed that the burger named after him isn’t the most expensive burger on the menu.
The “double burger with cheese” is priced at PHP665 (US$13).
According to restaurant supervisor Cathy Surban, the restaurant’s owner, Jonathan Thorp, along with the chef and other executives, added the burger to their American menu soon after he announced his candidacy in 2015.
Surban said that while the Trump Burger may not be the most expensive on the menu, “it’s the best value burger we have.”
She noted that the burger menu is typically more popular among expat guests than Filipino patrons.
In a decidedly non-partisan spirit of indulgence, Coconuts Manila tried the burger out for ourselves and must admit, we liked it, particularly the huge Angus beef patties, which were complemented nicely by the egg and cheese.
It was quite difficult to eat, and we ultimately had to resort to eating a good bit of it with a fork and knife. Imagine how hard it would be to eat with say, abnormally small hands.
Overall, it was big, messy, and difficult to finish.
Just like Trump’s persona… and his presidency. Zing!
We’ll be keeping an eye out to see if Trump ducks in to try out his namesake treat when he’s in town next month for the ASEAN summit.
Check out the Insider Sports Bar at ground floor of the Red Planet Hotel.
Address: E. Mercado Corner F. Calderon Street, Poblacion, Makati City
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