Review: We tried Burger King's new rendang Whopper and more

Now that National Day is around the bend, you can expect to be sinking your teeth into Burger King’s ever-popular rendang burgers for its annual Taste of Singapore special.

This year, the line-up includes both familiar favourites — Double Rendang Beef Burger and Rendang Tendergrill Chicken Burger — as well as new creations that’ll be rolled out from July 26, 2022.

And because Singapore’s turning 57, the Single Rendang Beef Burger and Rendang Chicken Burger value meal will be available at a special National Day price of $5.70 from Aug 9 to 12, 2022.

To make National Day special for everyone, Burger King and Nestle Singapore will together donate $0.50 to Club Rainbow for every upsized order. All proceeds and donations will go directly to Club Rainbow, which supports children with chronic illnesses and their families.

You can also join Burger King’s online fundraiser in support of Club Rainbow, where donors will receive digital artwork for every donation made. Created by design agency, Tell Your Children, in collaboration with a Club Rainbow beneficiary, the artwork will showcase Singaporeans assembling the Rendang Whopper, which reflects the spirit of community, unity, and Singapore’s array of cultures.

Hosted on Giving.sg, the fundraising campaign (https://www.giving.sg/campaigns/bksgxclubrainbow) will go live on Aug 1, 2022. 

Rendang Whopper

New to the scene is the Rendang Whopper ($7.45 a la carte), and like the regular Whopper, it’s a hefty stack. Between two five-inch sesame seed-studded buns, the flame-grilled Whopper beef patty is assembled with a drizzle of mayo, crisp lettuce, fresh onions that lend a sharp flavour, and smothered in a generous dollop of rendang sauce.

In case you aren’t already acquainted with the iconic sauce, it leans on the sweeter side and is a bit reminiscent of satay sauce albeit without that strong nutty flavour. Great for kids or those who can’t stomach spice.

Our verdict? It’s loaded with the greasy goodness of rendang for a rather shiok burger. Our gripe was that the patty, though flavourful, was a tad dry.

$8.95 for value meal with medium fries and small Sjora. $9.55 for upsized meal with large fries and medium Sjora.

Rendang Tendergrill

No complaints here. The Tendergrill Chicken Burger is a Burger King best-seller for good reason – the chargrilled chicken thigh is juicy and tender, with a smokey flavour and a lightly charred exterior. Drenched with rendang sauce, the Rendang Tendergrill ($6.75 a la carte) is sloppy, gratifying and my favourite of the trio.

$8.25 for value meal with medium fries and small Sjora. $8.85 for upsized meal with large fries and medium Sjora.

Double Rendang Beef

The Double Rendang Beef Burger ($6.75 a la carte) has been a well-loved classic over the years, and stars two flame-grilled beef patties so you get more bite. They’re dressed with nothing but a generous lashing of rendang sauce, and slices of fresh pungent onions that cut through the richness.

Again, the patties were a slightly drier than we’d have liked, but it’s still a tasty burger worth sinking your teeth into.

Sides you can shake up

If that’s not enough rendang goodness for you, you can also go for delicious sides that come with a serving of rendang sauce.

With the Rendang Drumlets Shake ($4.90 a la carte), you get to literally shake up Burger King’s Mexican Drumlets to get them coated in the luscious sauce. There’s no going wrong when you pair spicy drumlets with rendang so this one gets our thumbs up.

There’s also the option of shaking it up with fries and nuggets with the Rendang Shake ($4.90 a la carte). Tasty still, but we’d prefer the rendang sauce on the side as a dip, since blanketing the fries and nuggets with rendang turn them a little soggy.

And if you’re feasting with a couple of friends or family, there’s the Share Share Bucket ($13.90), which has 12 nuggets, five Mexican drumlets, and large onion rings served with three sauces – barbeque, Japanense curry, and rendang.

Pulut Hitam Pie

The Pulut Hitam Pie makes a comeback, with the crisp deep-fried pocket enveloping sticky black glutinous rice and taro that’s just the right side of sweet.

The fillings were rather inconsistent though — the first pie we had could have done with more of the pulut hitam, and the taro was almost non-existent. But a second one was plump with a generous gooey filling of both. Nonetheless, at $1.90, it makes for a tasty and affordable snack, or an enjoyable end to a meal.

Deliveroo

Can’t wait till July 26 to get your hands on the rendang-flavoured burgers? Burger King and Deliveroo have teamed up to give you an exclusive first taste of all three burger, from July 22 to 25, 2022.

From tomorrow (July 22), Singaporeans who order the Deliveroo Exclusive Rendang Whopper Bundle for two will stand a chance to receive a limited edition Deliveroo x Burger King Funpack that contains traditional games like Five Stones and Chapteh.

The Deliveroo x Burger King Funpack will be available exclusively for the first 50 customers that order the Deliveroo Exclusive Rendang Whopper Bundle for two from Burger King Jurong Point, Seletar Mall, Tampines Mall, Viva Business Park and Yishun Town Square via Deliveroo. 

Note: Prices on Deliveroo differ from dine-in prices.

This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.