Dayumm Grilled Pork Burger

Being a carnivore I am always on the lookout for anything that is meaty-licious. When I heard about Dayumm Burger, I knew this is something that I must try.

OK, most Penangites are familiar with Marshalls, the name that started it all for the many grilled burger joints sprouting up across the island. But since so many friends have raved about Dayumm, I just have to sink my teeth into one. The only reason I haven’t is that it is a little out of the way for me.

But I decided to finally make the trip one night after gym. For those who don’t know where it is, it is opposite the old Federal Theatre along Jalan Dato Kramat.

I discovered 2 things when I showed up:

1) The location of Penang’s famous Ah Leng Char Koay Teow, which Dayumm takes over at night, but we’ll leave this for a char koay teow post in the future.

2) My friend, B, is helping Dayumm with their marketing.

It’s a rainy night, so there is only one table full of college kids waiting for their order. Even then, I noticed that the grill is full of their homemade patties.

Patties on the grill

Burgers assembly line

Looking at their menu, they have only 2 choices – the Classic with single patty and vegetables or the Complete that comes with egg, cheese and bacon. Customers can add on other items by topping up the price. They also have meatballs as side orders.

Guess which one I ordered.  Well, it was B's suggestion to take the Complete when I told them to make it meaty and ditch the vege.

While waiting for them to complete my order, I had a chance to talk to B, and in the meantime, the aroma of bacon filled my nostrils. Oh man, I so can’t wait to get my burger.

B said that their patties are different in that they include herbs in them. He said that if I have the chance, I should cut out a piece of the patty without the sauce and trimmings. I should be able to see and taste the herbs.

Another thing I noticed is that their egg is akin to McDonalds’ Egg McMuffin, not scrambled or sunny side up.

B told me that they are coming up with more choices on their menu, including a pork chop version. This is still in the R&D stage at the moment, as they will need really good cuts of meat, something which they are currently negotiating with their butcher about.

The college kids get their order served up first. It’s similar to how Marshalls serve up their burgers. In a little basket with skewers keeping the burgers from falling apart.

With their excited chanting of, “Dayumm, Dayumm, Dayumm…” and the mandatory food porn pictures later, they were contentedly chowing down their burgers.

Mine arrived soon enough and I eagerly took my first bite. The first thing that registered in my mind was that the bacons were crispy and smoky fragrant. They only have tomato and thousand island sauces so there was no overwhelming sweet and sour tastes to overpower the taste of the meat.

Another thing that pleased me immensely was that they kept the egg yolk a little undercooked so the yolk oozed out and seeped into the meat in the patty. B was right. There is definitely hint of the herbs, whether it is thyme, rosemary or a mixture of different herbs, I couldn't tell. Another pleasant surprise was raisins. Whether they were from the bun or included with the patty, I didn’t ask. But they definitely complemented the pork very well. In the end, the marriage of all the different flavors and textures created a masterpiece of grastronomic ecstacy.

By the end of the meal, I had sauce and pork juice running down my arm. Did I complain? Absolutely not! But I will say that it is definitely very filling because of the egg. And it was then that it hit me - I forgot to take a pic! :(

So folks, if you haven’t Dayumm yet, as they say, you don’t know what you’re missing. And while you’re there, say hello to Morgana, their little mascot, the sweetest little darling that patrons automatically fall in love with ;)

Say hello to Morgana while you wait for your burger!