A unique burger experience in Ipoh, Perak.

If I could point out one unique trait that is ultimately Malaysian, it is our love for food. Believe it or not, this is the underlying foundation of Malaysian hospitality. I mean, if you bumped into your relatives, friends, acquaintance, or even someone you just met, the first question (after due introduction, of course) is "Have you eaten yet?" Now don't deny it - all Malaysians do it - myself included.

It is for this love and passion for food, coupled with a melting pot of cultures, customs and heritage that gives birth to delicacies that tickles your taste buds, satisfy your cravings and - at times - makes you go 'is that even edible?'.

I have had the pleasure of visiting my younger brother, now working in Ipoh, and sampled some of the local food. Yeah we're Malaysians, but lemme let you in on a secret - in just about every state, every city, every village's nook and cranny, you'll most likely find one (or even more) of the local food that is unique to the locality.

While I have had burgers umpteen times before, the place that my brother brought me that night had a very different kind of burger. Located at Ulu Kinta, Ipoh, Perak (Foursquare: http://4sq.com/1IEoNhE) Eight Miles is just out of my expectation. At first glance from the roadside, it looked like any other typical roadside stalls, but when we went in and sat down, there is a quaintness that I just can't put a finger on. What's special about the place? Burger Banjir (lit. Flooded Burger).

Perhaps it is in the overall decor - a reminder of my school time where wooden tables and rocky stools were ever present. Perhaps it was in the chalkboard menu - rusty, smeared, pastel colored chalks. Even the windows were that of 20 years back - glass shingled with wrought iron grills.

It is definitely for the food that people come here. The portion is just nice, leaning towards the just-a-tad-extra-for-one-person portion. That said, my brother and I ordered 3 mains to share between the two of us. Before that though, let me share with you what we had for drinks (at this point I no longer remember the name but my brother's had a stick of lemongrass in it, and I believe I had an apple something-something).

The first to arrive was the burger - we chose a rabbit meat patty (I should call it a bunny burger >.<) (for non-malay speakers, rabbit meat is 'daging arnab' - get that if you have a chance to visit the place). It was delish - the patty was light and juicy, and the gravy - well - true to the name, they flooded the plate with black pepper sauce. A personal opinion that doesn't devalue Eight Miles and their signature Burger Banjir - I prefer rabbit meat with mustard instead of chilli sauce and mayonnaise. I didn't ask if they had mustard until I took a bite of it, but it tasted good with chilli sauce and mayonnaise still.

We also ordered a Full Tank Lamb Chop and Chicken Chop (two separate plates). No other words to describe them other than tender, succulent and savoury. It is to the point that I didn't believe that this is served in a roadside stall! I was slightly miffed by the fact that all the sauces in the Burger Banjir, Lamb Chop and Chicken Chop were the same sauce, but it did taste great. Another personal opinion here: I also didn't like my fries (British calls them chips) to be mixed on the place with the gravy - I prefer them to have their own little clean corner on one side of the plate along with the salad. But y'know that's just me. Most people don't mind - and lemme just add that they tasted good anyways!

So yeah, I initially thought Eight Miles Burger Banjir would fall short from expectation, but as it turns out my expectations were misplaced *takes a bite of the humble pie*. I would definitely want to come back here again - order an Oblong maybe. And perhaps, joined by a fellow blogger and burger enthusiast Aliey from NTGravityZone!

If y'all want to find out more about Eight Miles, their menus, location and operating hours, do visit their Facebook page or follow them on Instagram @eightmilesbistro. I am not sure about their Twitter - but if the social media coordinator for Eight Miles is reading this, put up a comment below so that more people can find and interact with you. (p/s if you could also correct me on the drinks we had, that'd be awesome too!) So, til next time! Cheers!

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Disclaimer: While the writer did not state any pricing for any items, the prices are correct at time of publishing. Should any variance occur, the prices stated at the premise is to be followed.