Smash beef burgers are definitely having a moment in the bustling gastronomic landscape of Lahore where culinary trends disappear in no time! They've grown from your small takeaway spots to popular dine-in options, with quite a few springing up around town in the recent past.

With some confidently marketed as ‘gourmet’, what’s special about them is the focus on the patty: these burgers aren’t your elaborate, layered, dripping with sauces and veggies burgers, but pretty simple, unassuming, and letting the high-quality beef shine like a star.

Their patties are juicy, chunky and have a slightly crispy, caramelized crust, while the burgers are usually accompanied by classic toppings such as cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a signature sauce.

One of the popular brands serving such burgers is Melt, located in the bustling market of DHA Phase 4. Having relaunched recently, the outlet is more conducive for a takeaway than dine-in considering their limited seating capacity. The interior is quite simple and basic following a yellow and white theme, with a handful of tables set up on the mezzanine floor above the open kitchen.

The menu is minimal and fairly basic, with only five selections for beef smash and chicken fillet burgers, as well as a few chicken fillet wraps, crinkle cut fries, shakes, and ice cream. We recently paid a visit to the restaurant to try their 'premium' smash burger.

We began the meal with their starters: Mozzarella Bites and Cheetos Poppers.

The Mozzarella Bites were absolute pleasure! These golden nuggets were a sheer treat, crispy on the exterior and filled with molten, almost elastic cheese that oozed out as soon as you bit into them. And when dipped in their spicy, tangy sauce, they're finger-licking good!

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Similarly, the Cheetos Poppers, which resembled rocks of ruby in a little tub from a distance, were a revelation. Soft, tender chunks of chicken coated with blazing red crushed Cheetos, dip them into the spicy sauce and they can be devoured in numbers.

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What was supposed to be an appetizer, turned into a mini meal; they were THAT good!

Up next were the main entrées, so to say, for which we ordered three kinds of beef burgers and loaded fries.

The Smokey Dokey is a classic beef cheese burger topped with thick, crispy, crunchy onion rings, melted mortadella cheese and a dollop of an inhouse smokey sauce. This one turns out to be a textural and flavour bonanza; the onion rings provide some sweetness and crunch, the beef some chew, and the cheese and smokey sauce with the much-needed additional zing.

smokey dokey

The Smashroom is one for mushroom lovers, as the classic juicy beef cheeseburger is topped with caramelized onions, loads of delicious mushroom chunks and a creamy, peppery mushroom sauce.

smashroom

The third burger we tried was the Fiery Sriracha: a juicy cheeseburger, topped with caramelized onions and what was supposed to be a “fiery” sriracha sauce. So, the burger was obviously good, but it was expected to be spicy and set the taste buds ablaze, but nothing of that sort happened. In fact, the sauce was borderline bland, which just kind of killed the overall burger; it was akin to eating a plain, classic beef burger.

fiery sriracha

The burgers are a satisfying gastronomic adventure, full of texture and flavour. What’s also exciting about these burgers is that they all let the juicy, tender minced smash beef – sandwiched between buttery brioche buns -- stand out despite the toppings and accompaniments; you can taste the meat and all other ingredients in all their individual glory. And the burgers also come in double patties for those who want an extra dose of protein.

We also tried their beef and chicken loaded fries, each topped generously with chicken fillet or minced, smash beef chunks, jalapenos, melted mortadella cheese, and a mix of sauces. Their serving size easily makes them a meal on their own, also priced quite reasonably at Rs599 (chicken) and Rs699 (beef).

loaded fries

Their shakes are a highlight of the menu: in lotus, brownie, thick chocolate, peanut butter and banana, salt caramel flavour. They're the perfect accompaniment or even a top-off to a meal.

The best part about Melt is that you can catch it in the middle of the night too to satisfy any midnight snack cravings, as they’re open till 3:30am on weekends and 3am on weekdays. But they have to step up their game, because orders take too long if you don't remind them several times.