The Counter Pavilion KL

Despite our obvious predilection for Asian cuisine, there’s always room for another burger restaurant in town and one as established as The Counter® which opened for business just a few days ago at The Dining Loft on Level 7 Pavilion KL should have no problems attracting burger fans and even those who wouldn’t normally think of having burgers for lunch or dinner. That’s because you get more than just premium quality burgers at The Counter®.

Founded in 2003, The Counter®’s mission was to challenge the traditional burger joint and the Culver City, California-based brand grew into more than 40 stores. The Counter® offers a fresh, unconventional approach to creating the ultimate burger, offering over 300k combinations at their outlet in Pavilion KL with a choice from their buns, cheeses, sauces and toppings. The Counter® offers a full-service, casual dining experience in an inviting space with industrial décor and upbeat music.

There are currently over 40 locations in the United States – including two airport locations, along with another airport location opening in Terminal Two at the Los Angeles International Airport. In addition there are four international locations in Ireland, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Counter® was created because the founder realized that many people do not like what’s offered in non-custom made burgers. At The Counter®, you are given the option of deciding exactly what you want in your burger.

Within the menu, there’s a checklist towards building your own burger. It’s very uncomplicated as you go from Step 1 to Step 6. Let me show you how:-

Step 1

Choose the meat and the size – there’s 150g/225g/450g of Halal-Certified Beef, Hand-Cut Ahi Tuna, Halal-Certified Turkey and 100% Natural Chicken Breast. Vegetarians can opt to have Housemade Vegan Veggie. Then decide whether you’d like to have you option on a bun or salad style in a bowl. Many ladies may prefer the salad style in a bowl as it’s less heavy without the bun.

Step 2

Choose your cheese and I am so impressed with the different premium cheeses. Choose from Yellow American, Sharp Provolone, Cheddar Cheese, Horseradish Cheddar, Savory Swiss, Shredded Parmesan, Fresh Mozzarella, Danish Blue Cheese, Soft-Ripened Brie, Groyere, Greek Feta & Jalapeno Jack.

Step 3

Choose your sauce. Their homemade sauces are so unique. Choose from Red Relish, Horseradish Aioli, Apricot Sauce, Hot Wing Sauce, Spicy Sour Cream, Whole Grain Mustard, Creamy Caesar, Signature Steak Sauce and many more.

Step 4

Choose your toppings such as dried cranberries, organic mixed beans, lettuce blend, onion confir, spicy pickles, quinoa, jicama, sliced radish, celery and the list goes on. There is no limit to the number of toppings you can choose. There are also premium toppings for an extra RM5.

Step 5

Choose your bun from sourdough, multigrain bun, pretzel bun, brioche style bun, ciabatta and English muffin. The buns are from Renaissance Hotel KL so rest assured, they are excellent.

Step 6

Choose your side and this is optional at an extra RM7. You can have shoestring fries, sweet potato fries, salads, coleslaw.

Fear not if you do not wish to build your own burger because they also offer a choice of burgers on the menu such as Bacon BBQ Burger, The Purist, The Hot Hen, Mini Cheeseburgers, The Contradiction, Tuna Tataki, Baja Turkey and Grilled Chicken.

The Counter® features“burgers with a conscience,”using naturally raised, hormone and antibiotic-free beef, all-natural chicken and turkey, ahi tuna, and a house-made vegan/veggie burger for their burger and salad style burger bowls.

They also offer sandwiches such as Stacked B.L.T., The Meltdown, Grilled Cheese Trifecta, Grilled Turkey + Swiss & Veggie Club.

The Counter Pavilion KL is spacious with a cool vibe, perfect for parties and events. Seated at one of the booths, I was offered a platter of mixed mini cheeseburgers and 3 varieties of French fries but first, the drink. They have smoothies such as Orangaberry, Hollywood Hula Hoop, California Dreams and Beach Blast.

California Dreams is a blend of peaches, banana, strawberries, orange juice and fat free vanilla yoghurt. It’s deliciously creamy and rich, refreshing and you can tell they didn’t stinge on the ingredients but a bit too sweet for me.

I was served a sampling of their fries – the actual size of their fries portion is way bigger than this but I already thought these servings were already very generous for RM5. The fries are good even without any sauces. My favourite is the parmesan as they are coated liberally with parmesan but can get rather salty if you have too many at one go. Sriracha fries are coated with the Thai sriracha sauce which makes them slightly sweet. Sriracha sauce is a type of hot sauce or chili sauce made from a paste of chili peppers, distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt. It is named after the coastal city of Si Racha, in Chonburi Province of eastern Thailand, where it was possibly first produced for dishes served at local seafood restaurants. The sweet potato fries are lovely with the horseradish aioli.

1. Hickory BBQ Sauce

2. Garlic Aioli

3. Apricot Sauce

4. Sesame Ginger Dressing

5. Sriracha Sauce

6. Horseradish Aioli

All the sauces complement the fries or you can even drizzle them on your burger. I love the sesame ginger dressing and wished I had a salad in front of me. It’s got that Asian flavor to it but I’d also highly recommend the Apricot Sauce, so sweet and fruity. Those who prefer smoky sauces will love the Hickory BBQ Sauce, all the sauces are unusual and will leave you with great memories of what they tasted like.

1. Swiss Cheese

2. Sharp Provolone

3. Gruyere Cheese & sundried tomato

4. Cheddar Cheese

The Mini Cheeseburgers are really not that mini. The different cheeses are marvelous and left me in no doubt that they are using the best quality ingredients. The lettuce in each bun is so crisp, the buns taste ultra fresh and the meat is premium quality beef.

The Counter® Malaysia intends to open another 7 more outlets nationwide but their next outlet will be  a fast casual one named Built Custom Burgers by The Counter which is set to open later this year on Level 4, Nu Sentral Mall in Brickfields. The concept allows the customer to walk along the counter choosing the ingredients for their custom built burger.

For more information about The Counter®, please visit thecounterburger.com.Follow the team on Facebook/TheCounter, on Twitter at@CounterBurger, and on Instagram @TheCounterBurger.