I love JLT. Have I mentioned that before? I have never come across so many wonderful restaurants in one space. Roll in to Cluster U, and on the first level lies a tiny eatery called The Smokin’ 9. F.C. and I were having a particularly rough day and I wanted to drown my work sorrows in food. The Smokin’ 9 to the rescue!
Heard a lot of about this budding new burger joint from fellow bloggers, so I decided to check it out. The place was way smaller than I thought and serves budget-friendly mini burgers. Not sliders. Mini burgers. I’ve often wondered about the difference between the two. Turns out the sliders are a cross between a sandwich and a burger in a small size. They are often served in twos and threes. The mini burgers on the other hand, are just a condensed version of an actual burger.
Smokin’ 9 seems to have made that distinction. We ordered in the Agnes, The Frenchie, The Don Gonzola, The Paneer, The Gringo and The Mozzar. With every 3 mini burgers, you get a dipping sauce. Smokin’ 9 is called Smokin’ 9 because of the number of mini burgers they have on the menu. They have beef, chicken and vegetarian mini burgers.
The Agnes arrived and tasted exactly like a mini version of a juicy beef burger. Perfect rendition of a delicious classic.
The Frenchie was something I really liked as well because the comté cheese gave off a really lovely flavour.
F.C. was a sucker for The Don Gonzola because he loves blue cheese. I stayed a fair distance from him after that because I detest it.
The Paneer had an interesting curry sauce, but didn’t blow my mind. The chicken did go well with the cottage cheese.
The Gringo was my favourite of the lot. I’m a sucker for messy burgers which are full of flavour and The Gringo was everything that I wanted and more. Their chipotle bbq mayo hit the spot.
The Mozzar was sadly not very innovative. It was a dry burger and lacked inventiveness.
Overall the burgers were pretty good. However, they could work on the burger buns; they were a bit dry and stiff for me.
Amongst the dipping sauces, try the roasted vegetable dip. It has a tinge of spice, but is very tasty.
Their fries are perfect and the staff was very attentive. Overall, worth a try!
LOCATION
Al Seef Tower 2, Cluster U, JLT
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