Non-Vegetarian Towkays Run A Great Meatless Burger Food Truck

While burgers made with Impossible, a plant-based meat substitute made to look and taste like beef, aren't new, having an eatery devoted entirely to this meat-free sarnie is rare. Even more so when said restaurant is on wheels. Enter The Goodburger, an eco-friendly Impossible burger food truck. It has been making its rounds at various events around the island since June, before settling in at Marina Bay, where it now shuttles between The Promontory and Event Square @ Marina Bay.

In case you've been living under a rock and haven't heard, Impossible, by Impossible Foods, is the newish plant-based ‘meat’ that's taking the world by storm. Halal and kosher, it's made with genetically engineered ingredients like soy and potato proteins, and comes in large frozen blocks that look exactly like the ground beef you find in supermarkets. It even has that familiar bloody hue, which is made by extracting plant haemoglobin called heme, an iron-containing compound that gives it that meaty flavour. Backed by investors like Bill Gates, Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, Katy Perry, hip-hop mogul Jay-Z and Hongkong tycoon Li Kar Shing, it's currently only available in the US, Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore.

Husband and wife team, Ken Ming Lee, 41, and Sophia Shen (“You never ask a lady her age”; second and third from left in top row), are lifelong entrepreneurs and F&B rookies. The pair, who met while studying in Australia, run Caviar, a digital marketing consultancy. They also created Picky, a local food guide and Popcorn, a movie booking app. “We’ve always had an interest in food, but never had a real reason to go into it,” says Sophia. So what changed? Their conscience, it seems. “It’s not so much that we wanted to sell burgers,” explains Ken. “We see this as a platform to talk about sustainability, conscious living and a kinder world. That’s really the whole reason we’re doing this and why it’s called the ‘Good Burger’. It’s not just a good burger; it’s also about doing good. That’s our inspiration and drive.” Meat production, after all, is one of the most environmentally destructive industries in the world.

Interestingly, neither are card-carrying meat eschewers, so they understand perfectly well the struggles of going meat-free in Singapore, especially if you’re not big on rabbit food. “We’re not vegetarians. We’re just regular people,” says Ken. “But we recognise the impact of meat production in the world and how destructive it is. It’s hard to cut down, ’cos we love beef and we love our steaks here. So we thought that a burger would be the perfect vehicle for regular people [like us] who want to cut down on meat consumption.” Chiming in, Sophia says, “We’re actually catering more to the meat eaters who want to eat less meat. Vegans and vegetarians are already converted. We want to convert the meat eaters too.”

Carrying on the eco-friendly theme, their food truck, which they spent six figures kitting out with customised equipment, will also boast a reduced carbon footprint. While the truck runs on diesel now, Ken and Sophia intend to convert their used cooking oil into bio diesel for cleaner emissions (“It’ll smell like frying oil!”). The cutlery is also recyclable. There are also plans to introduce more plant-based items on the menu like mushroom poppers, more burger offerings as well as a brick and mortar store down the line and a bigger fleet. “We want to turn it into a chain. That is our vision,” says Ken. “Ultimately, if you want to create change, which is what we want to do, you need to be big.”

There are currently three burgers on the menu.There’s nothing quite like a good, old-fashioned cheeseburger, especially when you know you’re doing your part to save the world as you devour it. Cooked medium rare this time, the double patties are still pink in the middle and taste more unctuous than the well-done ones (see below). The texture is more pliable and meatier. It’s messy and oozy, with a good balance of tang from the crunchy pickle and ketchup against the spicy mustard. Unless you’re consciously looking to differentiate it from a real beef patty, you may not be able to tell the difference. But if you are, you’ll notice this Impossible patty is ever so slightly spongy, like tau kwa. And you can almost taste a very slight soy undertone, but it’s mostly negligible.

Visually, this hulking double patty burger ticks all the right boxes. It looks like beef, smells like beef, and, hot dang, it tastes kinda like beef. Because of the texture of the Impossible patty, you can choose its doneness. This is well done, but still quite juicy with the moreish goodness of real beef. The nicely charred and smoky patties are sandwiched between pillowy toasted brioche buns and complemented with salty American cheddar slices, the fresh bitterness of rocket and a slather of truffle aioli. Quite good, but we would've liked a stronger hit of truffle.

A Thai-inspired burger infused with a heady mix of lemongrass, turmeric and onions. An exotic explosion of flavours on the palate, this may not be for everyone, but it’s an interesting blend that pairs well with the patty.

The takeaway meat-free burgers here don't come cheap, but they're some of the yummier Impossible patty burgers we've tasted. A must-try for carnivores and vegetarians alike. If only this truck could roam all over the island instead of being stuck in just the Marina Bay area.

The Goodburger is at The Promontory (Tue –Fri, 12pm-3pm) and Event Square @ Marina Bay (Tue – Sun, 5pm-9pm). Private bookings available for a minimum spend of $3000. For location updates follow The Good Burger on Facebook or Instagram. www.thegoodburger.sg.

Photos: Kelvin Chia