Kine (ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre)

Kine is one of those establishments that we had learnt about its existence via social media through a post from one its patrons — these folks have opened their doors fairly recently at ABC Brickworks Food Centre taking up one of the stall units that is located in the middle aisle of the food centre. Situated in the same row of stalls as the original outlet of Jason Penang Cuisine, Kine should be an establishment that is fairly easy to locate within the food centre due to its rather unique stall facade — the choice of a metallic-esque look for its signboard and counters is a super-modern aesthetic that is pretty unique even when compared to other food stalls situated in the many hawker centres scattered across the entire island. Operated just by a single proprietor, Kine is a hawker stall that primarily serves up burgers as its key focus — the menu that Kine serves up is prominently shown on the screen that is located towards the left of the stall; the food menu comprises of a small variety of burgers as well as two side dishes that can be shared around the table.

Quickly skimming through the menu, it turns out that Kine serves up only Smash Burgers that comes with a beef patties as well as a Signature British Curry Crunchy Shrimp Burger — the latter would also be the only option to go for if one visits Kine and doesn’t consume beef. Kine does offer some form of flexibility in the way of which patrons can enjoy their burgers — patrons do get a choice to order the burgers ala-carte, or get the flexibility of going for the set where one can either pair the burger with basic fries, or with the crunchy fries with dip + salad. For our order of the Signature British Curry Crunchy Shrimp Burger, we went for the set that sees it coming with the Crunchy Fries with Dip + Salad. Kine does not describe the elements that come with their various items that are being listed on the menu; it can be observed however that the Signature British Curry Crunchy Shrimp Burger does come with deep-fried shrimp, a curry sauce and beansprouts. It is also worth noting that Kine seems to have used a type of burger bun that is slightly different from that of the typical brioche / burger bun for its burger offerings — this seem to come looking almost like wholemeal bread. The bun itself does not seem to have been toasted; itself being soft and fluffy but still firm enough without being particularly heavy. One very interesting feature about the Signature British Curry Crunchy Shrimp Burger is how they have included stir-fried beansprouts into the burger — quite an unorthodox addition for a burger of any sort. Whilst odd, this does seem to be quite a suitable addition to the burger; the beansprouts provided a savoury crunch that cuts through the curry sauce that carried notes of mustard, curry and pepper — all that while the curry sauce provides some form of a creamy consistency to bind the deep-fried shrimp, beansprouts and bread altogether. The deep-fried shrimp does come fried to a beautiful golden-brown colour on the outside — free from grease and does not reek of any undesirable notes of overused oil; the shrimp itself carrying a good bite and a natural sweetness of crustaceans.

Going for the set with Crunchy Fries, these do deliver the crunch as promised — the fries being of a relatively similar consistency to that of fries served up at Long John Silvers. Again, the fries are not greasy, while the accompanying dip would be the same curry sauce that comes along with the Signature British Curry Crunchy Shrimp Burger which in itself does make for a good dip to go along with the fries. Meanwhile, these salad comes in the form of lettuce salad that comes with a salsa-like dressing was pretty interesting to say the least. Overall, it does seem like Kine has a pretty promising newcomer in the local F&B scene — no doubt that the Signature British Curry Crunchy Shrimp Burger does pose as an item that may seem a little bit more adventurous for some — this is especially considering the use of beansprouts in the burger which no doubt does seem like a little bit of a bold move on their part. That being said, the various smash burgers of which they are offering may prove as a more conventional option that would better relate with its patrons — something which we might consider trying when we make our visit to Kine again another time!