REVIEW: Bun in a million

Sunday 01 January 2023

"Hold the press, ladies and gentlemen, I think I may have found the best gluten-free burger in the island."

For his latest review, Express's secretive food reviewer heads out west for a burger...

I would have been tempted to keep this to myself, but it is so good it would feel criminal not to let you in on the secret. If you want to sink your teeth into this majestically meaty creation, you will have to go way out west to La Pulente and order the ‘Max Staks Burger’ at Staks, which I recently had the pleasure to visit for the first time.

When the family decided to go there for lunch, I was pleased to see they had a varied selection of gluten-free dishes available,  as well as several gluten-free options. In fact, the vast majority of the menu can be gluten-free (except for the desserts – boo!). I cannot tell you my pleasure at having the choice between several dishes that all looked as appealing as the others. 

Pictured: The GOAT of starters.

For my starter, I chose the Baked Goat’s Cheese – I physically cannot pass up any opportunity to have goat’s cheese. Accompanied with an apple and cranberry compote and some crunchy walnuts, it was the perfect autumnal entrée, light but packed with flavours and different textures.

Pictured: Look at this cheese.

The pièce-de-resistance was equally delicious. I have to admit I didn’t have much hope for the burger but as I hadn’t had a proper one in over two years, I decided to give it a go, hoping that contrary to my previous experience, I wouldn’t be offered a burger patty in between two slices of toast (true story!).

Reader, this ‘Max’ burger definitely had the max factor! From the bun to the meat, the crispy and deliciously smoky bacon, the oozing cheese and the caramelised onion, it was perfect and I couldn’t honestly find anything to fault it. I normally loathe onions in my burgers but those were so well prepared that I didn’t mind them at all, I could even go as far as saying they complimented the meat and bacon perfectly. Speaking of the meat, it was juicy-cooked perfectly to my taste, with a delicious smoky aftertaste. 

Pictured: Bun in a million.

If, like me, you can’t have gluten, you know how pitiful breads and buns can be, always on the dry side, a bit sandy or falling apart. This bun was not – it had the perfect texture, nice and airy, it maintained its shape and it even had a nice flavour. It certainly ticked all the boxes for me! 

The fries were also a hit – nicely crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They definitely tempted my fellow diners and I found myself batting them away from my stash quite a few times. I’d like to add they were not ogling my fries because they were unsatisfied by their own orders – there were no complaints from anyone on the table. Unless you count not being able to finish your plate as a complaint.

Pictured: 'The fries were also a hit - nicely crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.'

Delicious food in generous portions, what more would you want? All in all, this was a very pleasurable lunch for us all, only made better by the gorgeous view over St. Ouen’s Bay. I may have found a new favourite spot!

This article first appeared in Connect Magazine, which you can read in full HERE.