Hawker Hustlers: Gourmet burgers, steak and putu piring? No pairing is too unusual for Bege Rack’s Muhammad Syarafuddin

Bege Rack hawker Muhammad Syarafuddin, 33, comes across as slightly guarded, but he quickly relaxes with the presence of the chatty and friendly Iskandar, 44, his good friend and business partner. 

Despite the age gap, the two share an easy camaraderie, bantering with each other playfully and taking turns to tell their brand story.

It all began with a challenge from Iskandar: “Make me the best fine-dining meal for my birthday.”

Challenge accepted, Syarafuddin (or “Deen” for short) brought all his cooking gear to Iskandar’s place and proceeded to show off his prowess. Among the dishes served were seared wagyu beef cuts and lamb rack. 

“The moment I tried the dishes, I was very impressed. I thought, ‘Damn, this has to be shared with the public,’” recalls Iskandar.

Thus, Bege Rack was born: A Muslim-owned hawker stall that specialises in mouth-watering gourmet burgers, pastas, steaks, and putu piring — a beloved Malay delicacy, comprising round, steamed rice flour cakes traditionally filled with gula melaka.

Starting Bege Rack

For Syarafuddin, expanding to Western dishes at Bege Rack was simply a natural extension of his culinary repertoire.

No stranger to the F&B industry, Syarafuddin had cut his teeth as a young chef at the now-defunct tapas joint The Stomping Ground at One Fullerton as a chef de partie from 2011 to 2012.

He first learnt the basics of making putu piring from his hawker father, who ran a stall of his own. In late 2012, he opened his first stall at Jalan Masjid in Kembangan Plaza, which lasted a few months, before he shifted to Khatib in mid-2013.

In 2015, Syarafuddin joined his father and together they ran Chong Pang Putu Piring from a Yishun kopitiam. Over the six years, they built up a steady customer following and also through participating in pasar malams across the island.

In 2022, Syarafuddin parted ways with his father in order to forge his own path. He had been looking for his next opportunity when Iskandar, inspired by his birthday meal, proposed starting Bege Rack as their next venture.

Syarafuddin seized the chance to serve up two of his favourite foods — burgers and lamb rack — alongside the beloved putu piring, under the Chong Pang Putu Piring branding. On top of the creative wordplay on “burger” and “lamb rack”, the stall’s name also draws on the Malay phrase “bergerak ke hadapan”, which means “moving forward” — a testament to Syarafuddin’s quest for constant growth.  

Syarafuddin managed to secure a space at the then-new Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre. This was no mean feat — only 44 stalls were selected from 1,000 applicants. 

He invested around S$30,000, with the help of other family members, to get the stall up and running.

Says Syarafuddin: “We always get the question: ‘Why burgers and putu piring?’”

“And our answer is always, ‘Why not?’ There’s no rule book to say what we can or cannot do,” he quips.

The pair already had prior experience working together. In fact, the staunch buddies met in 2021 through a common love of skateboarding, marking the start of an unlikely bromance and fruitful business partnership. They then founded Aurora Skates, a skateboarding community group, where they conduct weekend classes at a community indoor skate park in Woodlands.

Their opening day in December 2022 was a truly dramatic one, the pair recalls.

The intense stress and fatigue from having pulled an all-nighter the day before led to Syarafuddin blacking out. He had to be ferried to hospital and woke up only upon reaching the accident and emergency department. 

Thankfully, over a year into running the business, there have been less mishaps along the way. 

Today, the stall sees customers from all over Singapore making the long commute to this far-flung part of the island. The older folks come back for the putu piring, while the new customers snap up the burgers and steak.

The Western dishes

On our visit to Bege Rack, we were well and thoroughly impressed by the quality of dishes. Before they were served to us, I observed Syarafuddin casting an eagle eye to ensure the dishes were well-plated and up to standard. 

Our top pick would be the newly created fusion putu piring chick slider ($4.50), or the Putuburger — composed of deep-fried, crispy and slightly spicy chicken wedged between fluffy putu piring. Bege Rack is still piloting the item for now to see if it takes off. 

Another must-have is the swiss mushrooms cheeseburger (from S$8.50), a heartier hawker version of Burger King’s Double Mushroom Swiss. Think handmade ground beef patties — made from an 80-20 ratio of Australian chuck beef and fat — that’s been grilled to juicy perfection, served with a slice of cheddar cheese, topped off with sauteed button mushrooms and stacked between buttered brioche buns.

Fans of lamb will be delighted to dig into The Burger Rack (from S$13). The lamb is pan-seared and broiled in the oven until it’s satisfyingly succulent, then cut off the bone and served with arugula leaves and a refreshing mint sauce.

These come with a generous serving of fries, which can be upgraded to straight-cut cheese fries or truffle fries.

“We understand our price range is not for everyone… It may be considered pricey for a hawker stall but our return customers think otherwise,” says Syarafuddin.

Perfecting the putu piring

No trip is complete without Syarafuddin’s signature. For dessert, we sink our teeth into the freshly steamed putu piring (S$3), which comes in flavours such as original gula melaka, peanut, chocolate, nutella, durian, and even a seasonal lotus paste.

The soft putu piring is warm and delightfully chewy, cradling a generous serving of gula melaka that oozes out with a single bite. The durian filling, in particular, is made from fresh D24 durian.

What sets Bege Rack apart is their commitment to authenticity.  

Syarafuddin insists on using a house-made rice flour mix, rather than getting it ready-made from suppliers. The exact recipe is a well-guarded “trade secret”, but he reveals that the preparation process is meticulous and time-consuming, ranging anywhere between eight to 12 hours, depending on the batch size.

This involves toasting the flour and sieving it into a delicate, crumbly texture.

Bege Rack’s putu piring has even earned the attention of local ice cream purveyors Creamier, which at one point saw its chef secretly coming down for taste tests for comparison against other putu piring sellers.

To mark Singapore’s 58th National Day last year, Creamier collaborated with Bege Rack to introduce a waffled putu piring ice cream. This saw the marriage of Bege Rack’s putu piring and Creamier’s aromatic pandan-infused coconut ice cream.

The result is a flavourful blend that pays homage to time-honoured flavours, while embracing modern innovation. Imagine delicate rice cakes, waffled to perfection, paired with crunchy caramelised gula melaka and rich, freshly grated coconut.

“It was an immediate yes, because it sounds crazy. We love that it’s the first in the world and we felt that the collaboration captured the essence of our brand,” says Iskandar.

Even Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Health and Member of Parliament for Sembawang, has popped by for a taste.

When asked if they are embarking on more local collabs, the pair remain tight-lipped, but you can be sure to expect more exciting things to come our way.

On working together

When it comes to friends doing business together, a lot can go wrong. But for Syarafuddin and Iskandar, a huge part of the brand’s success comes down to their great teamwork and shared vision.

Describing their working dynamics, Iskandar is the “crazy ideas guy”, while Syarafuddin makes the ideas happen. He handles the daily operations and is in charge of everything food-related, while Iskandar helps out with the accounting and photography. Together, they oversee the overall business direction.

In the high-pressure cooker kitchen environment, tempers naturally run high. Syarafuddin is known to run a tight ship and holds his team to extremely high standards — to the extent that staff members have to do push-ups if they are late for their shift. He doesn’t skimp on salary, though — he’s willing to pay his staff above market rate to ensure they deliver top-notch quality.

“All he needs to do is stand there or say in the group chat, ‘I’m coming down later.’ and the entire team bucks up. He demands a lot and the guys know it,” quips Iskandar. In that regard, Iskandar is the sponge who helps him to “simmer down.”

When asked about his hopes for the business, Syarafuddin hopes to establish Bege Rack as a “great place to eat, where our mouth-watering menu options meet busy customers’ expectations, without spending their entire lunch hour waiting for food” and to be known for its outstanding service.

While the pair still skate, their latest obsession is cycling. 

According to Syarafuddin, the duo gets many questions about how they’ve developed such trust in each other in such a frame of time. 

“I tell them, ‘I don’t know!’ I wasn’t out looking for a partner and he wasn’t looking to invest, but then we just clicked. I’m thankful for this,” he says.

Exclusive GrabFood Promo

Good news for our readers who scrolled all the way to the end! Here’s your exclusive GrabFood delivery promo for Bege Rack, valid from January 14 to February 14, 2023.

How it works: 

• Use the promo code HGWBEGERACK for S$3 off your basket (minimum spend of S$15) when you order from Bege.rack – Canberra Link.
• Stackable with free Bege Rack delivery (up to S$3 off) with a GrabUnlimited subscription

While redemptions last, capped at one redemption per person.

Craving other hawker eats? Check out our articles on Bei-Ing Dim Sum Club and Ah Lim Chicken Rice.

Bege Rack is on the GrabFood Delivery Service and offers free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited. It can also be found on GrabFood Dine-in.

Alternatively, book a ride to Bege Rack.