Kine: Burger hawker stall at ABC Brickworks with curry shrimp and smash burgers by ex-Michelin pastry chef
In the last few years, Singapore’s food scene has been dominated by former chefs from reputable brands and household names.
However, Kine, the new burger stall at ABC Brickworks is a little different.
Its owner is an ex-chef, for sure, but he isn’t exactly drawing on his past experiences for his newest venture.
Ray Chen, 32, is actually a former pastry chef, but now spends his days running his own burger stall in a hawker centre.
From tarts to buns
The interesting thing about Kine is that Ray’s career in the kitchen never had anything to do with burgers.
His life revolved primarily around the dessert station and he had, in fact, worked as a pastry chef at the renowned Tarte by Cheryl Koh, and even had a part-time stint at three-Michelin-starred Les Amis.
But that was a lifetime ago. Ray had unfortunately developed severe lactose intolerance — naturally, a challenge when your life is about sweets and bakes — and the unbearable stomach pains forced him to hang up his apron.
“The stomach pain was so bad that I fainted a few times. And the doctors I visited didn’t really know what was happening,” he recalls.
He had made the switch to becoming a full-time trader, but a few years later, found himself opening the burger stall. What drove him to start Kine?
Well, the kitchen still had an allure for him and he wanted to follow his passion. With pastry off the table, he looked at other foods he loved that he could build a concept on.
“I listed down my favourite foods that I could potentially do, and I tried some things, such as soft-serve ice cream,” he explains.
He adds: “But I thought their burgers were something I could do, since more people liked them, especially at a more affordable price.”
Innovative, lactose-free burgers
With that said, many will note that cheese is actually a huge part of burger crafting.
Not many good burgers come without cheese, after all — so how does the lactose-intolerant Ray do it at Kine?
“My burgers are actually made for the lactose intolerant!” Ray says.
“Burgers are more suited to the Western stomach, where it’s from,” he adds, and he’s right: Many other Singaporeans can’t take dairy that well, which is why he wants to craft a burger at Kine that will suit local stomachs better.
What Kine uses is a cheddar-like vegan cheese, instead. It’s coconut-based and contains thickener and starch that helps replicate the texture of cheese more vividly.
“Most people don’t even realise that it’s not real cheese!” He says, cheekily.
Besides his burgers being easier on lactose intolerant tummies, another selling point at Kine is its smash burger patties — it’s an uncommon offering at hawker stalls, since you’re more likely to see full patties locally.
That in itself was a deliberate call after extensive R&D: “My wife and I tested a variety of different patty thickness but, after eating the thicker patties for a prolonged period, it got a bit scary,” says Ray.
Having grown up on Asian fare rather than Western burgers, the usual bloodiness of the medium-rare patties was a bit much for Ray’s stomach after a while.
Overall, R&D for Kine’s burgers took around one year, and the process even included visiting more than twenty local bakeries.
It also led to a very interesting shrimp burger that was inspired by a ramen stall he visited with his wife.
“Mission-wise, I would say mine is to bring exciting global flavours to Singapore,” he says.
Part of that drive for innovation is also inspired by Tesla, with Ray particularly admiring the company’s innovation mindset. (P.S. He’s a Tesla investor, too.)
That’s why Kine has a very unique aesthetic that stands out from the rest of the stalls at the rather old-school ABC Brickworks compound.
It borrows from the simple, brutalistic stainless steel look of the infamous Cybertruck.
Jumping into the hawker life
As for why Ray chose to open his venture in a hawker centre, it came down to rental costs, and the fact that he’d joined NEA’s incubation stall programme for hawkers.
A year into joining the programme, he was given a list of stalls to choose from, and he almost immediately recognised ABC Brickworks’ potential.
“I went to scout a few places out and ABC Brickworks was the best and had a great crowd. I talked to some of the hawkers here and they told me how rare it is for such a great place to come up,” he adds.
There was nonetheless some worry that the demographic of the area might be at odds with his modern concept — after all, it’s in close vicinity of some older estates — but he visited the site beforehand to survey the situation.
There ended up being quite a healthy younger crowd during lunch time, due to nearby office workers and he felt more confident after that.
So far, his gamble has been paying off, with customer satisfaction being generally high.
Even the older demographic has taken a liking to the burgers. He says: “Surprisingly, even the uncles and aunties like it.”
“Some of them are shocked to learn of the price but, after trying the burgers, they understand that the price justifies the quality,” he adds.
He even remembers one occasion when a kid stood by the side and remarked to himself that “it’s the coolest hawker stall I’ve seen.”
These are some of the things that Ray enjoys the most about running Kine as a hawker stall: Having helpful feedback and intimate moments of encouragement.
Still, he says the long-term plan is to open a full-fledged cafe or restaurant — look out for that in the future!
Kine burgers taste test
As far as burgers go, Kine’s offerings are decently priced.
The burgers start from S$5.70 for a small single American smash burger (no cheese).
Considering the burgers are assembled with specially sourced buns and beef burgers with USDA prime beef, it’s a pretty reasonable price tag for that level of care.
Selecting your burger from Kine’s menu is quite simple, with only two options so far — Ray says he’s in the midst of R&D though — but the double American smash burger (from S$8.90) is our pick.
Beautifully grilled, the patties are rich, juicy and sport a lightly crunchy crust — not at all dry, which some might expect from such a thin patty.
At the same time, Kine’s special buns are also pillowy soft and contrast nicely against the textures of the patty and the condiments.
As for those craving something more adventurous, the signature British curry crunchy shrimp burger (from S$9.20) is also a really fun treat.
This Kine original creation comes with crispy battered prawn and doused in a moreish curry sauce.
More interestingly, it’s topped with fresh crunchy beansprouts — something you probably will never see in any other burger, but it works surprisingly well as a textural component.
If you want, you can also pair your burgers with combos of either basic fries, or salad and crunchy fries with dip.
We’ll recommend the former as the crunchy fries crackle so decadently and we also enjoyed the homemade curry mayo’s sweetness and fragrance.
To us, Kine is a perfect spot for those who are looking for affordable smash burgers, or want cheesy burgers that won’t make your stomach complain — and we’re all for what Ray is building here.
This was a hosted tasting.
For more ideas on what to eat, read our stories on the most sumptuous seafood buffets for special hangouts and where to go when you are in Tokyo!
Enjoy up to 50% off when you dine with GrabFood Dine Out.
You can also book a ride to Kine for burgers at ABC Brickworks!
Evan Mua
Author
Evan started off writing about food on Instagram, before joining outlets such as Buro and Confirm Good to pursue his passion. His best work usually comes after his first whisky shot in the morning.
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