San Juan's Bun Run Boasts The Juiciest Chef-Made Smash Burgers Around

Bun Run 
191 A. Mabini corner C.M. Recto, San Juan 
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bunrunmnl 
Contact: 0961 535 7001
Open from 12 to 8 p.m. (Monday to Thursday), 12 to 11 p.m. (Friday to Saturday)

(SPOT.ph) Perhaps, going by an instinct one hopes to shed, a little bright pink corner shop in San Juan doesn’t necessarily inspire images of jars of that week’s products of lacto-fermentation, the wonders of the Maillard reaction, or even of a tatted-up chef whose mission is to give you the best smash burger of your life. But that is what you get at Bun Run. 

Chef-driven fast food is not exactly novel; a number of culinary masters return to the pleasures of the average drive-thru, armed with heightened expertise and a better network of suppliers than they had before. But it is a concept that, for better or worse, hasn’t caught on as much yet in these parts. Still, Kevin David believes that even the humblest dish deserves the royal treatment in preparation, solely for the reason that every ingredient matters. It may be strange to some, but that in itself may be an indication of how disconnected we are, collectively, from our food and the hands that prepare it.

You don’t have to wonder what goes into Bun Run’s smash burgers; David will happily tell you.

Also read: 
The SPOT.ph Guide to Burgers 
Smashed Burgers: What They Are + Where to Try Them in Manila

What to try at Bun Run in San Juan

“I’m a big believer in the idea that you get out of food what you put into it,” he says, which may sound obvious until you sink your teeth into the Double Cheeseburger (P350). There’s just enough of everything you could want going on, from the fluffy brioche bun—the mild sweetness of which is underlined by the umami cheese blend—to the savory, juicy smashed patty. To the uninitiated, smash burgers may come off as just a thin version of the real thing, but when done right—as it is here—you’re met with a great balance of moisture from the beef fat and an extra dose of that salty, well-browned crust that makes a burger what it is.

Much of what’s served at Bun Run is sourced locally and reconfigured by David himself, alongside his team (namely Alex Engalan, Jamaica Matoguina, Miguel Ordoño, and Jeferson Dayadaya). Pickles, miso, and kimchi adorn the front shelves and are burped on the regular, with David’s own spin not only retaining the ingredients’ terroir, but celebrating them in a way that you can taste immediately. And while the chef’s résumé speaks for itself—with David having worked his way around the United States up to sous chef at L.A.’s American Beauty, then taking it even further under the tutelage of Melissa Perello—what he prides himself in is being a lifelong student of food. “I came back home and remembered everything I loved about this place,” he says. “The Philippines is a culinary capital and we should treat it that way.”

You get a great demonstration of this idea in the Breakfast Burger (P 400), which contains duplicates of textures that echo and play off of each other for a satisfying if slightly challenging bite; it is quite literally a tall order. Crammed in the smash burger are a hash brown, some beautiful Antipolo bacon, a gooey fried egg, and some of Bun Run’s own hot sauce, making for a hefty start to a long day, or a breakfast lover’s treat for any hour. And, really, it follows the Filipino rule that if you slap an egg on it, it must be breakfast. (We love that rule.)

But if you really want to see how this establishment shines, we cannot recommend the Golden Feather (P 400) enough. Patterned loosely after the fried chicken sandwich made and served at The Win~dow (under American Beauty), you get hit with the delicate crunch of the meat first, then the balanced sting of the in-house pickles and kimchi, rounded out by a nutty miso aioli made with local munggo. The balance of flavors and textures means that no one component is the star; each one makes itself known and essential for peak satisfaction. For this sandwich alone, we would like you to get your butt to this place ASAP; we are telling, not asking.

For some, however, the highlight of a meal is indulging in the sides—and there’s something visually indulgent about the Overload Fries (P 200) that no one with a smartphone and an Instagram account should miss out on. The cheese sauce (a Bun Run exclusive, of course) is so perfectly runny and rich and emulsified, and yet doesn’t seize into that blobby mass we hate over time—not that you’ll be giving it the time, trust us. Like the Golden Feather, these fries eat a lot lighter than they look, without sacrificing any flavor; the sauce sings with umami rather than hitting you in the face with it, while the caramelized onions add a savory-sweetness that makes it hard to go back to regular potatoes.

If this is all sounding a little heavy, well, first of all, you shouldn’t have ordered everything at once. Secondly, they are not without things to wash it all down with! Iced teas are the refreshing drink du jour every day, because—you guessed it—David and the team brewed and bottled them themselves. While more iterations (including some of the more after-hours stuff: alcohol) are on their way, you can’t go wrong with either the Lychee Genmaicha (P150) or the Calamansi Iced Tea (P150). They’re steeping genmaicha and using whole calamansi over here, and you can truly taste the difference—that is, as opposed to places that may not go through the trouble.

To put it simply, the people at Bun Run take ingredients seriously, and it won’t go unnoticed by your dopamine receptors. Really, it could be said that they’re here almost purely to rewrite the rules about how we enjoy simple—or, more appropriately, deceptively simple—food. We can say with no small amount of conviction that this may be the place to get your new favorite cheeseburger or fried chicken sandwich, which we acknowledge is a bold statement given how spoiled Metro Manila is for choice in both departments. At the very least, each item is worth every kilometer of the trip—and if you’re from San Juan, uh, can we move in with you?

Photos by Hans Fausto

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