It’s one of the latest – and weirdest – additions to the Philippines’ culinary scene: the Brick Burger.
It’s a rectangular beef burger in a bun shaped like a piece of Lego, and there are three, very intense, colours to choose from.
The restaurant first opened its doors in August 2016, after owner Jergs Correa realised his dream of a fast food joint that would cater to Lego lovers.
Customers can even see Correa’s original Lego model of the restaurant on display.
Brick Burger’s head of marketing Ralph Abogado says Lego has universal appeal, for children and adults alike.
“It’s one of the most recognisable toys in the world and I think almost everyone is familiar with it. And Lego is like a rite of passage as a kid, it’s one of the first toys we play with,” he says.
The restaurant says its biggest draw is its distinctive Lego-shaped burger buns.
Brick Burger says the bright colours are achieved using food colouring.
There are a handful of other Lego-inspired restaurants around the world, but Brick Burger claims to be the first to serve burgers this way.
“Well if you look around Brick Burger, almost everything we have here is an upscale version of the actual Lego pieces that you’ll find in Lego stores. And I think we are the first Lego-themed restaurant in the world that serves buns, Lego brick buns, that look like a Lego piece,” says Abogado.
Brick Burger says it has contacted Lego in an attempt to avoid any copyright issues and is awaiting a response.
Since its soft opening in August 2016, the restaurant says it has experienced high demand, with some customers travelling all the way from other cities and provinces.
Restaurant manager Randy Martinez says the demand was a shock at first and the restaurant had to double its supplies.
“First of all, it’s really curiosity. Our burger bun, the Lego bun, that’s what people are after. Because more than one time, we ran out of Lego buns. So it was really hard to explain to guests. It’s Brick Burger and there are no Lego buns? So those were the first problems we encountered. So because of the demand, we learned to double our supply,” he says.
Ruby San Pedro is visiting Brick Burger with her husband, a fellow Lego fan, to try out the speed eating challenge in hopes of winning a Lego toy.
She wants to come back and bring her whole family with her next time.
“I enjoy (Lego), up to now, we buy Lego with our son, that’s how we bond. So when I saw the theme, I said, ‘hey it looks interesting, let’s go’,” she says.
Amanda Aquino, who’s 13, says she’s back at the restaurant for a second time, because it’s “very yummy”.
As well as the Lego-shaped buns, customers can play with actual Lego pieces on their place mats.
After ordering, customers of all ages are given a box of Lego to encourage them to play and build their own creations.
“Right now it feels like I went back to being a child. Because it’s Lego, you create with Lego,” says Patrick Houck, a 25-year-old who’s visiting the restaurant with friends.
With so many other themed restaurants scattered all around Manila’s metro region, food bloggers are getting increasingly sceptical about new ones that are popping up.
Blogger Maaya Legaspi says new themed restaurants have to have something extraordinary to offer, but Brick Burger has passed the test.
“Brick Burger seems unique because of its burgers, and there are so many burgers out there, they’re the only ones that are really brick-shaped. That made me think to myself, ‘What is this made out of? It’s coloured as well. Does it even taste good?’ I was really curious so okay, why not try it out? It looked okay anyway. And when I went there, it was worth it,” she says.
In 2017, Brick Burger says it’s planning to expand its menu and include more Lego-themed food, such as desserts.
(AP)
