Burger’s little brother Slider

When you want a burger and the bite is difficult to negotiate, go for a slider; it doesn’t come encased in two big fat rolls

Burger buns had been troubling me for a while. I would order a burger and find the bread so unwieldy that I often had to discard the top layer. Then, much as I like burgers, I also find them messy. Mayo and cheese ooze out of all sides, the patty in between tends to ease off the bread, and the ketchup goes rolling down the side of the plate. These were some of the reasons why, despite feeling somewhat burger-hungry the other day, I opted for sliders. And I was happy to find that sliders come with all kinds of patties these days.

The names are attractive, too. An eatery called Xero Degrees, which has multiple branches in the city, has named its sliders after popular series and films. Peri-peri flavours most of its sliders, though the patties differ. Indiana Jones (₹275) has a stuffing of herbed cottage cheese, with a cheese slice, caramelised onions, mushrooms and a piece of iceberg, while Sacred Games (₹323 ) has a peri-peri marinated chicken breast, with chipotle, liquid cheese, onions and iceberg,

Being a fan of young Sheldon, I asked for a Big Bang Theory slider (₹299). I have never seen the much talked-of Friends, and out of curiosity also ordered a Friends slider (₹335) slider. Each box came with three sliders. The former consisted of peri-peri marinated aloo patties, cheese slices, onion and iceberg, while the latter had a crispy fried peri-peri chicken, chipotle, liquid cheese, iceberg, and onions.

The sliders were rather good, indeed. The chicken patty was crispy, the cheese added to the taste, while the lettuce and onions gave it some added crunch. The aloo patty was good, too — crisp on the outside, moist within.

Since I was rebelling against burger buns, I ordered some croissant sliders from Café Coffee Day. The cheese tomato croissant slider was excellent, with a juicy slice of cheese cocooned in a crisp lettuce leaf and tomatoes. I enjoyed the hot, mini chicken sausage in the grilled chicken croissant slider. The sliders from the two outfits cost ₹1,400 including delivery charges and were an appetising and filling dinner for three.

I have to now try out some of the other varieties that the city’s eateries offer. I was tempted to order galouti sliders from Currynama by Seven Seas (in Preet Vihar and elsewhere), but decided I’d rather have my galouti without bread, or at best with a thin roomali roti. Fab Café’s sliders are interesting. It offers a baked samosa pao slider, a beetroot slider and a chicken slider with marinated chicken chunks, the white of an egg, white butter, lettuce and cucumber, with sides of rice crisps and mint chutney. Culinate in NOIDA has a smoked barbecued slider — prepared with low fat, minced chicken breast. Dogs on Wheels in Khan Market offers couscous, Chettinad chicken and teriyaki pork sausage sliders.

I think the time has come to say goodbye to burgers. I fear that they are slip-slidin’ away.