Big Fernand – for your gourmet Burger fix!

There is a French Burger joint in town and it goes by the name Big Fernand! I know what you people must be thinking now. “Whatever happened to her fancy intros and (attempts at) thrilling build ups?” Oh well, someone recently told me that people don’t like reading a lot; so cut to the chase, Neenu. On reflection, I figured there is a good chance that I was probably scaring away my readers with heavily worded content. So, I’ll be trying to skip the foreplay for the next few posts and see how things roll!

Big Fernand is located in the Outlet Village and there was no chance I would have made it to the launch event, if by coincidence we hadn’t scheduled a shopping visit to the said mall for that night. So we walked into the brightly lit open café which was already teeming with people and balloons. There was a queue snaking up to the counter in the front, which had me slightly confused on whether I should join it or simply grab a seat. The PR lady came to the rescue, helping us to a seat and summoning a server to take our order. The menu was a cute folded card on the table, from which I requested for a Victor for myself and a Bartholome for the mister. Their home made French fries got served to us as we sat awkwardly nibbling in front of the still snaking queue. Apparently, Big Fernand was celebrating its launch by giving free food to anybody who cared to queue up from 9pm onwards. The word got out sooner than they expected, and by 8pm, the free meals (including for us seated ones) were in full flow.

For a person who isn’t crazy about burgers in general, I absolutely enjoyed my “Victor”. Milk fed Veal with Fourme d’Ambert cheese (as taken from the menu card), caramelized onions, coriander and the Tonton fernand sauce. I have no idea about the said cheese and the sauce, but one thing I can assure you – it was a fantastic pretty burger! The meat was moist and perfect with the cheese oozing out in moderation. Contrary to all my previous burger-eating history, I consumed this whole burger by myself and was happy to do so.

The mister’s burger was called Bartholome and was made up of 100% angus beef with Raclette des Alpes cheese (raw milk), Veal bacon, caramelized onions chives and BB Fernand sauce. It had its richness with the great patty, the crispy bacon and the luscious melted cheese. But for me, it wasn’t as good as Victor.

While two items from the menu isn’t everything to go by, it gives quite an idea of the quality of the offering, and that I feel is in place for Big Fernand. My apprehension rests on the pricing of these burgers. Victor and Bartholome are the priciest two on the menu, costing Aed 65. The BIG combo is priced at Aed 115, wherein you get one hamburge, one home-made fries or salad, one drink and a dessert. Will you be okay with spending Aed 200+ for two people dining on burgers? How Big Fernand holds up their game is something I’m keen to see, and if you have an experience with them worth sharing, you know where to type it out! (right-here-in-the-comments-okay?)

The Big Fernand – The Outlet Village – +97142663524.
Soon to open in City Walk & Festival City. www.bigfernand.ae