Cute Korean-inspired UFO-shaped burgers at Orchard Road food kiosk

If you keep up with South Korea’s never-ending train of viral snacks, you might’ve heard of UFO Burger, a fast food chain serving quirky flying saucer-shaped burgers. Their burgers, which resemble — no prizes for guessing — UFOs, are sealed shut at the sides using a heated iron press. It's supposedly for neater eating so the filling doesn't spill out. 

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While the K-fast food chain hasn’t hit our shores yet, 8days.sg spotted a similar offering at the Takashimaya Food Fiesta 2023, which runs till 17 July. The simply named Spaceship Burger kiosk serves similarly shaped burgers that a staff member admits are inspired by the South Korean chain. It shares a space with Rosti Haus, a rosti stall under the same owner.

Spaceship Burger and Rosti Haus are concepts by Culture Hub, a wholesale food supplier that sells frozen food online and to restaurants. The company regularly introduces new food concepts at temporary stands in various food fairs, with Spaceship Burger being their latest offering.

How the burgers are made

When 8days.sg popped by, we noticed that the burgers are first prepped the usual way, by laying various ingredients inside burger buns. A cook at the stand tells us that the beef patties and sliced chicken are all frozen food products from Culture Hub.

The fun part only happens after the burgers are constructed.

They’re carefully placed in an electric grill that resembles a waffle iron or sandwich press, but circular and with a domed lid. Then the lid is pressed down and the puffy burger squished as it’s toasted to form its distinctive shape. 

The idea is that the machine “cooks the burger with all the ingredients placed inside, so the juices won’t spill out”, resulting in a burger that should have an “exploding feeling” when bitten into. Sounds promising.

The menu 

Do the burgers here resemble Seoul’s UFO ones? Um, somewhat, if a little less bulbous in the middle and slightly squashed. There are only two burgers on offer for now - the Spaceship Kimchi Chicken Burger ($10) and Spaceship Beef Burger ($13). Meanwhile, the neighboring Rosti Haus sells four types of rosti - Swiss, cheesy, spicy and salted egg, with optional add-ons like chicken sausage ($5) and smoked duck ($5). We sampled both burgers and a rosti.

Spaceship Kimchi Chicken Burger, $10

The burger was stuffed with a generous portion of tender sliced chicken, between heaps of crunchy, tangy kimchi. We expected the buns to be nicely toasted on the outside with crisp edges and pillowy insides. Alas, they were dense, dry and not at all crusty even at the sides. Luckily, the juicy kimchi helped mitigate some of the dryness.

Spaceship Beef Burger, $13 

While the beef patty slicked in chilli sauce and cheese was suitably thick, it was tough — no surprises since the patties were precooked much earlier before being reheated upon order in the burger press. Also, perhaps because we requested for our “spaceship” burger to be sliced in half, the sealed seams of our bun came apart midway, denying us the promised “exploding feeling” when bitten into. Perhaps it’s best to eat this unsliced next time.

Cheesy Rosti with Chicken Sausage, $14

The rosti fared better than the burgers. This was well-charred and crispy, with a touch of gooey cheesiness. Yummy when paired with the sour cream and succulent sausage.

Where to find Spaceship Burger next

Once the fair ends on 17 July, we’re told there are plans to bring both Rosti Haus and Spaceship Burger to other bazaars and pasar malams, although a specific location hasn’t been confirmed yet.

The details

Spaceship Burger and Rosti Haus are at Takashimaya’s Food Fiesta 2023 till 17 July at B2 Takashimaya, 391 Orchard Rd, S238873. Open daily 10am-9.30pm. More info via Facebook.

Photos: Pyron Tan

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