Tucked away amidst the buzz of activity and life in the busy suburb of Bangsar is The Daily Grind, a nonchalant diner-style restaurant. The Daily Grind has two locations, one in Ampang and the outlet we visited, in Bangsar. The restaurant boasts a very extensive menu, from burgers to an all-day breakfast range to comfort food. In addition, they also have a wide-ranging drinks menu.

As soon as we walked in, we were met by a vibe that matched the calm Saturday afternoon. The ambience was laid back and cosy with rustic furniture and warm yellow lighting. There was a very homely feeling about the place that I really liked. As we were handed our menus, we quickly realized ordering was not going to be a simple task; everything looked exciting and worth trying. Alas, it was only three of us against this very tantalizing menu. After much deliberation we decided on ordering the following: the “Hangover Breakfast”, “BBB Burger”, “Sloppy Joe”, and their mini burger sampler which had their 3 signature burgers; the “Classic burger”, “Pulled Beef” and “Japanese Yodel” as smaller sliders. For Drinks we got the “Blushing Bean”, “Ocean Brew” and the “Thick Shake”.

So, what is our verdict on the food? Let’s start with the drinks.

The Blushing Bean

Listed as one of their specials for the day, it was the unusual description that drove us to order this, An iced espresso with strawberry puree. To be honest, I was not sure how this was going to taste but I was in the mood for adventure, so I dared to take a sip; only to be pleasantly surprised. The immediate bitterness of the coffee was soon followed by the sweetness and slight tanginess of the strawberry, creating a very exciting mix of flavour in my mouth. However, I do think it would have tasted better had there been more strawberry puree.

Rating: 8/10

The Ocean Brew

Where the Blushing bean took away my inhibitions about adventurous drinks, this one may have brought them back to an extent. The combination of coffee with orange and curacao felt strange and didn’t quite appeal to my taste. However, if you are someone who enjoys bold, sweet, and tropical flavours maybe you’d feel differently about this drink.

Rating: 4/10

Thick Shake

The “Thick Shake” did everything a milkshake must do. It was creamy, milky, and chocolatey. All in all, a very delicious shake.

Rating: 8/10

Now let’s move on to the main feature, the food; starting with the burgers. Anyone who knows me personally knows that when it comes to my burgers, I mean business. So, it isn’t an understatement when I say that most of the burgers The Daily Grind had to offer left me quite impressed.

The BBB burger

As the name suggests, this burger consisted of three B’s: Beef, (beef) bacon, and Brie cheese topped with onions and in-house sauces. The defining characteristic of any burger is its patty so let’s start there. This was definitely one of the thickest patties I’ve seen in a burger, and it was mouth wateringly juicy, perfectly cooked to medium rare (you can request how you want it cooked). The onions that topped the patty were beautifully caramelized, adding a sweetness to the burger. Finally, to wrap it all off came the tangy, earthy taste of brie cheese. In short, it was a great burger. My only complaint was that the buns were too dry.

Rating: 8/10

Sloppy Joe

This burger was loaded with chicken, bbq sauce, and melty cheddar cheese, topped off with crunchy onion rings. The flavours really came together in my mouth, with the tangy sweetness of the bbq sauce complimenting the melted cheddar cheese and perfectly flavorful chicken. The onion rings were fried to a perfect crunch. We can conclude that justice was done to this fast food classic.

Rating: 7/10

Classic Burger

Take away all the fancy stuff, reduce a burger to its constituent parts and what do you get? The classic burger. Perfectly cooked patty, cheese, pickles and Daily Grind’s in-house ketchup and mustard, this burger was simple yet full of flavour and true to its name. 

Rating: 8/10

Japanese Yodel

The burger journey took a dip here if I’m going to be honest. The flavour was confusing. I found the chicken patty to be quite bland. Where all the other burgers impressed me and had raised my expectations, this one left me somewhat disappointed. However, if you do particularly like the taste of mushrooms, maybe this is a burger you would like to try.

Rating: 4/10

Pulled Beef

I saved the best for last. This burger came with slow cooked pulled beef brisket, coleslaw, jalapeno, and skinny onion rings. Let’s start with the beef. It was *checks notes* “so perfectly tender it reminded me of a mother’s love”. It was just oozing with flavour and sauciness. The crunchy sweet onion rings, and tangy coleslaw took the flavour of this burger up another notch. This burger is up there in my burger hall of fame. My only regret was that we got this in slider form, and I’m definitely considering going back to Daily Grind just to eat this burger in its full size.

Rating: 9/10

 The Hangover Breakfast

Having tried the burgers, we decided to also try something from the restaurant’s “All day breakfast” section. Now I have personally never experienced a hangover, but I’m assuming this would help should you have one. This came with all the breakfast goodies: sausages, potato, beef bacon, poached eggs and for a bit of spiciness, capsicum and bell pepper. This dish also came with a side of crunchy garlic bread which made it all the better.

Rating: 7/10

The Daily Grind was definitely an exciting place to review, and spending a Saturday afternoon there was a nice experience. The staff were hospitable and friendly and the place just felt like somewhere you could really wind down, as evident by the happy families, friends and couples that were there with us. It’s definitely worth the visit for your next outing with friends or family. I should also mention that while the place does serve alcohol, it is pork free and uses halal ingredients.

P.S: Having written this article, I’m definitely heading back for that pulled beef burger.

Overall restaurant rating:

Location: 7/10

Ambience: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Food: 8/10

Overall: 8/10

Written by Zayd

Photos by Nancy & TC