the burger that's not on big tom's menu and why I don't want to share it next time

They say that there's this much-loved burger joint in Kapitolyo, Pasig that's hidden behind a carwash station. I've never visited it when I was still based in Manila though. But at that time, I thought that the carwash + burger formula is a concept that makes a lot of sense.

It is the perfect excuse to go out for a drive on a lazy Sunday afternoon. At the end of the day, your date is well-fed and your dusty car finally gets some overdue love.

But such may not be the case with Big Tom's Charbroiled Burger in Cebu. While there's a carwash beside it now, I think that the many who have been raving about its juicy patties, which are made to order and then charbroiled to smoky perfection, don't care much for that carwash anyway.

I don't have a car or a date for that matter. But one of the reasons why I kept coming back to Big Tom's is a burger that's not on their chalkboard menu.

Big Tom's casual and hipsteresque interiors - unpainted walls, exposed ceilings and comfortable seats.

During my first visit here, I would have ordered the Deluxe Bacon. But then I saw a note by the counter with a handwritten "Portobello Blue Cheese" and its corresponding price. It does cost a bit more than most of their usual crowd pleasers, but looking back now, I'm glad that I changed my mind at the last minute.On my first bite, I immediately tasted the savory brine from the blue cheese. Some of it even wonderfully oozed from my grasp and ran over my fingers. And just like a song's bridge, the earthy portobello came next. It surprisingly complemented and paved the way for the perfectly grilled beef patties to shine.This beautiful symphony on my mouth lasted for just a few minutes. I almost forgot that I was with two ladies that afternoon, whose appetites are as voracious as mine.

Friends, this is the Portobello Bluecheese burger up close.

"Hey, do you want to try out my burger?" I asked, while trying hard to conceal the reluctance in my voice. At the back of my mind, I honestly wanted them to refuse my offer. I was not in the mood to share because I wanted my burger-not-on-the-menu to be mine and mine alone."Sure," they answered in unison.So with a heavy heart, I sliced off a portion for each of my friends. I consoled my selfish grief with the thought that I got to try what they ordered - the Deluxe Bacon Cheeseburger and the Grilled Chicken Vinaigrette. Both burgers were also good by the way.

Gone too soon.

Why is the Portobello Blue Cheese not on the regular menu then? The mushrooms or the blue cheese (or perhaps both), I was told during my second time at Big Tom's, are hard to source in the metro.Maybe one of these days, I will get to enjoy this burger all by myself. By then, I'll finally attain that ultimate burger sensation, a sensation that hovers somewhere between a near death experience and a religious conversion.It will probably leave me scarred or changed. Eitherway, I hope that it will still leave me yearning for more.Big Tom's Charbroiled BurgersFacebook Page111 Juana Osmeña St, Cebu CityOpen daily | 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM+63 32 239 8101