Latest news with #Flintstone
The Hindu
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Smash Guys open their first outlet in Bengaluru with smash burgers, shakes and an unmissable Old Monk chocolate mousse
Bengaluru's love affair with burgers goes back a long way. Way back when we had popular burger joints that became city favourites such as Indiana, Ice and Spice (now known as Truffles), The Only Place, Peppa Zing and Cafe Thulp. Post the pandemic there has been a new wave of burger establishments that have refined the dish and are trying to take it from fast food to an elevated experience. Smash Guys started with this aim. The brainchild of brothers Nikhil and Abhijit Gupta, and Adithya Kidambi as chef consultant, the brand began hosting pop-ups. The first one being at the Conservatory in March of 2024. Now they open their first outlet on the swish 12th Main Road of Indiranagar. The interiors of the restaurant are designed like an American-style diner. Chequered floors, marquee signs and wooden furniture. I take a seat at the bar, getting a ringside view of the busy kitchen. It is six in the evening, and they have just opened their doors, but there is already a crowd. Their popularity is based on word of mouth from their pop-ups and a strong social media presence. What is a smash burger? Abhijit researched American burger history for two years to create this menu. 'We started with a simple idea — to bring world-class smash burgers to India. From the traditional Oklahoma onion smash and the OG cheeseburger, to our signature whopper and Elvis Presley's favourite peanut-butter-bacon burger, we are paying homage to burger styles that hold a piece of history,' he says. A smash burger is an American style of burger. It is made by cooking a smashed burger patty on a flattop grill at high heat. It is said that in the 1960s, a cook at a restaurant in Kentucky pressed a ground beef meatball to a thin crispy patty, and the smash burger was born. The flattened patties absorb more flavour and have more texture. These are then topped with onions or cheese. The menu On the menu at Smash Guys are these smash burgers, available in buff and lamb options, veggie and chicken burgers, sides, shakes and desserts. First, the sides. I see the classics — onion rings, fries, corn ribs, Ceasar salad and wedges. I try the corn ribs, the thin slices of corn on the cob are rubbed with a spice mix and served with a garlic sauce. I miss the days when burgers came with a side of fries, so I order them separately. The parmesan fries are decent, but the truffle dip saves them. Now the burgers. The meatballs are cooked on a hot plancha (iron griddle). The edges are crispy, and the insides are juicy. The OG smash burger is made with a double patty, onions, cheese and mustard. Simple and clean, served atop their in-house made sesame buns. The brisket burger has a buff patty that is topped with a slow cooked brisket. 'We sear the brisket and slow-cook it for eight hours to lock in flavours,' says Abhijit. It is topped with the signature smash sauce. The Flintstone is a buff burger served with a torched bone marrow. The smoked butter whopper is cooked in homemade smoked butter, giving it another dimenion. If it is all sounding a bit meat heavy, their veggie options are good too. The Korean fried paneer burger has flavours of gochujang and chimichurri. The magic mushroom burger is made with crisp oyster mushroom, roasted button mushroom, togarashi flakes, pickles, lettuce, truffle oil, truffle mayo. Decadent. I pair my meal with a diner-style strawberry milkshake, mainly for the vibes. The drink is sweet and served in a tall milkshake glass. I end with the highly recommend Old Monk chocolate mousse. The silky mousse is made with dark rum, and the dish is topped with whipped custard and cocoa dust. The hints of flavours from the rum elevate the dish, even for a non-Old Monk lover like me. The menu is balanced with experimental options and classics. The team's love for burgers is evident in the menu. The restaurant is loud and crowded, and the service is fast, but chaotic. Hoping these will settle down in the next few months. Cost for two ₹1,500. At Indiranagar. For more details, call 8762109796
The South African
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Rayno Nel wins World's Strongest Man title: The dawn of the athletic era is HERE
History was made this weekend at the 2025 World's Strongest Man competition as South Africa's Rayno Nel, a former rugby player turned strongman, claimed the coveted title in his debut appearance. Nel became the first-ever winner from South Africa, the African continent, and the entire southern hemisphere – but more significantly, his victory could mark the dawn of a new athletic era in strongman competition. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 148kg, the 30-year-old Nel powered through a stacked field featuring legends such as 3-time winner Tom Stoltman and pre-competition favourite, Mitchell Hooper. But it was Nel's speed, grip, and endurance that separated him from the pack. With fellow finalist Paddy Haynes, another debutant, also turning heads with his athleticism, 2025 may be remembered as the moment the sport pivoted toward function over brute strength. Nel's path to the title was anything but conventional. With only two years of strongman experience, he secured wildcard entry to the finals following dominant performances across the 2024 Strongman Champions League, including wins in Holland, Africa, and the World Finals. But even with his growing reputation, few expected him to dethrone the world's best at his first attempt. In the opening Carry and Hoist event – a combination of zercher carries and a heavy rope hoist – Nel completed the gruelling test in just 30 seconds. The top five finishers in the event included not only previous champions like Stoltman and Hooper, but also relative lightweights Haynes and Pavlo Kordiyaka, highlighting a clear edge for those with superior movement and speed. The second event, the 18-inch deadlift, provided a reminder that brute force still matters. American strongman Trey Mitchell set a new personal best with a monstrous 500kg pull – the heaviest lift of the competition. Nel followed closely with 490kg, and five more athletes topped 465kg. While mass remains a decisive factor in these static tests, Nel's ability to stay competitive despite a more mobile frame proved his versatility. Grip strength and grit: Williams stuns, Nel maintains In the third event – the Hercules Hold – Australia's Eddie Williams stunned the crowd by holding on for an eye-watering 82 seconds, a new world record. Studies have linked grip strength to the longevity of life, and if that's true, Williams may live forever! Nel again placed in the top tier, proving his resilience and consistency across contrasting disciplines. The only sign of vulnerability in Nel's campaign came in the Flintstone barbell overhead press, where Trey Mitchell and Tom Stoltman launched 241kg overhead with relative ease. Nel managed 188kg – well short of the leaders – but still enough to keep him in the running. It was a critical moment in the standings, and one that tested Nel's mental resilience as much as his physical strength. Heading into the final event, the iconic Atlas Stones, the standings were tight. Three-time champion Tom Stoltman, known globally as the 'King of the Stones', delivered a blistering performance, completing all five stones in just 31 seconds. Nel, under pressure, managed four stones in 30 seconds – not enough to win the event, but just enough to retain his lead and take the overall title by half a point. While Nel's win is a personal triumph, it also represents something larger: A shift in what it takes to win in modern strongman competition. With faster, more dynamic events making up the majority of the finals, athletes like Nel, Haynes, and Kordiyaka – who blend agility with power – are thriving. Paddy Haynes, a former runner from the UK, placed high across multiple events and was notably effective in disciplines requiring speed and conditioning. Despite lacking some of the top-end pressing power, he remained in contention throughout and now looks set to become a mainstay on the global circuit. With event design increasingly favouring mobility, athletic backgrounds like rugby, CrossFit, and track and field could become more common among future competitors. Nel, with his engineering mindset and rugby roots, exemplifies the evolving athlete profile. That said, traditional strength is far from obsolete. The likes of Mitchell Hooper, Tom Stoltman, and Trey Mitchell continue to dominate heavy lifts – and will remain title threats in years to come. But to win, future champions may need more than size. They'll need strategy, agility, and endurance too. Rayno Nel (South Africa) Tom Stoltman (Scotland) Michell Hooper (Canada) Trey Michell (USA) Paddy Haynes (England) For the first time in World's Strongest Man history, the 2025 competition introduced a controversial new scoring system where points from the heats carried over into the finals. Traditionally, all finalists start from zero, but this year, the top two from each group entered the final with a head start based on their heat performance – meaning Mitchell Hooper began with a commanding 10 points, while Eddie Williams started with just one. Rayno Nel, who would ultimately win, began with eight points, already two behind Hooper. While the final outcome remained the same – Nel took the title – the adjusted scoring significantly shifted the rest of the leaderboard. Under the old format, Paddy Haynes would have finished second overall and Tom Stoltman fourth. Though the system rewards consistency, critics argue it undermines the purity of the final showdown, where the best athlete over the final five events should emerge on top. While rolling points may encourage full effort in the heats, it also introduces an uneven playing field – one that second-placed Stoltman may support, and fifth-placed Haynes would surely challenge. Rayno Nel's win marks not just a historic moment for South Africa, but a potential turning point for the entire sport of World's Strongest Man. In a final packed with legends and newcomers, it was the blend of brains, brawn and balance that won out. Whether this signals a true changing of the guard remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the age of the athletic strongman is well and truly here. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Eyewitness News
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
South Africa's Rayno Nel becomes first African to win the World's Strongest Man competition
"Rugby was what I thought I would do for my sport career. I didn't think I'd do any sport ever again," he said. "But I always had this competitive side to me, so when I stopped playing rugby, I knew I needed to do something competitive. That's just who I am." On Saturday, The former Cheetahs and Central University of Technology rugby player won the opener, the Carry & Hoist, for a full bag of 10 points, and finished second in the deadlift and Hercules holds, earning nine points in each. Nel returned on Sunday for the final two competitions, managing only three points in the Flintstone press, but the eight points he secured in the final Atlas stones competition earned him the narrow victory. He started the final with eight points earned for placing third in the heats stage of the competition.
