Burger and cocktails in Shanghai

Place: Park Hyatt, Shanghai.
Burger: The Burger, with cheese and bacon
Bun: sesame brioche, warmed but not toasted
Architecture: bun, bacon, cheddar cheese, beef, butter layer, bun; all
condiments on the side, including a pickled cucumber
Dressing: none.
Drinks: Bloody Mary, Margarita, Darroze 10-year Armagnac.
 
The patty was ordered medium but arrived at medium well. The mishap,
while not insignificant, was uncontroversial as it was masked by a
juicy patty, which exploded with flavors upon mastication. The butter
layer, which was well melted but not so much as to linger in a
pellucid state, added that extra beefy zing to accentuate the flavors
of the burger.
 
While the burger portion was just good enough for a healthy
mid-morning snack, the three cocktails, on the other hand, were not
for the faint-hearted. The Mary was excellent, with a strong initial
bite and a lingering vodka finish. The cracked pepper was so fresh
that if the alcohol didn't wake me up initially, the pungency of the piperine
certainly did. The Margarita showed that Park Hyatt would not skimp on
the alcohol, as a healthy portion of very aged Don Julio was liberally
mixed with fresh limes. The Armagnac had a sweet nose with a healthy
mix of flavors (orange peel, charred wood) and a caring finish, but
did not have that kind of strong, long-lasting aftertaste that I
expected from a Darroze.

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Hainan Chicken Rice

Place: a private kitchen. Beijing.

Good chicken, excellent presentation.

Burger at Danger Doyle's

Place: Danger Doyle's, just off Workers Stadium East Gate, Beijing.
Burger: The Burger
Bun: soft brioche
Architecture: bun, cheese, patty, bacon, fried onions, cheese, bun;
lettuce on the side
Dressing: none.

 The patty was delivered medium with plenty of charred, smoky flavors.
The onions were fried and caramelized just enough to offer a subtle
sweetness to counterpoint the robustness of the charred proteins. The
cheese was listed in the menu as a mozzarella --an interesting and
rarely procured choice that caught my attention while browsing the
menu --but it tasted, at least on the day of my visit, like white
Cheddar...may be a Colby. Perhaps due to carmelization of the onions,
the composition was slightly sweeter than I'd like. Nevertheless, the
end result was a formidable pub grub and welcoming entry to Danger
Doyle's menu.

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