Beef and Liberty

Beef and Liberty
23 Wing Fung Street
Wanchai, Hong Kong

Bacon and cheeseburger, cooked medium. The stack: bun, bacon, cheese, patty, sweet onion relish, bun.

The bun is rather dry and tasteless, though it retains its shape to hold the stack. More buttered drilling on the inside would probably lessen its staleness. The bacon is not crisp but rather chewy, most likely prepared long before service hour. The cheese is American cheddar, tastes like so but could have used more heat to give a more dramatic, oozing effect. The patty is not particularly juicy, but imparts a taste that suggests its premium pedigree. The relish is the best of the bunch: sweet, slightly smoky, and rounds out what sums up to be an average fare. The burger is washed down with a malty, relaxing Young Master classic ale, which turns out to be the highlight of the 180HKD set lunch.

Butcher's Club Burgers

Butcher's Club Burgers
G/F, Rialto Building
2 Landale Street
Wan Chai

Good quality ingredients, especially the wonderfully juicy thick-cut bacon that literally melted into the patty. The patty was moist and juicy even when it was 100% cooked without a hint of pink. However, it's a bit pricey (100 hkd) for a burger smaller than the size of a whopper and arriving at the table without fries (20 hkd extra).

The Diner

The Diner
4-8 Arbuthnot Road, Central
Hong Kong

The Dime burger is made with bacon, American cheese, L&T, dill pickles and mustard mayo. The cheese completely melts into the beef, which retains lots of beefy juices and a robust, slightly-charred flavor. The bun is soft and fresh, while the lettuce provides the necessary insulation from wetting the base bun. In all, a very good, classic American burger, made with care and precision. This is definitely one of the best in Hong Kong.

VEYGO Coffee

VEYGO Coffee
14 Jervois Street, Sheung Wan
Hong Kong

The cheese is not well melted; the patty is fry and lacks flavors. The bun is dry and has no taste. The only thing that keeps this dish from being returned is the tomato, which is fresh, juicy and packed with flavor. Overall, it is a forgettable experience.

LGB Cafe

LGB Cafe
1/F, LHT Tower
31 Queen's Road Central, Central
Hong Kong

The beef patty is likely grilled on an electric griddle as it is devoid of many of the interesting flavors that an open-fire grill can provide. The beef itself is just slightly overcooked. The bread is moist and soft, but is unable to properly hold the dripping burger juices and sauces.

Let's Burger

Let's Burger
L-RS-20, Lakeside, 11 Solana, Chaoyang District, Beijing

Let's Burger tries very hard to become the pre-eminent burger joint in town, and for a good few years it has been one of the very bests. Using buns from Pekotan Beijing, the capital's pre-eminent bakery, Let's Burger's product used to scream luxury and progressiveness in a culinary scene that used to stay largely mute. Times have changed, but there is a lingering feeling that Let's Burger hasn't changed much. Judging by the cheese king burger ordered on this occasion, their effort seems to have regressed back to the days when miracle whip, unmelted cheese and ketchup with a questionable spice mix could lure customers by the thousand. Here, Danish Brie is floured and deep-fried, so theoretically it would melt easily on the bite. But alas, the Brie has been idling for some time and has since hardened. The two slices of American cheddar have barely moved their temperature. The beef patty is cooked to its death, though to its credit the patty mix has enough fat to keep the meat moist and juicy. with beef patty & organic vegetables. Topped with blue cheese dressing. The blue cheese tastes stale and entirely superfluous, but the worst is the slushy mayo. I frankly don't know which brand the kitchen uses but that has to change. In the end, what promises to be a symphony of many flavors turns out to be a cacophony of noise, flair and little harmony among the elements.

Let's Burger used to be great, and judging from its fine team which has opened other good restaurants in Beijing and elsewhere over the years they could return to greatness again. What they need is to rethink the menu, keep comical concoctions inside the test lab and return burger making to the basics: good and correctly-cooked beef, good bread, melted cheese and good bread. The destiny should not be far to the Let's Burgers proprietors.

Maison Boulud

Maison Boulud
23 Qianmen "Legation Quarter"
Beijing

DB burger.

BLT Burger

BLT Burger
Shop 224A, Times Square
1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay
Hong Kong

Decent burger, with a juicy patty and fresh buns. It does however need more dressing and vegetables to mellow down the punch of the meat.

Byron Burgers

Byron Burgers
33-35 Wellington Street
London

Solid, juicy burger; good private-label pale ale.

The Globe

The Globe
Shop A, G/F, Graham Street, Soho
Central

The burger, cooked medium rare, was surprisingly good in this unassumingly laid-back British pub. The bun, lightly toasted, was a little dry but otherwise held up the juicy patty with ease. The banger special indicated that The Globe was seriously about its food — the sausage, while neither particularly spiced nor flavorful, tasted fresh and succulent. The dishes were rear-ended by two fantastic cakes and washed down with the Little Creature (citrus, with a very sweet palate), the Holy Grail (light and creamy, with a grainy malt nose and palate), and the “I see no ships” Admiral’s ale (a jolly brew with a citrus nose and a roasty, malty palate that matched up particularly well with the sweet desserts).

Last two meals before leaving Germany

A double bacon cheeseburger, washed down with cheap lager at Burger King, and a
ginormous piece of fried fish on a wheat roll.

Liberty Exchange

Liberty Exchange
G/F, Block 2, The Forum
8 Connaught Road, Central.
Burger: Statue burger
Architecture: bun, basil mayo, tomato confit, patty, micro greens, bun.
The Australian sirloin was loaded with beefy notes, but was cooked way
beyond medium as requested. The tomato confit provided an acidic
counterpoint to neutralize the beef fat, while the basil mayo added a
layer of garden freshness to the mix. The sturdy flour bun, lightly
toasted with a blissful amount of butter, embraced the enormous stack
with ease and flair. The thick-cut fries, slightly seasoned with
Parmesan cheese and cooked to yield a crunchy shell and a mushy core,
were the highlight of the dish.

Si Sun Fast Food

Si Sun Fast Food (時新快餐店)
G/F, 1A Whampoa Street, Hung Hom.
Burger: double cheeseburger with egg and curry sauce.
Architecture: bun, patty, fried egg, patty, curry sauce, sliced cheese, bun.
This Hong Kong-style burger sported a lightly griddled sesame bun,
patty made with sumptuous amount of onions and black pepper, fried egg
over easy, and a generous helping of curry sauce. The curry sauce was
sweet, with just a tinge of spice and herbs to accentuate but not
overwhelm the stack. The beef was cooked to death, but remained juicy
due in no small part to the moisture of the onions and perhaps a
mixture of beef tendon and fat into the patty. Two pieces of juicy
chicken wings (1.5USD) were ordered as sides. At barely 2 USD, the
burger has to be one of the best deals in town.

2011 Burger Shootout: New York

After last year's enormously diverse and successful East Coast Shootout, some fans have grumbled that I was unable to include Shake Shack in the mix. That was an unfortunate omission, as I did try to score a few stacks at its Madison Square Park location last year but because the line was too long, I had to pass. This year, I managed to find time to wait at the rich kids/kindergarten line at Shake Shack's Upper West Side location. After a 20-minute wait, I was finally able to get my hands on the parchment paper-wrapped, highly sought-after shack burger. Besides the Shack, I was also able to visit three other joints, and here are my rankings:

1. Shake Shack (New York, NY)

2. Burger Creations (New York, NY)

3. Corner Bistro (New York, NY)

4. Five Guys Burgers and Fries (Queens, NY)

 

Five Guys Burgers and Fries (Queens, NY)

New York LaGuardia Airport Terminal B
(718) 505-0565

Burger: cheeseburger "all the way"
Architecture: bun, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, patty, onions, pickles,
mushroom, bun.

The buns were slightly soggy and boring. The meat had some beefy
notes, albeit also this industrially ground burger taste. Onions,
mushrooms and pickles were nice freebies, but were messy when stacked
up and didn't realistically gel with the rest of the stack. My
experience here certainly didn't match up with my experience in Texas
last year, but it was a pleasant surprise to find in an airport
terminal a burger option that is still a lot better than Macky Dees.

Corner Bistro (New York, NY)

331 W 4th St
New York, NY 10014
(212) 242-9502

Burger: bistro burger
Architecture: bun, bacon, cheese, patty, bun. Lettuce and tomatoes on the side.

The beef was some of the juiciest I have tasted in a burger -- bovine
juices would gush out like lava out of a volcano. Nearly an inch
thick, this enormous beef concoction was charbroiled in a gas broiler
(see pictured), flipped once, to medium. The charredness provides a
sensational texture and robust flavors. The bun was horrible -- it
felt like a mediocre grocery store variety that offered very little in
taste, and couldn't legitimately hold onto the cow. Atmosphere was
non-existent -- this was where the smell of cheap cigarettes
(imaginary) met the smell of overused kitchen fryer oil (real), and
additional points were deducted for showing the Copa del Rey match
without audio commentary...

Shake Shack (New York, NY)

366 Columbus Ave
New York, NY 10024
(646) 747-8770

Burger: shack burger
Architecture: bun, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, cheese, patty, bun.

The beef had an earthy taste and was fairly juicy for a fast-food
joint. The blanket of American cheese softly caressed the meat, while
the sweet pickles and tomatoes provided additional sweetness to the
stack. The bun was fresh and aromatic, and the whole stack came off
with not merely a feminine touch but also this uniquely perfect
agreement. Washed down with freshly-squeezed lemonade on this blue-sky
day, the Shack experience was heavenly.

Burger Creations (New York, NY)

52 E 8th St
New York, NY 10003
(212) 539-1909

Burger: cheeseburger with bacon.
Architecture: bun, tomatoes, bacon, American cheese, patty, shredded
lettuce, bun.
Sides: fries.

The sweetly buttered and slightly charred bun provided a gourmet
context to the rest of the experience. Although cooked slightly beyond
the requested medium, the beef was juicy and rich in flavors. The
fries were crisp, well-seasoned and immensely delightful. Portions
were small and prices somewhat extortive for a university-area
location.

2010 Burger Shootout II: East Coast

After 2009's LA-Chicago Shootout and this April's Texas Shootout, fans have complained that there was a dearth of representation from the burger boys of the east. And thus your voice is heard: over a period of 10 days, I have trekked along I-95 in search of the good stack. And here are my rankings:

1 (tied). Shorty's 32 (New York, NY)

1 (tied). Stella (Boston, MA)

3. The Breslin (New York, NY)

4. DBGB (New York, NY)

5. Goodburger (New York, NY)

6. Five Napkin (New York, NY)

7. Audubon Circle (Boston, MA)

8. Tunnicliff's Tavern (Washington, DC)

9. uburger (Boston, MA)

Goodburger stands out with its charred aromatics and assertion to be green and certifiably organic. The lamb burger at The Breslin has basically eliminated my heretofore bias against non-beef burgers. Shorty's 32 and DBGB show how to do serious food in a laid-back environment. Due to time constraints I wasn't able to revisit The Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien or Mr. Bartley's (who was closed on the day I visited, on June 1, allegedly so that he could spend more time coaching and prepping Elena Kagan, a Mr. B regular, for the upcoming confirmation hearings), or try out Shake Shack which my friends in the City have raved time and again. Nevertheless, I am glad to report that the burger scene in the east coast is alive and well and, with the gastro-pub movement thriving (The Breslin, Spotted Pig and DBGB being good examples), even better days shall come.

The Breslin (New York, NY)

20 W 29th St
New York, NY 10001
(212) 679-1939
thebreslin.com

 

Burger: the lamb burger
Architecture: bun, red onions, feta cheese, lamb patty, bun.

 

The sour-dough provided a crunchy, assertive balance to the creamy
feta. Upon mastication, the lamb patty slowly evolved -- first, a hint
of floral herbs and then, an explosion of lamb flavors. The patty was
so juicy that the sour-dough could barely contain it. It was simply
fantasyland for those who enjoy lamb meat. Washed down with the
Breslin Aberdeen, a hand-pumped brew with a hint of durian and yuca,
the meal was simply one of a kind. This is the kind of burgers that
have no equal.

Rating: 1 star to the lamb burger.