Saddle Cantina

Saddle Cantina. Nali Patio, Sanlitun, Beijing.
Beef fajitas. The beef had a peppery nose and, with the help of some
extra Tabasco sauce, a solid, rounded finish. The pico de gallo was
feisty, with a healthy portion of fresh cilantro.

Potato Hotpot

Potato Hotpot. Wudaokou, Beijing.



Korean Dduk Bokki (rice dumpling stir fry); potato hotpot.

IFW: burger edition

IFW. Park Hyatt, Beijing.
Burger: IFW burger.
Architecture: bun, fried egg, onions, cheese, patty, lettuce, tomatoes, bun.
The bun looked great aesthetically but was a disaster in the taste
department. It bore no taste, and was simply too dry for any recipe
(with the exception of recipes that call for using the bun to make
bread crumbs...but I digressed). The fried egg was overcooked and
frankly should have been ready with a runny yolk instead of a yolk
that was cooked into a brick. The beef had good promising texture but
held zero tate. Finally, this was one of those rare occasions that I
felt unnecessary to finish the whole thing. The days' biggest surprise
was the tenderly fried and liberally seasoned potato wedges that came
as a side. They were crispy on the outside and mushy, piping hot
inside -- just the way I wanted them.

IFW (International Food Warehouse)

IFW. Park Hyatt, Beijing.
Curried beef brisket with rice. A solid choice.

First Floor

First Floor. Tongli Studio, Sanlitun, Beijing.
Burger: cheeseburger.
Architecture: bun, cheese, patty, onions, tomatoes, chopped lettuce, bun.
The brioche bun was soft and quite tasty, and carried a hint of sugary
sweetness. The beef was overcooked -- ordered medium but delivered
well done -- but nevertheless retained plenty of fragrant juices. The
tomatoes and chopped lettuce, while fresh, left too much moisture on
the bottom of the stack and made the stack difficult to stand on its
own. In conclusion, this by no means was a top-notch burger, but
nevertheless is a solid addition to the burgeoning burger selection in
Sanlitun.

Gourmet Cafe (Shanghai)

Gourmet Cafe
Shanghai Centre
1367 Nanjing Xi Lu, Suite 111
Shanghai
(021) 6289-5733
www.gourmet-cafe.com

Burger: beef burger, with Cheddar cheese.
Architecture: bun (sesame), tomatoes, cheese, patty, onions, lettuce,
bun. Pickles, BBQ sauce, and salad on the side.

Tucked in a corner of the posh Shanghai Centre, Gourmet Cafe cooks up
good burgers with Australian beef in an unpretentious, friendly
environment. The menu is surprisingly extensive: beyond the burger
section there are sections for steaks, soups, salads, and plenty of
caffeine options. On my visit, I challenged myself to the basic beef
burger, with the optional aged Cheddar. The sesame bun, lightly
toasted and buttered, was spongy and soft, thereby providing a
welcoming amount of fluff to the stack. The beef was cooked to order
(medium), and came out perfectly pink and warm at the center. The
cheese, gently hugging the patty, wasn't as sharp and pungent as I
would expect from a good, aged Cheddar, but nevertheless provided a
rounded, sapid taste. The onions as expected lent a saccharine, almost
honeyed taste to the mix. On the side was a pile of fresh watercress
lightly dressed with a zesty mustard emulsion --this was clearly one
of the best side salads next to a burger I've had.

Gourmet Cafe is, in my opinion, as good as burger gets in
China...certainly better than the options available in Beijing and on
par with the best in Hong Kong. I hope Gourmet Cafe will open a
sibling in Beijing some day.

Lan Gui Fang (Shanghai)

Location: Lan Gui Fang (兰桂坊酒家). Shanghai.

 

Dishes: Noodle with yellow croaker (黄花鱼) and pickled vegetable
(雪菜黄鱼原汁煨面); fried pork chop; noodles with clams and chopped garlic
(蒜蓉蛤蜊拌面).

 

Rating: 1 star to both noodle dishes.

Kathleen's 5 (Shanghai)

Location: K5. Shanghai.

Located on the rooftop of the Shanghai Art Museum, Kathleen's 5 (or
K5) is a revelation. The restaurant's proprietor -- Kathleen Lau, a
serious book writer and a China expat who opened the first western
coffee house in Guangzhou in 1996 -- opened K5 in 2004. From its rooftop
view one finds a panoramic view of the People's Park (人民公园) and the
arts district. If the Bund presents Shanghai as the epicenter of
China's breakneck development and relentless pursuit of skyscraping
perfection, K5's rooftop offers an alternative angle of subdued sentimentality:
a laid-back city of beautiful people sipping their coffees, jogging
across greeneries, checking out the vibrant arts and cultural scene.

Its menu presents a contemporary cuisine styled with new Americanism
(e.g. clam-cheddar croquettes with gazpacho salsa) but squarely rooted
in French (duck confit with bacon, cherries and mustard). On our
visit, the two of us perused K5's brunch menu and ordered four dishes to
share: Asian crab omelette with bean sprouts, enoki mushroom and
oyster sauce; eggs Florentine; fish du jour with lemon-chive butter
sauce, topped with a poached egg and fish roe; and steak sandwich
topped with a fried egg, bacon, onion and mushrooms, and served with
greens and fries. The fish was extremely fresh and was well complemented
by a silky chive butter sauce. The steak sandwich was well designed:
the sweetness of the caramelized onions mollified the boldness of the
bacon and the steak. The other two dishes were a little bit
disappointing though nothing disastrous: the Florentine was well made
but the Hollandaise lacked a buttery savoriness I come to expect from
the emulsion. The crab intermingled nicely with the enokis and the
bean sprouts, but was in my opinion overpowered by the saltiness of
the oyster sauce.

K5's food still needs some fine tuning, but in my opinion it's worth
Kathleen's effort especially considering that any increment means
fully matching the cuisine with K5's world class ambiance and the
attentive service. Having passed through the Art Museum more than a
few times in the past few years, I couldn't believe I have failed to
take notice of this restaurant. That said, I am glad I finally came
here and found a nice new addition to my list of favorite places in
town.

Rating: 1 star to the restaurant's ambiance and environment (not to the
restaurant itself).

Element Fresh (Shanghai)

Location: Element Fresh. Shanghai.

Fuel for the weekend: 4 farm eggs, home fries, links, 4 strips of
bacon, French toasts, and a fruit bowl. Oh, and bottomless coffee (not
pictured).

2010 Burger Shootout: DFW

Fans will remember that I had 8 burgers in 4 days last year. This year, my task was to hit as many new burger joints as possible while having only two free meal slots in the Dallas metroplex. So, how did I do?

I ended up having four burgers, one for one lunch, and three in the evening before my flight back to Asia. The ranking (click-thru link to read review):

1. Twisted Root Burger Co (Richardson, TX)
2. Village Burger Bar (Plano, TX)
3. Five Guys (Plano, TX)
4. Brick House Tavern and Tap (Plano, TX)

These are of course burger joints that I haven't been to. Arteries be damned, my favorite in the Metroplex remains Whataburger, although Twisted Root is not far behind. I would rank Snuffer's and Jake's Joint higher than Village Burger Bar and similar to TRBC, and Fuddrucker's and Country Burger in Plano well ahead of Five Guys but similar to Village Burger Bar. Brick House sits low in the pecking order, but with its affordable prices, massive quantities and lovingly attentive BH girls, I would most certainly be back!

Brick House Tavern and Tap (Plano, TX)

Brick House Tavern and Tap
4900 W. Park Avenue
Plano, TX 75093
www.brickhousetavernandtap.com

Burger: XL Brick Burger, ordered medium.
Architecture: bun, Cheddar cheese, patty, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, bun.

Everything is bigger in Texas, and the XL Brick Burger is no
exception: at the size of a full-sized sub, it is quite possibly the
biggest burger I've had! With nearly a pound of meat, the burger
wasn't for the faint-hearted. I am sorry to report that I didn't
finish the burger, much due to the pint of Fat Tire and, before
arriving at the Brick House, two other well-dressed and well-topped burgers
(at Village Burger and Five Guys). Here, quantity trumped quality as
the meat was dry and overcooked. The bun was soft and fresh, but
lacked taste. Nevertheless, at $16 including the Fat Tire, a huge side
salad and tip, the burger was a steal.

And thanks to Jevon for the tip and recommendation.

Five Guys Burger and Fries (Plano, TX)

Five Guys Burger and Fries
8240 Preston Rd
Plano, TX 75024
(463) 362-7070
www.fiveguys.com

Burger: LBC, with extra mayo, lettuce, grilled onions and extra bacon.
Architecture: bun, mayo, lettuce, cheese, patty, bacon, onions, bun.

Five Guys redeems America where McDonald's fails: that fast-food
burger can taste stupendously good. Five Guys is of course the
Virginia-based burger chain that has expanded exponentially in the
past few years, much more so than In-N-Out, the other
critically-acclaimed fast-food burger chain. While I have had plenty
good experiences at In-N-Out, Five Guys has heretofore eluded me: when
I was living in the east coast I did not have the opportunity to try out Five
Guys. Now that Five Guys is in Dallas, I had to check them out.

The main attraction of Five Guys, aside from its affordable and
delicious burgers, is the extensive topping list from which any diner
can build its burger. And then all the toppings are free, making Five
Guys effectively a BYOB fast-food joint. I ordered an LBC (little
bacon cheeseburger) with mayo, lettuce, grilled onions and extra
bacon. The griddled meat tasted surprisingly similar to In-N-Out's.
While In-N-Out had its secret sauce, my Five Guys' BYOB offered
something similar with its grilled onions and mayo.

Five Guys' burgers are pretty good, but it will have plenty of
competition in the fast-food burger category in Texas: Whataburger,
Sonic, and all the mom-n-pops joints that dot the state. I hope Five
Guys does well in Texas, but my gut feeling is that, with such fierce
competition, the road ahead will be bumpy and difficult.

Village Burger Bar (Plano, TX)

Village Burger Bar
5700 Legacy Dr
Plano, TX 75024
www.villageburgerbar.com

Burger: BYOB, with beef patty, lettuce, cucumber slices, red onions,
dried cranberries.
Architecture: bun, dressing, red onions, dried cranberries, cucumber
slices, cheese, patty, lettuce, bun.
Dressing: artichoke aioli.

Since I've never seen dried cranberries offered as a topping item for
burgers, I naturally had to pick it as one of my topping items.
It worked wonders as the citrus tang of the cranberries provided a
delightful contrast to the oils of the meat. The artichoke aioli was
creamy but still offered some bite. The meat was slightly off pink but
gave out plenty of beefy aromas. The Boston lettuce, lightly flashed
in water, offered an additional layer of mellow sweetness. The bun, a
well-glazed dinner roll, exhibited such a refreshingly milky, buttery taste
that it could easily stand on its own -- even without any of the
dressings and helpings.

With a fun atmosphere (hip music, adventurous BYOB topping selections)
and a gourmet tilt (I mean, dried cranberries for burgers?!), I can
see why Village Burger Bar becomes a hit in the Legacy area the
instant it arrived from uptown's West Village. I would not be
surprised if this burger chain invades the rest of cowland -- bringing
an extra bit of fun and seriousness to DFW's burger scene.

Urban Crust (Plano, TX)

Urban Crust
1006 E 15th St
Plano, TX 75074
(972) 509-1400
www.urbancrust.com

Dishes: oven roasted mussels with green tomatillo sauce; “Black &
Blue” pizza with basil pesto, wood fired seasoned sirloin, baby
portobellos, caramelized onions, Maytag blue cheese.

Situated in downtown historic Plano, Urban Crust offers great pizzas
in a hip, setting. Urban Crust is sort of a cross between a bistro and
a sports bar -- except that it doesn't have the chainy feel of
Bennigan's, nor the mass-produced reality of TGI Friday's or Ruby
Tuesday. All flatbreads are cooked in a gas-fired brick oven located
at the back of the restaurant but visible to all diners. The "Black &
Blue" was excellent: the juices of the steak moistened slightly and
gave plenty of flavors to the flatbread. The basil pesto added a
fresh, herbal kick to the mix. The mussel dish's green tomatillo sauce
was tangy and spicy, and gave extra body to the meaty mollusks.
Overall, Urban Crust is a welcoming addition to the Ave. K community
in Plano and beyond.

Twisted Root Burger Co. (Richardson, TX)

Twisted Root Burger Co.
730 E. Campbell Road, Suite 330
Richardson, TX 75081
www.twistedrootburgerco.com/

Burger: B&B Burger
Architecture: bun, blue cheese, Buffalo sauce, patty, bun. All veggies
on the side.
Bun: lightly toasted sesame Kaiser roll

This would be the burger version of the famous chicken wing option.
The blue cheese added a creamy texture, while the sharp tang of the
Buffalo sauce cut through and neutralized the beef fat. More
interesting (not pictured) was my friend’s buffalo burger (note the
small “b” in buffalo), which was moist and cooked perfectly to a pink
medium. The buffalo meat was finely grounded, but still presented
itself with a nice bite and chew -- perhaps, in my opinion, due to the
addition of a bit of starch (e.g. bread crumbs) to give extra body to
the fine grind. “Fried Ride” was the catch-all fried food basket and
artery clogging device for which Texas was and remains famous. It
included a healthy portion (pun intended) of curly fries, onions,
pickled cucumber slices, green beans, and sweet potato chips. “Fried
Ride” also came with, as the menu offers, a free nap.

TRBC is crowded, noisy, and its servers not the most pleasant (even
they retorted: "Great Burgers, Bad Service" in a slogan on their
window). But the burgers are excellent, and could easily rank atop any
serious burger aficionado's favorite list.

Home: steamed lobster with garlic butter

Location: Debbie's home.

A 3-pounder, this was easily one of the largest lobsters I have ever
laid my hands on. Cooked slowly in a steam bath, the lobster was
surprisingly tender, yielding a nice fibrous, almost crunchy chew.
Placed side by side with a 1.5-pounder, the biggie looked like a
Hummer parked next to a Mini Cooper. The meaty claw had the size of a
mango, and nearly spanned the length of my palm. At $8.99/pound, this
had to be one of the best surf deals in turf land.

King Chinese BBQ (Arlington, TX)

King Chinese BBQ
907 E Pioneer Pkwy
Arlington, TX 76010
(817) 795-2338

BBQ pork and roast duck; stir-fried glutinous rice (生炒糯米饭); gigantic
wonton noodle soup. Great portions, good value for the money.

To Dam Gol Tofu House (Carrollton, TX)

To Dam Gol Tofu House
2625 Old Denton Rd, Suite 310
Carrollton, TX 75006
(972) 242-2616

Soon du bu, or fresh tofu bathed in a robust soup of heat and spices,
isn't the kind of dish associated with Texas. But To Dam Gol Tofu
House beats all odds by making excellent soon du bu available to
chicken-fried steak country. Situated just off Old Denton Road, in a
revitalizing area thanks much to the H-mart nearby, To Dam Gol Tofu
House gives all the top Korean restaurants on Royal --heretofore DFW's
Korean central -- a run for their money.

The soon du bu was incredible: tofu first entered the palate with a
silky, ready-to-melt texture and a subtle sweetness. As the spicy
stimulus registered, the drama at the palate became exponentially
more and more provocative -- it was as if the tofu's caring gentleness
of Dr. Jekyll slowly yielded to the spices' combustive misanthropy of
Edward Hyde, in a culinary version of RL Stevenson's work. The o jing
ngo bok kum, or stir-fried squid, by contrast had none of that
good-versus-evil interplay: this was a macho dish, with the squid’s
strong textures further kicked up by the masculinity of the spices and
barely cooked – and still pungent – onions.

The experience was extremely positive, and I’m delighted to report
that, with To Dam Gol's tofu, the DFW area can now add another facet
to its multicultural culinary home.