The Bangkok Burger Challenge
By Simon James
Two brothers Frank and Charles Menches from Akron, Ohio are accredited with having invented the hamburger back in the early 1880’s; more to do with fate rather than culinary creativity on their part.
It was during the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, New York in 1885 that the brothers ran out of pork for their hot sausage patty sandwich simply because it was a particularly hot day and local butchers stopped slaughtering pigs. The butcher suggested that they substitute beef for the pork. The brothers grounded up the beef, mixed it with some brown sugar, coffee, plus other spices and served it as a sandwich between two pieces of bread. They called this sandwich the "hamburger" after Hamburg, New York where the fair was being held.
It was first served in a bun in 1891 when Oscar Weber Bilby was celebrating the 4th of July with his neighbours. He ground some Angus beef, made them into patties and grilled on the barbeque before serving them in his wife’s homemade yeast bun.
Lionel C. Sternberger is credited with having invented the “cheese hamburger” in the 1920s. He was cooking at his father’s short order joint – the Rite Spot, Pasadena, California when he experimentally tossed a slice, the exact variety is not known onto a hamburger and the cheeseburger sizzled into life.
From its humble origins in Hamburg, New York back in the 1880’s the hamburger is universal, the one dish that defies all boundaries of class and rank. It can be found equally on the menu of a café or pub as in a fine restaurant in a five star hotel.
We launched the Bangkok Burger Challenge to find the best burger in three categories of venues - pubs, independent restaurants & cafes and hotels to determine the range as well as variety of burgers available in Bangkok.
Burgers served in a Pub
In a pub a burger is often the dish we will order without really thinking too much about it. We know that it is a hearty meal and goes well with whatever we are drinking.
Roadhouse BBQ
An 180gms patty made with 100% Australian beef plus 20% Fat bought in, ready made to their specifications. When ordering, customers are asked how they would like it cooked and it is charcoal grilled to that specification in giving the perfect taste. It is served with iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes plus a choice of three cheeses; American, Blue and Cheddar as well as grilled onions, smoked bacon, sautéed mushrooms. This is grilled and is served with a substantial bun as an open sandwich; it comes with a side order of coleslaw & dill pickle that Dana makes using his Grandma’s recipe. Their US steak fries are imported frozen using Idaho potatoes. Additionally, in accompanying the burger there was a wide selection of relishes, sauces, ketchups and mustard each in their original bottles. This is an impressive main course restaurant serving reasonably priced Cheeseburger at THB 295.
The Barbican
A 150gms patty made with 100% Thai-French fillet with 10% Fat that is bought in as ground beef; initially marinated with paprika, onion, salt and pepper before being shaped. Guests are asked how they would like the burger cooked before it is pan fried. It is served with gherkin, grilled onion, lettuce and tomato; the Cheeseburger uses New Zealand Cheddar. They assemble it as a sandwich in quality buns that are made in house as a British Pub style burger, wholesome and juicy tasting. Being a British Pub they serve thick cut homemade British chips with local potatoes. The combination of caramelized onions with melted cheese on top of the burger was a good taste experience. This is a burger that has been homemade using only local products priced at THB 290.
Burgers Served in a Restaurant or Café
When a family goes out to eat in a restaurant it can be hard to find something that the kids will eat, but they rarely say no to a burger and fries – the classic basic meat and potatoes formula of western dining.
Tony Roma’s
A 250gms patty made from 100% Australian beef bought in, made to their specifications. The Roma Burger is served layered with the top on while the Cheeseburger comes as an open sandwich with purple onion, tomato and iceberg lettuce placed on the up turned top of the bun. With the burger they serve string cut fries imported frozen from the USA. Their relish selection includes tomato ketchup, mustard and tomato sauce each presented in their original bottles. The 2 cms thick burger patty does take 10 minutes to cook on the charcoal grill, they told us that it is more difficult to properly cook than a piece of steak. This is due to the density of the patty not always being consistent having been made from ground beef pounded together; there will always be small pockets of air. They got it right for us, serving a very pleasant juicy tasting burger costing THB 325 for the Roma Burger and THB 345 for the Cheeseburger.
The GARAGE
The restaurant replicates the style of the owners’ loft apartment when they lived in New York; what they serve is the spirit of their experiences there. A 200 gms patty made from 100% Thai-French beef bought fresh daily from Villa Supermarket. The meat is lightly seasoned, New York style before being shaped and cooked. Having been charcoal grilled the patty alone is placed inside the bun and sits in the middle of the plate with the salad selection circled around it to be added as required. For their Bacon Cheeseburger they use American Cheddar plus they serve chunky cut fries with skins on for extra flavour. The fries are made par-boiling them for 10-15 minutes prior to frying to get a soft texture on the inside with a crisp coat on the outside, similar texture combination to a roast potato. This is an honest, great tasting New York style dining experience with burgers starting from only THB 180.
With the first two categories there is a similar pattern in the choice of patty and fries; some are using bought in patties made of Australian beef and frozen fries from the USA while others opted to buy ground Thai-French beef and local potatoes to make the patties in house and cut their own fries. Due to the resources at their disposal, when we visited two five star hotels, they butcher the meat carcasses in house plus have come up with top of the range ‘de luxe’ by practicising good housekeeping and effectively utilizing the trimmings from the premium steaks. This would not be practical if they had to directly buy in the meat they used in their burgers.
Madison @ Four Seasons
The Madison Burger is a 230 gms patty made in house from a combination of 60% trimming of 300 days Australian Wagu tenderloin grade 4; 40% Foie gras grade A including 2% Onions confit in foie gras fat. The ingredients have been mixed together and shaped into the patty, then it is charcoal grilled for a slight bitter taste. The grilled patty is placed on top of a slice of lettuce sitting atop of the lower half of the bun, then topped with grilled shitake and inake mushrooms, grated parmesan, Gryere and Cheddar cheeses each in equal quantities. It is accompanied by a generous portion of American fries that are 1 cm square cut the entire length of a long locally grown potato. Chef recommends that the burger be served with Bernaise sauce although tomato ketchup is available to go with the fries. This is a very juicy and tasty luxury burger at THB 1,100 ++.
BBCO @ JW Marriott
The Premium Burger is a 220 gms patty mix of Wagyu beef imported from US; off cuts from the steaks they serve in their New York Steak House. This beef has a low fat content, so the chef added two slices of foie gras to raise the fat level of the burger. A slice of iceberg lettuce for crispness, then a slice of tomato and onion is placed on top of the lower half of the bun, amid the patty plus the pan fried slices of foie gras. The final ingredient is rocket salad and part of the mustard family adds a healthy touch. The bun they are using is also made in house and is thicker as well as more complex than average to hold the burger together. The chef was looking for the guest to experience different texture sensations as they bite through the whole burger in one go. To do this, squeeze the burger tightly with both hands and then go for it. The burger is accompanied by imported string US fries that are served in a ceramic jar. The tasty premium burger weighs in at just THB 480 nett.
Having tasted burgers in these three categories we decided that we were missing a fast casual eatery; a main stream burger outlet. Mos Burger was the one that appeared to be the best in that category.
Mos Burger
They only start to make the burger after they receive the customers order to ensure everyone enjoys a freshly made burger. It takes between four to six minutes to cook the burger and fries, however, these are worth waiting for.
Everything is cooked to the original Japanese recipe but here prime cuts of the highest quality of local beef is be used, Bangkok is serving a better quality burger for two thirds the price in Tokyo.
It is served in a bag open on two sides to form a cone, keeping the customer’s hands clean while they eat. The bun inside sandwiches a 70 gms beef patty, meat sauce with soy seasoning topped amid a thick slice of tomato; a tower of a burger. To eat it squeeze it down with your fingers, open wide and bite through the whole burger. Burgers are impossible to eat elegantly so the flaps of the bag discreetly cover the customers face while they eat, an important consideration as the fair share of the customers are women aged between 20 – 50 years old.
One on the most noticeable feature was the thick slice of rose-pink tomato, a Momotaro variety with meaty flesh, an intense tomato flavor that has a fine blend of sugars and acids. The seeds for these tomatoes were brought from Japan and were planted plus are being grown under contract in Chiang Mai.
In addition to Beef Burgers, they also serve Fish, Teriyaki Chicken, Pork Cutlet and Shrimp Cutlet Burgers. Moreover, rice burgers are made with Japanese rice grown in Thailand.
Cold drinks are served in glass and hot drinks in chinaware to ensure to best quality taste.
.
|
