Burger Joint - The Burger Room Causeway Bay

http://burgeroom.com/

I have to say, I really like Causeway Bay.  It's one of the most densely populated spots in Hong Kong, which makes it one of the most densely populated places on the planet.  It's crazy to hang out and watch people rushing about....  Come to think of it, it might be one of the only locations in Hong Kong where I've seen anything remotely frantic in it's pace.

But, it can wear thin pretty quickly and you increasingly get a sense that you need a quiet moment away from the masses and hysteria.

Surprisingly, there is a place in Causeway Bay that has a much less frantic pace, and even better, has a heap of restaurants and funky shops to stroll through.  All at a much more leisurely pace.

Fashion Walk is a little bit removed from the hustle and bustle of Times Square, but it's increasingly becoming my go to spot when in the area, just for me to catch my breath.

Burger Joys - great burgers but a little too cheesy?

http://www.burgerjoys.com

I'm always on the lookout for a new burger joint and moving to Wanchai has certainly opened up a few more options.

I'd been noticing posters all over the place advertising a place called Burger Joys, so set about tracking it down for a spot of lunch.

Wanchai is an interesting location, it's got a wide variety of dining options that range from three Michelin Starred fine dining restaurants, hip and happening 'now' spots, as well as down and dirty grungy bar cum restaurants.  

We'd moved away from the glamorous end of Wanchai to the much seedier side, where the nightlife runs from seedy bars to strip clubs.  Burger Joys finds itself right in the middle of the Wanchai red light district, which is pretty benign during the day and pretty darn racy in the evening.

I was pretty surprised by how small Burger Joys actually was, expecting something a little bigger than the 'almost' hole in the wall diner on Lockhart Road.  Small as it was, there was still room for a half dozen or so tables to be crammed around the serving area, which looked very much as if it doubled as a bar once the sun went down.  We'd arrived for a Saturday lunch and the place was pretty empty, so we had no trouble finding a table which surprisingly was managed by table service.

Beef & Liberty - bloody good burgers

http://www.beef-liberty.com/hk/

I'm a sucker for Australian beef, and even more so when that beef is ground up and forms part of a spectacular burger!

That's what I was hoping for when I visited Beef & Liberty, the latest in a long line of burger joints to hit the shores of Hong Kong.  Beef & Liberty started its life in Shanghai of all places, and picked the gentrified part of Wan Chai to establish it's first HK outlet.  

The team behind Beef & Liberty are pretty confident in their product and proud of their location, which they proclaim on their website as being the best location for burgers in Honkers!  I'm not so sure about that, but trendy Wan Chai is changing pretty quickly and the second floor location (above Pizza Express) in Wing Fung Street is very convenient.

Paying homage to the beefsteak clubs of old, Beef & Liberty takes its name from the beefsteak club phenomenon that (apparently) formed part of the 18th century's gastronomic culture:  I didn't really know that there was a gastronomic culture in the 18th century (outside of Paris), but you live and learn!  Whether or not the team have replicated the essence of the 18th century 'Sublime Society' founded by John Rich (look it up) or not is probably not too relevant, but what is pretty darn relevant is the approach Beef & Liberty takes to creating their burgers.

Steak Frites by the Butchers Club - quality steaks at a price

http://thebutchers.club/steak-frites/

We'd only just sat down at our table when an enthusiastic chef from the kitchen was presenting huge slabs of raw meat for our perusal.  We could have had the full story about dry aged beef, but since I knew a little bit of the process of dry ageing, we skipped the lecture.

That's the way they roll at the Butchers Club, to say they are fanatical about beef products might just be underselling the team's devotion to bringing top quality meat to Hong Kong.

The Butchers Club are very well known for their burgers and for a while there, I was pretty darn addicted to their fat and juicy hamburgers (see post here).  While their burgers are arguably the best in town, I was keen to find out just how devoted to the art-of-the-cow the Butchers Club were, and visiting their Steak Frites joint on Staunton Street seemed like the best way to find out.

I'd walked past the entrance to Steak Frites countless times on the way to work each morning, so was well acquainted with the entrance actually being around the corner in Aberdeen Street. Walking up the stairs into the dining room was an interesting experience, with decor that included exposed bricks and a rustic feel that was enhanced by the slight red glow of the numerous hanging lights.  The space was a little smaller and more intimate than I was expecting, the tables quite close together.  Our table afforded us a clear view of the kitchen and fridge stocked full with the specially acquired Australian and US beef.

New Zealand - Fergburger: legendary burgers?

http://www.fergburger.com

While we were skiing the wonderful mountains in Wanaka, New Zealand, we'd been hearing of a near mythical place to eat up the road in Queenstown.  I'd pretty much had every day planned for food, but after hearing about a little place called Fergburger, I had to satisfy my burger craving and get along to check it out.

I was told to expect long queue wait times.  I was told that the place was open for twenty two hours a day, just to cater to all the ski freaks and ski bunnies.  I was told all sorts of stuff, but mainly, I was told that Fergburger pumped out the best hamburgers that most people had ever eaten!  I love burgers and I like to think I know a little bit about them too, so I was keen to see if I shared that popular opinion.

Fergburger stared as a little hole in the wall burger joint around 2001 in well known Cow Lane, where there were not too many casual food options after a hard day on the ski fields.  As it's popularity grew, Fergburger outgrew its little spot, but it wasn't until the threat of its original home being torn down that a move was initiated.  

It was to this remodelled burger joint that we rocked up for a sampling of the Fergburger burger. Looking very much at home in a ski village, Fergburger stood out with its exposed wood and slate floors.  We didn't see the expected queues, but we'd timed our run to perfection, hitting the joint at 3pm, too late for lunch and too early for dinner.  Even though there were no long queues, it was still really busy, with most of the seats taken and about 6 people in the line before us.  SC grabbed one of the only seats left while I jumped in line to wait.

London - Byron Hamburgers

https://www.byronhamburgers.com/

What do you do when you are catching up with a mate you haven't seen in ten years?  Well, you head for a burger of course!

I was in London for work and caught up with one of my favourite bosses from days gone by, Johnzo. Apart from being awesome catching up, Johnzo took me along to that time honoured tradition in London of afterwork drinks down at the local pub.  That we were at Canary Wharf meant that we had to tackle a pub in shiny new building, but strangely once through the front door, it was largely still an old style pub.

Anyway, I'm not gonna talk about the pub, this is after all a food blog first and foremost.  While we were at the pub, Johnzo had been banging on about this burger place around the corner that we had to visit.  Not for the burgers, but for a side that he rated as the best in town.  Me?  I was happy to get along for a burger, as after visiting a slew of two Michelin starred restaurants (The Square, Hibiscus, Marcus), I was looking for something much more casual.

It was a short walk from the pub to our destination, a burger chain called Byron.  I'd initially thought it might have been named after Byron Bay in Australia, but no, owner Tom Byng had been inspired after a four year stint in America, where he 'ate enough burgers to sink the Titanic'. Wanting to bring back that authentic US of A style burger to the 'old country', Tom had the craving for the classic and simple stylings from his favourite spot in the US, Silver Top in Providence, Rhode Island.  

Cheap Eats - Miss Kays Brisbane

https://www.facebook.com/misskaysbrisbane

My recent vacation to Brisbane held many surprises, in particular the number of openings and closings of restaurants.  When I lived in Brisbane, I knew there were lots of changes afoot, but like the proverbial 'frog in hot water' you don't really notice the change in temperature until it's too late.  Coming back after eight months away was like being dropped into a vat of boiling water, the changed foodie landscape was plain to see.

Knowing about my love of burgers, I'd been told by a number of friends and followers that there was a great new burger joint in the CBD and that I 'had to check it out'.  It was a huge coincidence that I'd noticed Miss Kays at around the same time, ironically, located at the site of the Villager (see post here), which had closed during my time away.

SC was off with her cousin, who she'd bumped into while we were walking up the Queen Street Mall, so I took the opportunity to leave the girls to catch up and made my way around the corner to Miss Kays.

Double D Burger - in the heart of LKF

http://www.doubledburger.com/

Even thought I'd been easing off the burgers a bit recently (some Instagram followers might disagree), I've been grabbing the occasional burger from my current favourite burger joint, Burger Circus.  But being a food blogger is more than just going back to the same spot over and over, it's about checking out new places too.  So with this in mind, I'd arranged to check out somewhere a little different.

A couple of followers had strongly suggested that I check out Lan Kwai Fong burger sensation, Double D burger, so one night after work, I set out to find the fabled burger joint.  Even though I'm an Expat and LKF seems to be the centre of the universe for foreigners, it's not an area that I've spent a lot of time hanging out in.  In fact, to find Double D burger, I had to get out my handy little friend, Google Maps, only to realise that it was pretty easy to find on Wellington Street (yeah, a do'h moment!)

The girl and I now work at opposite ends of Central, so we'd arranged to meet in the middle at Double D, but since I'm a lot closer, I found my way there first.  It was hard to miss, there was a massive red neon sign out the front and a serious crowd inside (although, Double D is perhaps the smallest burger joint I've ever seen).  There seemed liker there no chance we'd be able to grab a seat, so I'd started thinking about where else we could grab dinner....  But then a strange thing happened, within minutes, the whole place cleared out.  Poof, the people were gone.  

Big Fernand - the French take on a burger

http://www.bigfernand.com/fr/browse/home/index.php

http://www.ifc.com.hk/en/mall/detail.jsp?id=425

French Fries are great right?  I mean, they've been around for as long as I've been eating, apart for a very short period of time when the worldwide geopolitical situation dictated that some call them Freedom Fries.  However, I digress...  French Fries are great and I'm partial to eating them pretty much any time I grab a burger.

French Burgers, now there's something I'd never really thought about.. I mean, burgers are quintessentially American, but with the worldwide trend of burger domination, it's perhaps natural that the French would give burgers a crack.  

Big Fernand is a French burger chain that opened Paris in 2012 and has been dominating the European burger scene.  Listed by the Wall Street Journal as the best burger concept in France, it was only a matter of time before world wide domination beckoned.  With a base of six different burger types, one of the elements that sets Big Fernand apart is the liberal use of cheese in their burgers.

I'd sauntered over to IFC, where Hong Kong's first and so far only Big Fernand is housed, for a quick solo lunch.  It was fairly early still, and while there was a queue of people waiting to place their order, there were plenty of seats still available.  Joining the queue, one of the wait staff asked in a sexy French accent if it was my first time...  Such a personal question, but I got the gist and agreed that it was in fact my first time for a French burger.

Burgers, burgers and more burgers - The Burger Shop by Shake 'em Buns

https://www.facebook.com/theburgershopbyshakembuns

Wandering around Central one day, I spied a little burger shop with a funny name. At the time I was not that familiar with the area between Queens Road Central and Soho, and could not remember where I had seen it.  Fast forward a couple of weeks and I came across it again, however this time I know where I was and suggested to FMUS that we check it out after work one night.

Of course I only had to say the word "burger" and FMUS was keen.  The Big Boy was flying into Hong Kong so we decided to try The Burger Shop by Shake 'em Buns before heading out to the airport to meet him.  Lucky for us we were there not long after it opened as, like other burger places in Central, there is not that much space and it quickly filled up.

Taking the cheaper option - Le Cafe de Joel Robuchon

http://www.robuchon.hk

This blog has taken a little longer to get to - not because the food was so bad that I didn't want to write about it but because so much has been going on since then that the time has just slipped away!  During the time that the Big Boy was in Hong Kong visiting us, I decided to take both he and FMUS across on the Star Ferry to Kowloon, for a small glimpse of some of the areas I had been exploring since arriving in Hong Kong in January.  It was a cold and windy day, so we limited ourselves to indoor activities - shopping centres!  Lunch was then of course an easy choice - Le Cafe de Joel Robuchon in the Harbour City Shopping Centre.

Regular readers of this blog will know that FMUS is a big fan of all things fine dining, and had the opportunity to attend L'Atelier de Joes Robuchon in Singapore on a work trip last year (see post here).  Not really having the time (or the inclination) to do the full Robuchon experience for lunch, Le Cafe presented a cheaper option, yet one where the food is still above average and certainly much better than your usual shopping centre fare.  The beautiful thing about Le Cafe by Joel Robuchon is that you can have a full meal, or just enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and some lovely cakes. 

Burger Circus - old school burger goodness

http://www.burgercircus.com.hk/

What better place for a US style burger joint than Hollywood Road?  I'd walked past Burger Circus a heap of times while exploring Soho, but it had always been super busy, with queues down the street.  I've never been one for queuing, so I'd just keep walking by.  It would take planning to get in to test out these burgers, and judging by the queues, I was anticipating a superior burger (no pressure!).

Designed to resemble a train carriage, Burger Circus plays homage to the original American diners which often operated out of abandoned railway cars and were sometimes open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.  Not quite open 24/7, Burger Circus plies its trade in freshly ground burgers, all American Sandwiches and traditional deserts from 12pm until late.  So, we'd planned our morning around hitting the joint around 12 to ensure we didn't have to wait.

It was a good thing too, we were standing out the front of the Hollywood Road burger joint shortly after 12 and most of the seats were already taken.  In fact, our only option was to sit at the bar counter, which actually suited us better, we could get a first had view of Burger Circus in action.  Unlike some of the other burger joints around HK, where there is a limited menu, the Burger Circus menu is action packed, with a heap of burgers, sides, sandwiches and a pretty extensive drinks selection. 

Cheap Eats - Wilburs HK

https://www.facebook.com/WilbursHK

There was a time where the only burger I would eat in Hong Kong was from the Butchers Club, they're pretty awesome.  But as a food blogger, my blog gets pretty boring if I just eat in the same spot every day, so it was time to spread my burger wings.

Continuing the daily lunch exploration around my workplace in Central, I came across another spot in Wyndham Street called Wilbur's burgers-burritos-lobster and thought it was worth giving it a try.  It was easy to get a table right on 12pm on a weekday and was quickly surrounded by wait staff giving out the menu and a tall glass of cold water (a rarity in HK where the water is normally served hot).

As advertised from the street, the menu consisted of a number of burgers, burritos and lobster rolls.  I was sorely tempted to pick up a lobster roll, with memories still fresh from my 2013 trip to New York where lobster rolls were plentiful and superb...  But, I stuck to my guns and ordered the wagyu beef burger, which based on the photos around the joint would be pretty awesome.

The Butchers Club Burgers - The perfect burger?

http://www.butchersclub.com.hk/burgers/story.shtml

The first wave of burgers came out of the United States (to varying degrees) in the late sixties and early seventies and pretty much dominated the fast food scene. Then, interestingly, there was a backlash against the major fast food chains and the humble burger was 'on-the-nose'.  Sure, they were still popular, but the fast food dollar started going to other franchises and cuisines.  It got really interesting when movies like 'Fast Food Nation' and the hit Morgan Spurlock movie - Super Size Me came out.  Burgers it seemed, had approached their use by date.

Then a strange thing happened, burgers were cool again and just about every celebrity chef and chains of alternative (and healthy) burger joints started opening.  It was about this time that I started loving burgers again and for the last few years, I've been on a journey to find the best burger joints, which has taken me to the home of the Burger - the USA!  (see post here)  For me, there is no doubt that some of the independent burger joints around are making the best burgers.

With this in mind, we'd stumbled upon an interesting looking burger joint in Soho, with a great name - The Butchers Club Burgers, which is part of a stable of shops, butchers, a deli and even a TV program.  Now, just about every burger joint you go into has a range of burger options, but you've got to respect a place that is so confident in their burgers that they only offer one choice - appropriately named the Burger.  In fact, the Butchers Club has a pretty simple menu, so simple, it has three items in total!  Burger, Duckfat Fries and Ice Cream Float!

Cheap Eats Lunch - The Charles Bean Bar

The Charles Bean Bar - Facebook

Sometimes I wonder if you can look too deeply into things.  

I've recently been going on solo travels around the Brisbane CBD, looking for great little lunch spots where I can fuel my inner introvert and enjoy quiet lunches on my own.  In most cases, there are heaps of cafes around that you walk by every day and just never step into, it's these types of little eating oases that I'm looking for.

The Charles Bean Bar is just such a place, squeezed into the foyer of one of the CBD's many commercial towers and next door to one of the many popular Sumo Salads around town.  It would be pretty easy to walk by and never notice, and if fact I did walk past countless times without observing.  It was only because I've been recently keeping an eye out for such gems that I even spotted the little cafe on Adelaide Street.

Which brings me back to my opening statement, have I made the right connections?  Charles Bean was quite a famous Australian that not too many people remember.  A schoolmaster, judge's associate, barrister, journalist, war correspondent and historian, Bean was instrumental in the establishment of the Australian War Memorial and of the creation and popularisation of the ANZAC legend.  The Charles Bean Bar is located just across the street from ANZAC square, so in all likelihood refers back to this legendary historical figure......

Cheap Eats Lunch - Hive Coffee and Eat House

http://www.hiveeathouse.com.au/

I was inspired by my trip to the new Bread and Meat Co CBD location (see post here) and wondered what other gems were around the CBD for lunch.  I’m pretty sure there are 100’s of great little spots around our river city that need to be explored and I’m just the guy to do it.  I’ll have my ear to the ground as well as my eyes on the lookout for those great little lunch spots, but I’m keen to hear if you’ve got that special little spot that you want me to visit.

Last week I went and checked out a breakfast spot that specialised in meat and I‘d really enjoyed my visit to The Cutting Board (see post here).  It was at this breakfast that I got a bit of an idea on where to visit next, with the boys from The Cutting Board having recently set up a new venture down my end of the city.  Hive Coffee and Eat House is the sister restaurant and has been up and running for about five weeks in the newly redeveloped food court in the Riverside Centre. 

Hive Coffee and Eat House has The Cutting Board owner Anthony Attard involved in the set up and his influence is clear and, boy, he sure does love his meat!  Both of the ventures he is involved in feature meat quite heavily and for a carnivore like me, that is quite gratifying to see, especially with his liberal use of chorizo.

It had been literally years since I had stepped into the Riverside Centre, which is surprising since I live just up the street and walk by and around the space so often.  The last time I was actually inside the Riverside Centre, it was much more of a traditional food court with a heap of little eating spots that were mainly forgettable.  I was pretty surprised to walk into the space and see that it had been redeveloped to feature fewer dining options, but those that were there were at the upper end of ‘carvery’ and starting to approach restaurant style food.

Casual Dining - Red Hook American Street Food

https://www.facebook.com/redhookbrisbane/info

I'm wondering if Brisbane was somehow annexed as the 52nd State of the United States, as with the amount of US style dining options now available, it's certainly starting to feel like it.  Be it a burger, a hot dog or southern style cooking, there now seems to be an endless array of American dining.  While this is not necessarily a new thing, think about the McDonalds invasion in the 80's and then Subway in the late 90's, it is definitely entered our dining consciousness like never before.

One of the coolest restaurants around, and one of my favourites, is Public down at George Street (see post here). Bonnie Shearston and Tom Sanceau, the team behind what was voted the best new restaurant a few years ago, have kicked off another venture that is a little more casual than Public.  Located in Gresham Lane, Red Hook Brisbane is the latest restaurant to fly the United States banner, this time with down to earth New York style street food.  

Gresham Lane is home to some of Brisbane's busiest lunchtime destinations and Red Hook has taken the last vacant space to be developed, at the site where it was once rumoured that Melbourne's Taxi would set up shop.  With the addition of Red Hook, the lane has quietly gone from lunchtime mecca spot to showing hints that a thriving night time trade could one day reign supreme.  Along with the Gresham whisky bar, Red Hook is open for extended hours, and has been doing a pretty decent dinner trade as well as a pretty manic lunch.

Cheap Eats - Chur Burger

http://www.churburger.com.au/brisbane

I've not kept it a secret but I've been on a mad burger hunt ever since I spent a month in New York City last year, which has to be the burger capital of the world (see post here). Just so we're clear, there are over nine hundred burger joints in the Big Apple, so there is no doubt that it's the burger mecca.  I've always loved burgers, I mean, who doesn't like a burger?  It's just that spending time in NYC allowed me to experience a wide range of burgers and really open my eyes to what's possible with some humble ingredients.

I've been chasing those burger highs ever since I returned from the US and over the last twelve months, it seems as if the whole city has gone burger crazy!  There has been burger joint after burger joint open, all trying to win the Brisbane diner's burger heart.  I guess it's not just burgers, but the whole American cuisine that's really taken off, but the quintessential and most favoured of American foods is the burger. 

My quest is quite well known and it's not unusual for a FoodMeUpScotty follower to tweet or Instagram me the moment a new burger place has opened.  This happened recently with the opening of Chur Burger.  I'd been vaguely aware that the Sydney institution was opening up a Brisbane outlet sometime this year, but it wasn't until internet buddy DigellaBakes sent me a tweet that I became fully conscious of the opening of a new burger joint (Thanks DC!).  From that moment it was clear that we'd be hitting up Chur Burger pretty quickly.

It ended up being two days post my tweet from Digella that we found our way to Chur Burger.  We knew it was in the Valley and we knew it was in Constance Street, but it wasn't until we pulled up out the front that we realised that it was underneath hip new Valley hotel Tryp by Wyndham.  It was a moment of revelation once we realised that the Tryp was in one of the old buildings that up until a year ago was just a shell, cool.  We'd always wondered who would take on 20 Constance Street and now we knew.

Cheap Eats - Ben's Burgers

https://www.facebook.com/bensburgers

Who knew how polarising pickles could be?  I mean, I just assumed that everyone else hated pickles as much as I did and saw no place for them in hamburgers!  Apparently that's not the case and just as many people like pickles in their burgers as those that don't.  You might be asking why I'd kick off a post with a question like that, but I found out over the weekend just how many people shared my thoughts and how many people thought I was nuts.

But let's start at the beginning. I'd heard about a new burger joint in the Valley that everyone's been talking about.  I've got a few followers who know about my burger fixation and need to find the best burgers in Brisbane and thankfully they've been scouting new places out for me.  Ben's Burgers has taken over the old Flamingo Cafe spot in Winn Lane in Fortitude Valley.  It's a great little spot, just a little out of the way of the hustle and bustle of the rest of the Valley.

We'd actually walked past Ben's Burgers a couple of weeks ago when walking to James Street and even though it was well past 2pm, the place was packed full of hipsters, funksters and some down and outers just enjoying a burger.  At the time I'd decided to make a beeline for a burger the next opportunity, which as it turned out was the following week.

Cheap Eats - Spoon Deli at Festival Towers

http://www.spoondeli.com.au/festivalTower.asp

I was having one of those days.  You know the type, back to back meetings to all parts of the city with little or no time in between.  It seemed as if I was going to have to go without lunch, which I am OK with on a fast day (see five two) but definitely don't love doing the day after a fast.  I was pretty darn hungry.

Rushing from one side of the city to the other has it's challenges but I'd managed to gain fifteen minutes by leaving a meeting early, which meant that I could grab a quick bite to eat.  The problem with wandering around the CBD at lunch time is that just about everywhere is packed and I didn't have time to wait in a queue.  Walking past one eatery after the other, I was getting close to my destination and I'd still not found somewhere to grab a bite.  Panic was setting in (well, not really but it adds to the drama).

Reaching the corner of Albert and Charlotte Streets, I wandered past a little cafe that is usually quite busy but was strangely quiet.  Given it was one of my last options, I wandered into Spoon Deli at Festival Towers.  I'd been intrigued by Spoon, which at one point in Brisbane's history was just about the hottest cafe chain going around.  I remember trying to get in for breakfast many times and giving up due to the long queues.  That was before the rise of the unique-little-cafe and the spurning of the cafe chain which eventually led to a reduction of Spoon Cafe's around Brisbane.

It was the lure of a cheap hamburger that had me walking through the doors.  I could have tried the Miel Container just around the corner (see post here), but at 12:15pm, it would have queues to the botanic gardens (well, not quite that far).  I'd walked past Spoon on many occasions, which has a big banner advertising $10 dollar burgers.  I was sold, a burger and shake would go down a treat, especially in my post fast hunger daze.