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. 

SC wasn't feeling to well, so opted out of a burger and ordered straight from the dessert menu.  I thought for my first burger, I'd try the Circus Classic, which comprised of a 5oz beef patty with lettuce, tomato and Circus sauce.  

The simple sounding burger was actually perfect for someone like me, I love the simple classics and this had all the markings of being a beauty.  It was presented old school style, in a cardboard box and standing upright.  I could see it was paced with lettuce and tomato but the patty didn't seem that thick, so I wondered how it would be cooked medium as requested.  My first bite answered all my questions and more.  It was a revelation!  The fresh ground meat patty was juicy and a perfect medium and the fresh lettuce and tomato seemed a perfect match.  The circus sauce was incredibly, slightly sweet, it wasn't overpowering and really enhanced the burger.  I liked it, I liked it a lot.

 

Shortly after my burger came out, my salted caramel milkshake was delivered.  I'd probably have preferred it before the burger, so the timing was a little out.  Timing aside, it was a monster of a drink, thick caramel milkshake in a traditional tall glass, topped with whipped cream - it even had a cherry on top!  There was a sprinkling of salt on the cream, which was a little odd but made more sense once I mixed the concoction together.  Ahhh, salted caramel goodness.

After quite some wait, we needed to ask for SC's banana split.  All was forgiven when the simply amazing looking banana split was presented.  Talk about tradition, this could have come out of the 1950's and been transported to the 21st century (no, time travel has still not been invented - I think?).  Lots of beautiful ice cream inside a split banana and covered in whipped cream, with cherries on top.  It was drool worthy, but instead of drool, SC just got stuck into it and smiled the whole time.

I really loved my Burger Circus experience, in particular that Circus Classic, which had everything I could want in a burger (that is, it didn't come standard with pickles).  The problem was, I wanted another straight after, and then again that same night for dinner.  In fact we walked by around 7:30pm to get another, but the queue was too long, so we grabbed pizza instead.

Yeah, I'll be back to Burger Circus, namely because it's right on the way home from work, but also because the burgers are spectacular.  It's a cool little spot, with emphasis on little - Burger Circus only has about a dozen tables and fills up pretty quickly (although it also turns over pretty quickly).  I reckon they could have had a space twice the size and I'm betting it won't be long before a second spot opens up.

Actually, I think I might have to wander down tonight for dinner.

@FoodMeUpScotty