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.

We've been watching as the latest shops were developed and slowly opened.  I'd been eying off a little burger joint called The Burger Room, but it had never been lunch or dinner time when wandering through, but recently we were there just at the right moment.

Lunchtime

And no long queues in sight!

We made our way into the cool looking little shop, which had shades of a warehouse with exposed industrial style fittings, including some cool lighting that was protected from the riffraff with wire cages.  There was even a shipping container inside to add to the effect, the bright red container reminding me of Miel Burgers in Australia (see post here).  While there were no queues, it was getting busy, so we took one of the share table spots in the centre of the restaurant and looked over the menu.

The Burger Room menu was pretty comprehensive, with heaps of different options, including a double foie gras beef burger that looked pretty tempting.  But, I had been drawn in by a massive poster outside the joint that showed a beautiful looking burger with a thick patty, 'just right' melting cheese and a wonderful looking fresh salad.  Yeah, that was the burger I wanted!

With no table service, I made my way to the counter while the girl held our table and placed our orders.  Keeping it simple, it was burgers, fries and drinks.

As with the burgers, there were a plethora of fries options, but harking back to my youth, I thought that the twister fries sounded perfect.  It was a tough call though, the thick fries and potato wedges were also calling out to me.  Our fries arrived and they were good.  I really don't know how you make twisty fries (I guess I could google it, but why ruin the mystery), but they were golden crunchy and very tasty.  I was a bit dismayed to see that The Burger Room had stuffed some paper at the bottom of the bucket, so there were actually not that many fries at all!  

What's up with that?

Before too long, my burger arrived, and I have to say, there was a little bit of false advertising. The delicious looking burger on the poster out front was nowhere in evidence.  In it's place was a messy looking burger that was very much reminiscent of the type of homemade burger that I slop together myself when feeling lazy.  Strangely, it was cut in half too, definitely something from my youth, my Mum would cut my burgers into quarters for me when I was little, so my tiny hands could get around each piece for consuming.

Look, it didn't look great, but it tasted OK.  But only OK.  The texture from the beef patty was alright, but there was no real flavour, it tasted like there had been no seasoning added at all. I quite liked the soft bun with it's topping of poppy seeds - again reminded of my youth.  But it just wasn't working for me - there was just no real flavour in the burger and I stopped about halfway through.

Which was about the time that the girls Pineapple Bacon Burger arrived, also looking very rustic and home made.  On the plus side, there were two rashers of sweet, sweet bacon dominating the burger, which were the first things to disappear into SC's mouth.  Pineapple in a burger is another throwback from our youth in Australia, a very popular addition to any burger there.  Again, there was no real flavour to the burger, even with the bacon and pineapple - which was really surprising & shows the power of using the right amount of seasoning.

It had been a pretty hot day, so the two watermelon juices we'd ordered were the part of the meal that I remember best.  I'd never really been a fan of watermelon juice before coming to HK, but since being here in the sticky sticky heat, they go down a treat.

But, do you really want to go to a burger joint and only remember the juice with any real fondness?

No.

Of all the burger joints I've visited in Hong Kong, The Burger Room is probably the only one that I'd not want to go back and visit.  Even the prospect of a double foie gras and beef burger doesn't excite me enough to want to go back.

In a world where burgers dominate, and make no mistake, the world has gone crazy for the humble American cuisine, you need to do more to really make a mark.  There was nothing inherently bad about them, but nothing jumped out and said 'come back soon'.

So, I still have my quite space over at Causeway Bay, but next time I'm tempted by the juicy looking burger advertised by The Burger Room, I'll walk by.

Actually, there was a Philly Cheesesteak on the menu of the place across the way.  I think I'll try that next time!

@FoodMeUpScotty

Loved the twisty fries - but really?  You couldn't fill up the whole bucket?

The bacon pineapple burger should have been full of flavour - at least the bacon was tasty

A pretty small place that filled up quickly - fortunately there was no queue when we went