Hong Kong's best take-away burgers
From lowly beginnings, the humble hamburger has risen to take over the snacking world, and lately Hong Kong’s willingness to join the revolution has been nothing short of fanatical. If there isn’t a new hamburger spot near you, there soon will be. Be afraid, fishballs, be very afraid. By Paul Kay
In case you haven’t noticed, Hong Kong has entered its Golden Age of burgers. Don’t believe us? Take a look around. More than a dozen dedicated burger specialists have opened their doors in Hong Kong in the past two years to meet the growing demand for the pleasures of the patty, and there are plenty more in the works. Burger King, long a bewilderingly peripheral figure in our snacking scene, is gearing up for a clash of the fast-food titans with plans afoot to establish seven new outlets in the next six months, while Californian über-chain Fatburger should finally end what seems like an eternity of ardent anticipation when – barring acts of god or bureaucracy – the boards come down on their Wan Chai store in November. And that’s without even mentioning the daddy of them all, Micky D’s, which had 246 outlets here at last count and is still expanding 34 years after first planting their golden arched flag in Hong Kong.
But it’s not just the fast food industry that is driving the burger boom. The humble hamburger has become a fixture on some of the most illustrious menus in town, from Nobu and Alain Ducasse’s Spoon, to Amber and L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, to Sevva’s bunless – and borderline sacrilegious – burger on mash. Duke’s Burger in Soho, meanwhile, has taken things a step further by building their entire menu around extravagant burger creations such as the Rabbit and Fried Sweetbread incarnation or the Braised Victorian Veal Ossobuco.
So what is it about the burger that invites such rampant appropriation? Maybe it’s the grab ‘n’ guzzle convenience. Maybe it’s the fact that you can cram so many of your favourite things into one easy meal. Or maybe it’s just because they taste so bloody good. Whatever the reason, burgers can no longer be seen as a quintessentially American delicacy, with every culture taking the basics and adding their own unique twist to the recipe, from beetroot, pineapple, and hummus, to foie gras, truffle, and sauerkraut. And luckily, there’s no need to traverse the globe to sample them all, as our ever-cosmopolitan city has become home to a melting pot of burger immigrants. So get inventive, think international, and say hello to the United Nations of Burgers.
The United Nations of Burger
Top ten take-away burgers in town
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6 Comments Add your comment
Let's stick to the basics here. The best hamburger is simply a quality ground beef, fresh lettuce/tomato/onion/gherkin, and soft bun.
'Best of LKF'...? Not much of an accolade (how many burger joints are there in LKF?!) but hoohah, whatever. Last time I treated the kids to AP burgers for lunch, we all suffered bad bellies for hours afterwards... never a good thing, surely?
I've done the Duke's rubbish but can't find one better than McSorley's on Elgin Street. Just as a burger should be.
I wonder what website was the inspiration for this article?!
Yup, have to agree - McSorley's definitely the best of all...
I checked out Atomic Patty,had a Baja chicken burger, the best. Ever. and no bad belly.....
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