Once I tried the Little Cook Cafe in Chiang Mai. I saw the place mentioned by expats several times and I thought it was a Thai diner. Actually it turned out to be more of a pasta and burger place.
The visit
The venue is “open-air”, located in an alley not far away from the Northern Gate night market. Sadly, there were a lot of mosquitoes (March 2020).
I went for their burger… double (I believe 150 gram each patty). It came in a nice set up with some chips and a piece of watermelon. I had mushrooms added (you can choose a number of extra toppings). The meat was reasonably firm and the sauces not too intrusive. Very tasty burger! The normal one would have been enough.
The check
The burger with the extra topping was 400 THB (in total 420 with water, or around 13 USD). Not expensive, but in line with other burgers in Chiang Mai. The only things that would keep me back is the open-air settings.
Where in Chiang Mai: 244 Manee Nopparat Rd, Tambon Si Phum, Mueang Chiang Mai.
Arno’s restaurants in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Pattaya are owned by Mr. Arnaud Carre, a Frenchmen butcher that lives in Thailand. I was recommended the place for its burgers and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Arnaud is a fan of aged beef.
The visit
During my weeks in Chiang Mai at the beginning of 2020, I went to Arno’s restaurant in the Old City twice. (It is the only location in Chiang Mai).
The restaurant has 40 seats on two levels.
The space has an open kitchen downstairs dominated by sizzling grills and a display fridge where you can see the meat available.
The first time I went for their traditional burger with a 200-gram dry aged patty. It was a good burger, but not exceptional, the other ingredients were a bit bland.
In my second visit I had one of their steaks, a Picana cut (200 grams) that I ordered medium. It came with fries. The presentation was depressing, with a small piece of blackened meat alone on the plate… but the meat was good.
I had their mac ‘n’ cheese that was very good.
The check
The burger with a bottle of water ended up costing 250.38 THB (around 7.8 USD). I guess the price was ok.
The steak and the mac were 673.24 THB (a little over 20 USD) and I guess also in this case it was ok.
While overall I was not impressed, I might still consider it for a simple steak dinner since I like dry aged beef.
This post is a collection of the best burgers I tried in Shanghai (and a few to avoid). And some that were not so good.
Highline Foie Burger
Not only a generous slice of foie gras, but also Parma ham make this burger particularly succulent. At 198 RMB the most expensive of this round-up, but also the most satisfying. They bring it cut in two. You might want to ask them to leave it intact.
Here’s another foie gras burger with a generous amount of duck liver. Choose wisely the sauce to add. You can choose among mayonnaise, Thousand Island, sweet pepper, honey mustard, mayonnaise mustard, blue cheese, BBQ, or spicy. At 98 RMB is not breaking the bank.
A lamb burger topped with Greek tzatziki (a dipping sauce made with yogurt), red onion, mint, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. This was a burger full of aromatic flavors. Unfortunately a seasonal item for fall 2019. However all Beef & Liberty burgers are solid. It was 109 RMB.
It may look small, but it is not. The patty sinks in the lower patty that is “excavated” to accommodate the extra meat. A very solid classic cheese burger. Only defect, the buns are a bit oily. Also, it may be overshadowed by so many other interesting dishes on the menu of Polux. 121 RMB.
Of the iconic American quality burger chains (Five Guys, In and Out, etc.), only Shake Shack has landed to Shanghai so far. The smoke burger with crispy bacon to complete this spicy cheese burger is our favorite. 58 RMB for a single patty.
You would expect great things from the chef of the century, Robuchon, but his burger is quite ordinary and comes with just a 110-gram patty. Not cheap of course at 140 RMB. Just overpriced.
The Robuchon empire (surviving his founder passed away last year) operates four brands in Shanghai (and many other cities): L’Atelier (the high-end venue with the full menu), Le Salon de The’ (there is one at Bund 18 that closes before dinner and specializes in afternoon teas, but also has a food menu), Le Salon (food menu until late), and, finally, La Boutique (usually attached to a Salon, sells cakes and bread mainly).
This review is about Le Salon in Reel Mall in Shanghai. There are other Salons coming at IFC and IAPM mall in that should fallow the same format.
The visit
The interior is classy and comfortable. To some extent, even better than L’Atelier where most of the seats are at the “teppanyaki” counter.
The first time I went for a breakfast, but before 11.30 the menu is limited to sandwiches and cakes. I had their “French Club” sandwich. Just an Italian tramezzino with egg, cheese, and tomato.
The chocolate and hazelnut cake was quite good. I wish they had more.
In my second visit I had a set menu arranged for China Restaurant Week, a recurring event managed by Dining City where restaurants offer special menus to diners. Le Salon did not do anything special, just lumped together some of their standard dishes. I chose a hamachi carpaccio with spices as an appetizer. Unimpressive.
But the real reason I went was to try the burger. Could it be a great gourmet burger? It was not. It was a modest and overpriced 110 gram burger. Very ordinary.
Still a bit hungry, I added an extra dish, some potato croquettes. Man, it was a sad dish.
The dessert was a lychee pudding and was quite good.
The check
My first approach for a breakfast was quite inexpensive, at 90 RMB (12.65 USD). It was a nice way to kill one hour.
The full dinner cost me 441 RMB (62 USD) and I found it overpriced for what it was. I should note that the three course menu was 288 RMB plus service charge. While other restaurants usually make an effort to offer their special menu during China Restaurant Week at a significant discount (at least 20%), there was almost no saving as compared with ordering the same items a la carte. Very lazy. The burger was 140 RMB, 20 USD, a la carte. Too much for such a small burger without a personality.
Sorry, but this is basically an overpriced casual French restaurant. I did enjoy L’Atelier, but won’t visit again Le Salon (except maybe for an afternoon tea and cakes, those are good).
Where in Shanghai: 109, Reel Mall, 1601 Nanjing Xi Lu. In Chinese: 南京西路1601号109.
Beef & Liberty is a burger chain from Hong Kong with several outlets in Shanghai. For this review I visited the branch at the Shanghai Center.
The visit
Similarly to their Hong Kong locations, Beef & Liberty offers a clean and comfortable dining environment.
The menu is a clone of the offering in Hong Kong. During this visit they had a special, the Ambrosia burger, with a lamb patty topped with Greek tzatziki (a dipping sauce made with yogurt), red onion, mint, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes. The burger was not bit, but it was full of flavor.
I also had their tomato soup.
And an avocado and ricotta cheese from the brunch items, same as tried in Hong Kong (maybe with more ricotta).
The check
Check was 222 RMB (31 USD). Prices were at least 10% higher than in Hong Kong. But their burger are good and have my recommendation.
Where in Shanghai: Shanghai Centre, Rm 111, 1/F, 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu. In Chinese: 南京西路1376号, 上海商城1楼. Other locations on their website.
One day walking on the streets of Singapore, during my July 2019 trip, I noticed this sign:
It attracted my attention and later I came back for a meal. It was the Orchard Road location of Fat Boy’s Burgers, a homegrown Singaporean burger chain. Established in 2009 by two brothers, now it has multiple venues in Singapore and branches in Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, and Phom Penh.
The visit
It was a Sunday evening and the location was packed but they were able to squeeze me in one of the last seat available.
I had their YOLO (you only live once I suppose) Burger. It was a massive burger with a beef patty (but I was also offered the choice of lamb or pork patty). On top there was a fried egg, fried spam, fried onion strings, Mozzarella Cheese Sticks with Smoked Chipotle on a sesame seed bun. The most striking feature was certainly the deep fried mozzarella, very cheesy inside.
They have an extensive menu of burgers and you can also make your own burgers (they calculate that over 4400 combinations are possible).
The check
Only the burger cost 21.75 SGD (15.72 USD): one the pricey side, but in line with gourmet burgers in Shanghai or Hong Kong nowadays. This was one of the most expensive burgers, a classic cheeseburger was around 10 USD. Overall recommended.
Where in Singapore: 38 Orchard Rd. For other locations and menu see their website.
Looking for Mod-Sin eateries I stumbled on the name of the Quarters. The eatery is headed by Chef Chung Deming that among other things put his name on a durian creme brulee called Duriancanboleh. It seemed interesting enough.
The visit
I went for lunch on a Saturday. I even booked through their website. The restaurant is located on the ground floor of a shopping arcade called Icon Village. It is a simple venue, but it has style.
I had their signature mocktail called Quarterade with mint, lemon, and dill. Shaken (not stirred). It was quite refreshing.
My main was their satay burger. It had a chunk of spiced chicken inside two rice patties. The patties were a bit too soggy for my taste, otherwise good. It came with a salad peanut sauce.
Not completely satisfied by the burger, I ordered their Fwah! It was an interpretation of the Kaya toast with foie gras and scrambled eggs. And it was very good.
The check
The two dishes and a drink came at 44.75 SGD (service charge and VAT were added to the menu prices). That’s 32.50 USD. It was on the expensive side value-wise.
I really appreciated the creativity of the dishes. Maybe my choice for the burger was not the best. I saw some tasty burgers being prepared, like a Lemak Curry burger and one with salted eggs and chicken. And they also have some interesting lunch bowls. For a better idea about the place I would need another visit.
Where in Singapore: Icon Village, 16 Enggor Street Shop #01-09 Website (for menu and reservations): www.thequarters.sg.
PS: in the same arcade there was a Bagel shop that seemed to be very popular with people queuing happily. They specialize in bagel sandwiches.
This is not the best burger in Shanghai. But it is pretty good. And it was the first burger I ever tried in Shanghai. So it deserves a review.
The visit
Grinder Burger original shop opened in 2016 on Wuding Road, a street full of Western eateries. Since then, they have opened other locations around town. It is called “Grinder” because they grind their own meat.
The interior is very spartan, fast food vibe with an industrial touch.
I ordered their most expensive burger, the foie gras burger. It comes with two big chunks of foie gras. When ordering you can choose the side (fries, vegetables, or sweet potato fries for an extra 10 RMB), the cooking (medium, medium well, well done) and the sauce (mayonnaise, Thousand Island, sweet pepper, honey mustard, mayonnaise mustard, blue cheese, BBQ, or spicy). I had the blue cheese sauce (but it was too watery). At an additional cost, you can also boost your burger with avocado, cheddar cheese, fried egg, and so on. With all of these options they do better than your run of the mill fast food. The only critique that I have is that the buns are quite large (or the patty is too small). A different ratio closer to 1 would have been better. However, it is a tasty burger.
These are the burger recommended by the chef.
They have a buy one get two promotion on Mondays.
The check
This particular burger cost me 98 RMB (totak check 116 RMB or 17 USD with a drink). The regular cheeseburger is 58 RMB. The menu is quite extensive and includes a seasonal burger (at the time of my visit it was a taro burger).
Where in Shanghai: 1097 Wuding Lu In Chinese: 武定路1097号. Nearest metro station: Jingan Temple (but it is over 1km away, better take a cab). PS: They also have other locations.
This brunch was really random. I literally ran away from another venue where the level of noise of the crowd was just unbearable (I am talking about the Westin). The contrast with my previous destination could not have been starker: the Tavern is an elegant and quiet place, especially for an early Sunday brunch.
The visit
Shanghai Tavern is located on the lobby level of the luxurious Shanghai Edition and has its own entrance at one side of the hotel on Nanjing East Road.
On a typical weekend Nanjing road is very crowded so it is really refreshing to step inside the Tavern to find a little urban oasis with many types of seating arrangements from sofas to booths and normal tables.
The Tavern serves British and European food in an elegant yet laid down environment. I think the name is misleading: I kind of assumed that it was a Chinese restaurant (maybe because of the Chinese Tavern in Rockbund).
I was welcomed by the professional staff, got a table, and served the bread basket with butter. The restaurant offers all-day dining starting from breakfast at 6am. For weekend brunch they have a fixed price for either two or three courses. For additional coins, you can also get a glass of quality champagne.
I had their “royal eggs”, just salmon poached eggs. A very well executed and fitting brunch dish.
The pan-seared snapper with kale mash was just a perfect dish.
Finally, I had their cheeseburger. A big boy, with smoked bacon and caramelized onion. It was what a cheeseburger is supposed to be and alone could satisfy one’s appetite.
I did not have the champagne, but I enjoyed a Japanese soda, because Japanese sodas are fun.
The check
The brunch deal was 348 RMB (50 USD) per three courses and 298 RMB (43 USD) for two. Prices were listed net. After adding the soda, I spent 403 RMB (58.5 USD). It is an average price for a Bund-worthy high-end location.
The food was good, solid Western food, not without some special touches (the kale puree was something). I did not regret changing my brunch plans and I would not mind visiting again.
Where in Shanghai: 199 Nanjing Road East. Check their website for reservation info.
Polux is a new project headed by Paul Pairet, the chef extraordinaire behind Ultraviolet and Mr & Ms Bund. It is named after the cat of an old French cartoon and is located in the pedestrian area of Xintiandi, Shanghai.
If you are not familiar with Shanghai, you need to know that Xintiandi is a shopping and entertainment district with reconstituted traditional mid-19th century shikumen houses on narrow alleys. It is a very popular area, but I never associated it with good food (you might disagree if you are a fan of Wolfang Puck).
The visit
I headed to Polux on a Sunday for brunch meeting a friend, just one week after their opening on 14 March 2019. They are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner (all day dining) with different menus. Initially they were open 7 days a week, but at the time of this post they have instituted a day off on Mondays.
The staff had my reservation on the books and escorted me to a table. I liked the cloth towels, a small luxury these days.
By the way, even if the place was rapidly filling up, the staff noticed that the table was wobbling and they promptly offered me and my friend another table.
I recognized many faces among the staff from Mr and Ms Bund and Ultraviolet. These are incredibly professional people. (Including the marketing team: by the time of my visit Polux was correctly indicated on all social media, including Facebook and Google Maps; contrast this with the Bulgari Hotel for example…) By no accident, in their second week of operations, everything was running remarkably smoothly.
Bread was complimentary, as it should be in French eateries.
While I was waiting for my friend, I ordered their sardines, a simple dish, but it was nice that they included in the menu some small snacks.
I and my friend shared a steak haché with mash and eggs. A steak haché is basically a French hamburger. I found it very good, with the beef juice adding some flavor to the mix.
Then both I and my friend had the signature Polux burger coming with fries.
It was a relatively small burger (or I should say “compact”), with bacon and a good amount cheese melting around the patty. I think that some sauce was dripped on the buns as well. But there was a twist (in what I would call Pairet’s style): the lower bun was “excavated” to firmly accommodate the beef patty and some extra condiments (asparagus?). The overall flavor was on the spicy side.
We drank the namesake iced tea, that was not regular iced tea (again one of those twists that made Pairet’s cuisine a favorite of mine): it was a concoction with verbena, orange, lemon, apple, cucumber, and mint. The result was quite pleasant.
The check
Total check was 528 RMB (or 40 USD per person). Was it worth it? Wast it good? Will I go back?
To answer context is important. 40 USD for some regular cafe food may seem pricey, but this is Shanghai, where Western food, good one, is hard to come by at this price point. From this point of view, the final check was more than fair.
In an interview that I read (sorry, I cannot find the link) Pairet explained that they intended to offer good unpretentious everyday food, something that could be the second best for many diners. I think that they delivered what they promised and even more. Polux is good comfort food with a twist here and there (and to be fair, the brunch menu was quite extensive and I wish I had tried their cheek beefsteak, their croque, and some of the egg dishes).
Finally, you have to consider that you are in Xintiandi, an upscale district not famous for its gourmet food. Polux from this point of view is a game changer.
I totally see myself going back and digging into their menu. And that Shake Shack is just around the corner is another big plus.
Where in Shanghai: No. 5, Lane 181, Taicang Lu, by Huangpi Nan Lu In Chinese: 太仓路181弄5号, 近黄陂南路 Nearest metro: two blocks south of Huangpi South Road (line 1). Note: close to Xintiandi number 1 heritage house.
