Sunday, November 22, 2009

Fancy Burger Dinner at Duke's Burger


Yay! Friday night!
It's the night where...I get to dine out.
No busting my brain thinking of what to cook, no cooking, no washing (not that I often wash ^_^, that's sous chef's responsibility).

I was in the mood for some good burger.

Thought about McDonald's or Burger King, but sous chef didn't wanna waste his calorie quota on them. Outback's cheese burger would have been a safe choice for a simple, hearty and juicy burger with delicious fries, but I felt like trying something new.

So, Duke's burger it is.



The place is pretty, somewhere at the obvious corner of Staunton Street, Soho. We got the most conspicuous table of all, right by the street. This is why we should reserve eh? I wasn't exactly planning to see nor to be seen that night....as you can see from the following photograph...



Ew. Sorry for ruining your appetite.

However, the spot was perfect for photography. Food, or any sexiness that passes by (which unfortunately was one T_T).


For those who doesn't do alcohol, try this mocktail, named Temple Street (HK$56). It has grenadine, sprite, watermelon juice and cherry. I can't relate the drink to Temple Street...but whatever. It's quite a refreshing drink, would be perfect for summer.

Sous chef had the Braised Wagyu Oxtail and Iberian Chorizo with Manchego Cheese and Saffron Onion (the first picture of this post), HK$168. Juice squirted out of the burger patty when it was sliced. When I asked sous chef what he thought of his order, he said "not bad". Duh! I tasted a bit of the patty, couldn't taste any chorizo there, the meat was pretty juicy, but, sadly, it could've been a regular ground beef.


I always love my burgers with crispy-outside-fluffy-inside thick cut fries, but I thought I'd give their sweet potato fries a try. It's pretty good, fluffy, sweet and savoury at the same time, but tasted pretty weird with ketchup (served with). Won't order this again with my burger next time.



I ordered their specialty, the Braised US Short Ribs & Truffles with Foie Gras, Haricot Vert and Shimeji Mushrooms (HK$198). When I sliced the patty, again, there was some juice oozing out, so visually, I was convinced. However, the patty wasn't all that. I would probably love to have the braised short ribs not in the form of burger, it dried out a little and not as flavorful as I expected it to be. I hardly met any foie gras I didn't like, and I liked this one too. Both fancy burgers were served with half a bun, which wasn't too buttery nor toasty nor fluffy. Maybe it was the cold weather or where we were seated, but everything went cold almost instantly.

Call me unsophisticated or old fashioned, but I still prefer my good ol' burgers to have two buttery buns, juicy and tasty beef burger patty, with a good amount of melted cheese.
Either pricey fancy burgers are just not my thing, or just Duke's fancy burgers in particular.
Did the experience put me off trying more fancy burgers?
Nope, the quest shall still continue.


Just in case you wanna try...

Update: this place has closed down
Duke's Burger & Grill
5 Staunton St, Central, Hong Kong
Tel. +852 2526 7062

5 comments:

Jason said...

Woohoo! Only 5 more days to yet another Friday, it is about time to think of where to dine to use up those calorie quota wisely and deliciously :)

And yes, I like my burgers with two crispy yet buttery buns and there is no other ways to enjoy a burger except with both hands .. yeah! :)

Cooking Gallery said...

I am not a fan of burgers from those junkfood chains like McD, Burger King, etc, but I do admit that homemade burgers can be very tasty and that burger you ordered from Duke's looks like a homemade burger, yum!

sparklingcosmic said...

Cmon, bad hair day and you still look pretty? hehe..
i really like your photos..it does give a warm effect.

Shanks said...

Interesting flavours for a burger. The burger I ordered in Venice didn't come with any bun lol!!

Gastronommy said...

ah, very fair review! I wish you had a chance to try Duke's Burger while the original executive chef was still around.

Also, I know Duke likes to put the prettier girls by the window/outside seat. ;)