HOTELS
The Lobby Lounge
Address:G/F InterContinental Hong Kong, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: 2721 1211
The Classic: applewood smoked bacon, Jack cheese and red onions. HK$290
CL: Greasy and on the heavy side, bacon is thick and smoky.
BC: Thin on lettuce and tomato, but had a strong bacon flavour.
KK: Sesame bun was quite tasty, but the bottom piece was soggy. Very heavy and filling.
Cafe Gray Deluxe
Address:Level 49 The Upper House, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty
Tel: Tel: 3968 1106
Cafe Gray Black Angus Burger: caramelised onions, Gruyere, tomato confit, seasoned fries. HK$235
CL: Under-seasoned well-cooked meat. Caramelised onions and Gruyere couldn't save it from being bland.
BC: Very dry, despite the melted cheese.
KK: Arrived open-faced and had to be assembled. Soft bun, thick cheese and strong chargrilled taste.
Grand Cafe
Address:G/F Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, 1 Harbour Road, Wan Chai
Tel: 2584 7722
USDA Prime Beef Burger: grilled onions, cheddar cheese and bacon. HK$240
CL: Juicy, well-cooked and with good quality ingredients. A well-executed standard lobby burger.
BC: Patty cooked perfectly, but iceberg lettuce in a hotel burger?
KK: Least favourite in this category. Tasted slightly off, but perhaps it was the cheddar cheese.
WINNER
Cafe Causette
Address:Mezzanine Level, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, 5 Connaught Road Central
Tel: 2825 4005
Classic: onions, gherkin, with added bacon and cheddar cheese. HK$252
CL: Juicy, good char, delicious bun and great bacon. Straightforward and satisfying.
BC: Patty has solid flavour and the iceberg lettuce and tomato were chilled and crisp.
KK: Strong cheese flavour, very juicy and not messy. The patty is small though (maybe too yummy and left me wanting more). The salad was fresh.
Photo: Paul Yeung/SCMP
TAKEAWAYS
Mos Burger
Address:shop 01, Level 4A, Langham Place, 8 Argyle Street, Mong Kok
Tel: 3514 4301
Mos Burger:HK$24
CL: I don't get the hype. Period. Artificial and sugary sweet with no meaty flavour to speak of.
BC: Lacklustre flavour, unmemorable.
KK: Very lightweight. Could only taste the tomato mayo sauce. It was so small there was no chance of it being messy. Lacking beef flavour.
Chips Republic Cafe
Address:unit 2132, Level 2, Elements, 1 Austin Road West, Kowloon
Tel: 2581 1887
The Cheese Classico:HK$59
CL: Looked great, but the meat was too peppery and the cheese was not melted. Flavour dominated by Thousand Island sauce. Still, quite good for the price.
BC: The patty was very peppery, but was saved by the sauce. Nice to have a side salad.
KK: Loved the peppery taste and strong flavour of the sauce, though it drowned out the beef flavour.
CaliBurger
Address:shop A, G/F Sun Hey Mansion, 68-76 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
Tel: 2696 9008
Cheeseburger: HK$55
CL: Much improved since opening last year, closer to its inspiration, California's In-N-Out Burger. Really enjoyed it.
BC: A decent fast food burger. You can taste the char on the beef, but it was very messy.
KK: Didn't like the taste of this one at all. Sauce was very watery.
WINNER
Big Bite
Address:G/F Kar Fu Building, 196-202 Java Road, North Point
Tel: 6979 9690
The CBC Crispy Bacon Cheeseburger:HK$65
CL: Best in its class. Great chargrilled flavour, melted American cheese and thick super crisp bacon. The jalapeno peppers were a welcome surprise.
BC: Patty was perfectly cooked, the bacon had strong flavour. Overall a great burger.
KK: Bursting with flavour. Loved the chargrilled taste and Thousand Island-like sauce.
Photo: Paul Yeung/SCMP
RESTAURANTS
Ruby Tuesday
Address:shop 304, 3/F Silvercord, 30 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: 2892 0883
Classic Cheese Burger: American cheese. HK$148
CL: Deserving the name classic, the thick patty was perfectly cooked with good chargrilled flavour. Loved the American cheese.
BC: The patty was well cooked, overall the burger had a great meaty taste.
KK: Presentation a bit dull, with a soggy base and dead looking lettuce. Strong beef flavour and top bun was crunchy.
Morton's The Steakhouse
Address: 4/F Sheraton Hong Kong, 20 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: 2732 2343
Morton's Prime Burger:Swiss cheese, caramelised onions and mushroom. HK$218
CL: Too salty, and so messy it was almost impossible to eat. Liked the raw and caramelised onions.
BC: Good quality ingredients weren't enough to save the overdone patty. The cheese was very gooey, messy to eat.
KK: Served on finger-burning plate. With rich ingredients, the patty was too dry but indulgent all the same.
Dan Ryan's
Address: shop 112, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty
Tel: 2845 4600
Cheeseburger: Wisconsin Swiss cheese. HK$138
CL: Despite being overcooked, the meat had a good chargrilled flavour. The cheese was well melted and the bun was the best of the bunch.
BC: Very meaty with great chargrilled flavour, but messy to eat.
KK: Smelled appetising and certainly tasted a lot better than it looked.
WINNER
Harlan Goldstein's Comfort
Address: 5/F Grand Progress Building, 15-16 Lan Kwai Fong, Central
Tel: 2521 8638
McHarlan Burger: truffle, mushroom, bacon, sun-dried tomato, smoked gouda and shichimi mayo. HK$188
CL: They didn't ask how we wanted it cooked, but the result was still tasty if a bit over seasoned. Next time, toast the bun.
BC: Cute packaging, but too much going on which muddled the taste.
KK: Cooked medium and was very juicy and tasty. Loved the shichimi mayo, but it left the bottom bun soggy.
Photo: Paul Yeung/SCMP
BURGER JOINTS
The Diner
Address: G/F, 4-8 Arbuthnot Road, Central
Website: thediner.com.hk
Dime Burger: bacon, Monterey Jack, dill pickles and mustard mayo. Soft brioche bun with hand-cut fries and house-made apple slaw. HK$135
CL: I could have done without the brioche bun. Great meaty flavour, melted cheese, crisp veggies and bacon. Does America proud.
BC: Didn't like the soft bun. The patty had great flavour and the butter lettuce was a nice touch.
KK: I loved the fries in the mini metal frying basket. Cheese really melted into the patty but the burger was a tad bland.
The Butchers Club Burgers
Address: G/F Rialto Building, 2 Landale Street, Wan Chai
Tel: 2528 2083
Burger: HK$100
CL: Great beef and perfectly cooked, but sloppily assembled. Melted cheese would have made a world of difference.
BC: Burger didn't taste as good as when the place opened in early June, maybe because the cheese wasn't melted.
KK: Messy but tasty, very juicy and I liked the integrated taste of cheese, tomato and pickles with the crispy toasted bun (with a soggy bottom).
Big Jo's
Address: G/F Wai Cheong Building, 5-9A Gresson Street, Wan Chai
Tel: 2752 6880
Cheeseburger: HK$70
CL: A great looking burger with melted cheese, a well-toasted bun and crisp shredded lettuce. Enjoyable but unfortunately over sauced.
BC: Well prepared, except for the tart Thousand Island sauce.
KK: Very juicy and I loved the sauce.
Photo: Dickson Lee
Best of the Best WINNER
Beef & Liberty
Address: 2/F, 23 Wing Fung Street, Wan Chai
Tel: 2811 3009
Cheeseburger: Ogleshield cheese and house barbecue sauce. HK$99
CL: Perfectly balanced and carefully assembled, slightly underdone patty was saved by the great quality meat, crisp sweet pickles and tart barbecue sauce. Near perfect.
BC: Choice ingredients used for this almost perfectly executed burger.
KK: Pickles, sauce, cheese and patty in perfect harmony, high scores across the board for ingredients, preparation, presentation and juiciness.
Photo: Paul Yeung/SCMP
