Monthly Archives: November 2013

Nov 30 2013
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Burger reviews, Decent, Hong Kong, Tai Hang

Peace square (closed)

Homemade burger.

Homemade burger.

Peace square

The homemade burger is decent. There isn’t anything too special about this hamburger in terms of taste. However, you’ll notice that most of the ingredients in the burger feel fresh, and as the restaurant’s name suggests, once the burger lightly falls into your stomach it’ll make you feel some peace after the show is over. Unlike most burgers, your stomach won’t feel too brimming – and thus, if you’re in the area, it’s a decent burger to enjoy during lunch on those ‘lean’ days. The whole wheat bread is fluffy and light with a pleasant taste, the fresh vegetables crunch, and the fried egg, bacon, and beef patty seemed to have been cooked with ‘lean’ in mind; all these ingredients, together with a tiny amount of spillage from oil and juices, create a burger that will certainly give you a ‘healthy’ sensation – one that’ll allow you to go back to your office with a content stomach to carry on working.

As wholesome as this burger is, the taste is somewhat off-balanced. The cheese, which appears to be a slice of Kraft’s singles, and the bacon pass almost unnoticed – in the background without an indication of their presence. The beef, overwhelmed by certain herbaceousness, loses its strength from what I believe is an attempt to give a more ‘green’ presentation. Perhaps the best addition to this burger is the sunny side up egg with a runny yolk, once the top bun is in place the yolk bursts covering the inside with that delicious baby chicken juice. Chips with the burger are always a let down.

Peace square, in Tin Hau, is a quiet and relaxing restaurant with a homely feeling. Probably all the food, like the burger, has been prepared with a hearty purpose. At 78.00 HKD, the burger is quite affordable. Still, I wouldn’t recommend you to go out of your way to much for this burger, but if you’re in the area and want a light lunch might as well try it.

Peace Square
G/F., No. 146-146A Tung Lo Wan Road
Tin Hau, Hong Kong
+852 2508 6369
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Nov 25 2013
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Admiralty, Burger reviews, Decent, Hong Kong

Simplylife Bakery Cafe

Beef burger with blue cheese and bacon

Beef burger with blue cheese and bacon

Simplylife bakery cafe

The first impression from this burger is that its visually quite appetizing, glaring over the counter at a couple of burgers one can hardly wait to take the first bite. The burger, which properly reflects the restaurant’s name, appears simple, enticing, and well proportioned. However, as good as the burger looks, as one proceeds to chow down, its possible to notice that the perfect burger taste is not quite there – the balanced aesthetic slowly crumples at the almost unbalanced taste.

The arrival of the beef, which’s entrance looks superb, is hindered by a hard to distinguish, heavy presence of herbs; while herbs can greatly enhance flavors, in this case, it is my opinion, that this ‘herby taste’ takes away from the ‘beef’ savor – one that is so important to a good burger balance. The overall performance of the beef is also lessen by a dryness that doesn’t allow the meat to tear, but instead break into chunks. The burger is accompanied by a hunky fried tomato, which feels a little too big, and soused red onions; both which are quite sour and overpowering, further add to the burger’s imbalance. The bun, which is of a good bakery’s quality, is cushiony and fresh; the bread is soft without tearing apart. The burger is well built, but there are some faults. The bacon, while good in taste, is a little too tough as it pulls itself out from between the bun and the patty on certain bites. Which leads to either tearing the bacon with your fingers and tucking it back inside or eating the rest without that sweet bacon inside. The blue cheese in enjoyable, and the french fries are great.

The restaurant has a clean simple environment, and inside Queensway Plaza there isn’t much of a view except for all the different pastries at the counter. At around 100.00 HKD the burger has a moderate price range. If you are in Queensway Plaza and want a reasonably priced burger you might as well try it, but don’t go out of your way for this hamburger.

Simplylife Bakery Cafe
Shop B05-06, 1/F, Queensway Plaza,
Admiralty, Hong Kong
+852 2529 6602
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Nov 20 2013
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Burger reviews, Central, Hong Kong, Majestic

MO Bar at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental

Traditional burger with blue cheese and hickory smoked bacon.

Traditional burger with blue cheese and hickory smoked bacon.

MO BarThe traditional burger is definitely one of the most satisfying burgers I’ve had in Hong Kong. The burger has a rich balanced flavor, which makes it possible to enjoy both the ‘burger’ taste and the individual ingredients; because of the distinct sharp and salty characteristic of the blue cheese this ingredient does stand out more than others, but not to the point that it takes away from the beef or drowns the burger down. The beef, Wagyu beef, is cooked perfectly – properly seared with a well-cooked outer layer and a warm delicate pink center, and has a strong clean beef taste undisturbed by the addition of other ingredients.

Throughout the experience the burger maintains its shape, it’s sturdy, tender, and easy to eat – which is one of the great qualities of this burger. Every mouthful tears into the whole burger with the smallest amount of force, it feels like your teeth glide through each bite and the taste gently lands on your palate. I’m sure that this patty is massaged properly, and good care is given to the patty as well as the rest of the ingredients. The bread is a soft multi-cereal bun, fresh and toasted, that holds the burger together until the end. The vegetables also enhance the burger, the lettuce is finely shredded and in addition to having fresh tomatoes the burger is accompanied by a tomato and red onion relish; which adds a semi-sour but pleasant tomato/onion tang. The softly crispy bacon also makes a distinguished appearance. This all culminates in a well build burger that has an incredibly good and balanced taste, a flavor that is strongly accentuated by the tenderness of the whole burger. The french fries are also great.

MO Bar has a nice ambiance to it, it is and it does feel like a hotel bar, and at the ground level of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental you’ll get a view of Queen’s Road. It does feel like a place to sit back and enjoy a drink and/or dinner – I had a pretty good man-date with a friend there. At 258.00 HKD for the burger, and 33.00 HKD for each additional topping, the burger is a little pricey – after you’ve tried it once the price might keep you at bay for only special occasions, but its worth at least one try.

MO Bar at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental
15 Queen’s Road Central,
The Landmark,
Central, Hong Kong
+852 2132 0188
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