Burgers Hong Kong

Wagyu Deli A. Five’s Signature Burger is an edible hamburger. It is another “hamburger” that suffers from a burger identity crisis, a hamburger for which creativity and burger construction has bereaved it from its burger lifeblood, one that feels as confusing as the name of the restaurant it came into existence from; a burger that remits, what was left ambivalent at first sight, disappointment.

Not built within the traditional burger construct, the hamburger relies on a litter of cut Wagyu steak strips. All carefully lined side by side atop of each other as a means to make up for what should be an easy-bite-off beef patty. With the reality being that this might be more adept to live on as a steak sandwich than its more inspiring burger brethren, tearing at the bread teeth first reaching the meat, the first encounter becomes rather tense…

Wagyu A5 is considered to be the most magnificent Japanese beef out there – raised with the most scrupulous of care, this meat should boast great fat balance, the smoothest of textures, and a juicy flavor that unfurls onto one’s sense of taste. This is not what resides inside this burger, it is not the meat of an animal that has had a better life than most humans; this is beef too vulcanized to exist between two buns, with an unrelenting texture that causes an unwanted extrication from the burger and a cusp into one’s teeth. The release is a sweetened hue and a robust greasiness that envelops to foil a beef taste that is not there.

Unfocusing the attention from the meat, surveying the rest of the ingredients, there’s a slight appeasement of that that could have been. When one notices the burger without the meat chunks this tormentful anguish intensifies, leaving one with a sorrowful sense for the remaining parts. The bun has a tender softness in touch and taste that keeps its roundness; the fine chopped lettuce feels crisp and vegetative; and the onion, slightly fried, is soft and sweet. The touch of Dijon might be a slight too much, but it doesn’t lessen the burger. The fries, seasoned nicely, are good.

Not worth 118.00 HKD, this is a hamburger whose disheartening burger taste balance glaringly falls from the grasps of burger decency, a burger experience is delivered that feels somewhat substandard, that one can only feel deprecatory towards even with all its endeavors to become one.