[HK] BLT Burger @ Harbour City
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
After some weeks of travelling amidst which involving lots of important life-changing decisions, I had finally settled down in Hong Kong! Henceforth upcoming entries from myself would be focused primarily on some of the selected eateries, since I am pretty much overwhelmed by the abundance of good food wherever I head to!
Even though we had just returned from UK not too long ago, the lure of burgers can indeed be irresistible. Spoilt for choice as usual on any dining outing, we decided to queue for a table at BLT Burger, located in the convenient hotspot of Tsim Sha Tsui. After some 25-30 minutes of waiting, we were finally shown to a table. This casual looking restaurant featured exposed brickwalls, naturally worn wooden floors and a dark pressed tin ceiling. If you get lucky (especially difficult on weekends), diners could enjoy sea views from their tables or enjoy a sporting game at the live bar.
With our stomachs growling louder than the buzzing shuffle of busy feet of servers and diners alike, we placed our orders briefly and waited in anticipation!
5 Spice 'Chinese' Chicken Salad (HK$85/-)
BLT Burger certainly swept me off the feet with the creative names of some of their dishes, which included salads and burgers. First up was this unique '5 Spice' salad, which caught our attention almost instantly when we were eyeing for an appetizer to kick-start the meal. '5 Spice' should be a common fare for most Chinese (五香), though the '5 spices' marinade was ordinarily applied on meat dishes.
Served with grilled marinated chicken breast slices, cilantro, napa cabbage, carrot and cucumber, and drizzled with the unique '5 Spice' sauce, it provided an interesting fusion touch to the diners' palette. The grilled chicken breast was nothing too fanciful, and tasted rather dry and rather stiff. What saved the salad was the good variety of texture in each mouthful bite and of course the viscous '5 Spice' dressing that accompanied the dish, which gave a mildly heavy, dense and rich aftertaste to the simple tasting salad. The dressing tasted rich in a good sense and not MSG-saturated.
Well, it might taste too rich and creamy to some, especially those who cannot stand peanut butter, otherwise you should love it. A somewhat love and hate relationship, though it would be more of the latter for me considering the amount of calories packed into the glass! It was however in my opinion, overpriced.
Even though we had just returned from UK not too long ago, the lure of burgers can indeed be irresistible. Spoilt for choice as usual on any dining outing, we decided to queue for a table at BLT Burger, located in the convenient hotspot of Tsim Sha Tsui. After some 25-30 minutes of waiting, we were finally shown to a table. This casual looking restaurant featured exposed brickwalls, naturally worn wooden floors and a dark pressed tin ceiling. If you get lucky (especially difficult on weekends), diners could enjoy sea views from their tables or enjoy a sporting game at the live bar.
With our stomachs growling louder than the buzzing shuffle of busy feet of servers and diners alike, we placed our orders briefly and waited in anticipation!
5 Spice 'Chinese' Chicken Salad (HK$85/-)
BLT Burger certainly swept me off the feet with the creative names of some of their dishes, which included salads and burgers. First up was this unique '5 Spice' salad, which caught our attention almost instantly when we were eyeing for an appetizer to kick-start the meal. '5 Spice' should be a common fare for most Chinese (五香), though the '5 spices' marinade was ordinarily applied on meat dishes.
Served with grilled marinated chicken breast slices, cilantro, napa cabbage, carrot and cucumber, and drizzled with the unique '5 Spice' sauce, it provided an interesting fusion touch to the diners' palette. The grilled chicken breast was nothing too fanciful, and tasted rather dry and rather stiff. What saved the salad was the good variety of texture in each mouthful bite and of course the viscous '5 Spice' dressing that accompanied the dish, which gave a mildly heavy, dense and rich aftertaste to the simple tasting salad. The dressing tasted rich in a good sense and not MSG-saturated.
Verdict: 7.5/10
The Classic Combo (HK$148/-)
Like the name suggested, it was a classic 7oz. grilled certified Angus beef. For a very long time yet, I never quite figured out what was 7oz. equivalent to until some check revealed that 1oz. = 28.3495gms, so the steak sandwiched between the buns was a good 200gms of red meat.
Not the most perfect steak grill which would usually exhibit the classic nice diamond pattern of grill marks, it was however very juicy and locked in the juices of the tender meat well. It was a very well-balanced steak with the right amount of fats to complement. Served as a combo set with waffle fries, a small coleslaw side and a glass of soda, I personally felt that I could get better value for money elsewhere, though the thick slab of meat patty was indeed well-marinated and cooked. On a side note, the waffle fries was a plus since it was not commonly available, but the coleslaw was just about average standard.
Verdict: 7.0/10
Australian Wagyu Burger Combo Set (HK$188/-)
A 7oz. grilled Ningaloo Farm Australian Wagyu Beef Burger. When it comes to Wagyu Beef, most people would commonly associate it to originate from Japan, which was no surprise considering Japan being the biggest market and producer. However, in the Australasia region, Western Australia offers the second largest breed association of both full and cross blood Wagyu cattle. The Australian Wagyu cattle are generally grain fed for the last 300-500 days of production and usually have red wine added to their feed. With great anticipation, we waited for its arrival...
Prepared and served prime in medium-rare cooked grill, the Wagyu beef somewhat tasted not too different from the classic burger served. It tasted good but we were left slightly disappointed perhaps with too great hopes pinned prior to the burger being served. This reminded me of the S$108 Wagyu Beef Burger (equivalent to about HK$650) that used to be served at Uberburger, Millenia Walk, Singapore. It unfortunately closed down several years ago, and I had not been able to find a close competitor (in terms of taste) to it still! It was however a reasonable deal with a portion of fat fries, coleslaw and soda at HK$188 but on hindsight, I might have just gone for the Classic burger.
Verdict: 6.5/10
'Canton Road' Burger (HK$88/-)
Now, the name itself already warranted a second glance, well at least it appealed to me. I would never quite have thought of ordering a Cantonese version of burger, it was almost like Sweet & Sour Fish n Chips in a way...or not. Anyhow, after a disappointing tasting of the Wagyu Beef burger, we were pleasantly surprised by this 'Canton Road'!
A primarily pork and shrimp burger, it came with a thin layer of plum sauce and Chinese chilli spread across a herb salad, cucumbers and finally topping off with a special Sirracha Mayo. Just ignore the fanciful wordings for a brief second and sink your teeth into the burger and you would not regret. The abundance of flavours and varied texture could be tasted almost instantly upon the first bite. It tasted refreshing, unique and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed myself. No one single dressing or sauce surpassed and overwhelmed the other, giving the burger a very wholesome and balanced taste, with the slight chilli fiery to titillate your taste buds. But importantly, it scored points for being uniquely different.
Verdict: 8.0/10
Spiced BBQ Baby Back Ribs: Apple Coleslaw & Corn Bread (HK$148)
This was about the best dish for the evening. The ribs had a fair portion of fats and the spiced BBQ sauce used for the marinade was very addictive. It was cooked to perfection and the meat tasted tender, soft and carrying the juice and fragrance from the fats. I would personally not pay too much attention to the two sides that came with the ribs. Would highly recommend the ribs over the burgers if I may offer a fair opinion.
Verdict: 8.5/10
Right as we left our stomachs to digest the abundance of meat from dinner, my lady took notice of the milkshakes offered and there we go, more calories for the evening!
Monkey Business (HK$68/-)
Came at quite a hefty price though for a glass of milkshake, but this is certainly no monkey business! Comes blended with chocolate ice cream, peanut butter and banana.
Well, it might taste too rich and creamy to some, especially those who cannot stand peanut butter, otherwise you should love it. A somewhat love and hate relationship, though it would be more of the latter for me considering the amount of calories packed into the glass! It was however in my opinion, overpriced.
Verdict: 7.5/10
Minus the queue, BLT Burger was a decent place for a meal, though expect prices to be slightly on the high side. Having just returned from UK, it would be difficult not to draw comparisons, but for the quality of meat and food served, there was some credibility and value in those prices. It would probably be a good place to chill and hang out with friends after work. On the whole, we felt that it was an 'Okay' dining experience, nothing too spectacular but certainly above average.
BLT Burger
Shop 301, Level 3
Ocean Terminal, Harbour City
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Tel: (+852) 2730 2338
Currently listening to 'Simply Amazing' by Trey Songz
0 comments