2013 Burger Cup: Nola vs Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q
The Beijinger Burger Cup is back for another year and this your chance to vote for your favorite burgers before we arrange a face-to-face cook-off in August to determine the winner.
This year, we begin with Burger Battles: a series of face-offs pitting Beijing beef patties against each other. These will not necessarily reflect the ultimate match-ups in our Burger Cup bracket, but give burger fans and burger chefs an idea as to how the product may fare in the final competition.
Visit our website often for Burger Battles, updates on the Cup, and more on how you can participate in voting and other burger activities.
Round 3 pits Nola against Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q.
Burger Battle Two: Nola vs Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q
Nola
CBD stalwart Nola is best known for its po-boys, gumbo and a popular weekday lunch buffet, which includes cornbread and deviled eggs; but their signature Nola Burger is also a standout. Mondays from 6-8pm features a buy-one-get-one free deal on the burger, which you can get with extra egg, bacon and avocado for RMB 10 each.
The Burger:
I opted for bacon and avocado (not a fan of eggs on patties) as extras for my Nola Burger, which came on a lightly toasted, black sesame whole wheat bun with a taste and texture not unlike a lao Beijing shaobing. The rest of the "fixin's" included large slices of purple onion and deli style pickles, all of which were a nice complement without overpowering the taste of the burger itself. Patty size was generous and offered a satisfying first bite, but after a few minutes the juices from the burger caused the bun fall apart – I ended up having to eat the rest with a fork and knife, which is akin to drinking soup through a straw. Structural integrity issues aside, it's a decent burger that I'd order again and eating on Nola's breezy second-floor terrace is one of the best dining experiences in Beijing.
Price: RMB 68 (RMB 10 for extra avocado, bacon or a fried egg)
Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q Another veteran, Tim's brings a taste of the Lone Star State to Beijing in a tchotchke-filled environment worthy of a Texas roadhouse. The house specialty is, of course, the bar-b-q, which comes slow cooked in a wood-fired oven (try the beef brisket and wash it down with their beers on tap), but their burgers, which include the 'Classic' (RMB 48, RMB 53 with cheese), the 'Border' (RMB 62), the 'Mexican' (RMB 62, see below), the 'Mushroom Melt' (RMB 62) and the 'European' (65, served with steak and bleue cheese) are also noteworthy contenders for Beijing's best.
Mexican Burger: Tim's "Mexican Burger" comes on a no-nonsense toasted bun with a side of fat Cajun seasoned potato wedges. The fat patty is generously smothered in melted cheddar covered in a bed of shredded lettuce and a dollop of subtly spicy guacamole. This burger offers a generous first bite, but I found the patty somewhat lacking in flavor (or "beefiness," if you will. On the flip side there were no structural integrity problems here – the burger buns held up well to the juices and I enjoyed my meal sans silverware. Plus, scarfing down a burger while listening to a soundtrack of Willie Nelson, Jonny Cash and Patsy Cline is always a good thing.
Price: RMB 62
The Decision
Tim's Texas Bar-B-Q
For taste and presentation the Nola Burger had the edge – the bacon, fresh avocado and deli pickles were the highlights, and the whole grain bread was a nice touch for the health-conscious. But alas, I'm compelled to give this round to Tim's simply because a proper burger shouldn't fall apart after a few bites – not to mention I wasn't given a choice of fries for the side in the former, which was perhaps an oversight on the part of the server but important nonetheless. Eating a burger with a salad seems wholly unsatisfying.
Tim's is by no means perfect – the "guacamole" leaves something to be desired and their patty could use more flavor but it's still a solidly satisfying burger and good enough to take this round.
