2013 Burger Cup: The Den vs Let's Burger Plus
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 The Den against Let's Burger Plus.
Burger Battle Three: The Den vs Let's Burger Plus
The Den
The Den is about as old school as it gets in Beijing. Now 17 years in the same location, The Den resembles many of its patrons: an old sitting around telling stories about what things used to be like, how much better they were, and yet, there they still are. Open since 1996, their Original Beef Burger has the feel of a slightly bygone era: in the mid-1990s this was about as big and good a burger as you could get in Beijing outside a hotel. Now? Hmm...
The Burger:
True to the Burger Battles format, I went with their one and only burger choice, but didn't order any extras. It comes with tomato, lettuce, onion, a slice of white American cheese, bacon, and an egg, which can be sunnyside up or down. The egg is a bit of a conundrum -- for full egg flavor, it needs to be runny. But if it's runny, well, then it runs all over the burger, making this a bit of a mess. All of this comes on a toasted sesame bun. For RMB 40, it's a pretty good value. Certainly not the best burger I've ever had, but a solid effort, and for the price, not bad at all. It also comes with a tiny little bit of salad with Russian dressing that tastes like it was made in a gulag, and fries that, like just about everything else at The Den, taste like the oil needs to be changed. As I ate it, I thought of Eddie Murphy's "better than McDonald's" hamburger routine. This burger looks like what an eight-year-old boy whose father won't let him order a Big Mac would draw when asked what his dream burger looks like.
Price: RMB 40 (includes the egg, cheese and bacon).
Let's Burger Plus
Full disclosure: when their first venue opened in Nali Patio, I went there twice. Both times, I HATED it. Despite being overstaffed, orders had to be placed at the counter. And for a place that insisted they made gourmet burgers in every sentence they uttered, meat was only cooked whatever way the chef cooked it -- usually unevenly -- no choice of rare, medium, blackened, whatever. I was even more irked at the way Beijingers fell over themselves to praise their inconsistent and extraordinarily average products. I like Let's Seafood, although I question their use of the word "prawn," so when the Burger Battles sent me to the new front at Let's Burger Plus in Tai Gu Li north, I approached with trepidation. The new(er) premises is exceptionally pleasant, bright, with a glassed-in work area that gives an open kitchen feel without the open kitchen noise and smell.
The Burger:
This was a tough choice, as we try to choose the signature burger at each venue. Here, there are both The Original and the Let's Burger. However, the Let's Burger is a RMB 198, kitchen-sink-complete-with-tiger-prawn effort, so for the purposes of this comparison, I went for The Original. The beef patty comes with organic lettuce, tomato, onion and pickles, with a bit of mayonnaise and ketchup on a toasted burger bun. I was able to take the first couple of bites from the entire contraption, then decided to enjoy life and eat it bit by bit. The meat was juicy, although a bit unevenly cooked, and I thought it could use a bit of salt. Still, it was a pleasant surprise and a vast improvement over what was served at their earlier incarnation. The garnishes were all fresh and crispy, and I like the buns being pre-smeared. Fries are extra, but this is one of the few venues in town that understands that burgers should be served with thick steak fries, not little shoestring nonsense.
Price: RMB 68.
The Decision
Let's Burger Plus
Not even close. The Den's burger isn't a classic; it's just old. It's still a good value for the price, but that's it. Add a soft drink to that and you're back in Let's Burger Plus territory anyway. Late at night when other burger places are closed, it's just fine, but like the date you met at The Den, the light of day is fairly harsh on it.
I liked Let's Burger Plus's The Original enough that once the Burger Battles are over and I get that new heart, I plan on going back to try some of their new menu items, like the avocado burger my dining companion had that came on a black bun. This is a relaxed place with good service, with a bit of outdoor seating for the summer. Go for a burger? Sure, Let's.
