Burger Brief: Beloved Lebanese Expat Dikran Bounces Back to Serve Vegan Burgers at Plan B

Burger Brief takes a look at some of the attendees of the Beijinger's 2017 Burger Cup. Help push your favorite Beijing burger through the latest round of voting here.

A mere six months after a brush with death, Dikran Gullekian has not only survived but is back and thriving. The Armenian-Lebanese expat – who has long been well known for his wryly jovial presence at various functions, WeChat foodie groups, and for his animal rights activism – was with a diagnosed with an abdominal aneurysm last December, leaving his doctors and loved ones to wonder if he would pull through. One of his friends even wrote on WeChat at the time "though the surgery was a success, he's still lying in the ICU, unconscious, and in danger."

The expat community thankfully rallied behind him, raised enough money for his expensive care, and before long he was on the mend. Now, less than half a year later, Gullekian is back at work in the F&B scene that he loves so dearly, readying veggie burgers at the popular Shuangjing restaurant and bar near his home.

Over lunch last month, Gullekian told me about his hopes to prepare time honored Lebanese dishes and partner with a restaurant to reach a wider audience. At the time he had visible lost some weight after his bout of bad health, and his voice was a bit raspier than I remember, but he was otherwise looking vital and clearly was good spirits.

Now Gullekian has finalized his plans, somehow convincing Plan B owner and beef devotee Trevor Metz to sell his veggie burgers (Metz joked in a WeChat post about hell freezing over now that his restaurant was slinging such meatless fare).

Metz also announced that the veggie burgers would be available from June 9 onward, before adding:

Dikran’s Veggie Burgers are 100 percent vegan and can be enjoyed by everyone! The burgers are made with broad beans, tofu and a medley of garden vegetables. They are hand crafted and made with care and love by Dikran and his team. We understand Beijingers are increasingly looking for healthier options and in partnership Plan B and Dikran’s Veggie Burgers are looking forward to meeting those tastes.

This will be the first in Gullekian's line of vegetarian and vegan products, many of which will be available at other venues and platforms (we'll update you with more information on that once it's available). In the meantime, Gullekian's numerous friends and followers can take joy in the fact that he has back on his feet and hard at work following his passions through these projects.

The Beijinger 2017 Burger Cup is sponsored by Bon App, Job-in, and Left Hand App. Vote now to give your favorite burger a much-needed push to the finish line!

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
WeChat: 13263495040

Photos: Courtesy of Dikran and Plan B