CLOSED: The Butchers Club Burger, Clarke Quay: Recommended by The Michelin Star Street Food Guide

By Rubbish Eat Rubbish Grow on June 21, 2016 • ( 5 Comments )

“I’ve a craving for burgers. Let’s go to The Butchers Club Burger at Clarke Quay,” I urged.

Huccalyly said, “Butches Club? Is it a new lesbian club? Do lesbians eat meat?”

The Butchers Club Burger in Hong Kong is listed in The Michelin Street Food Guide 2016. The international director of the Guide, Michael Ellis, claims that the burgers were “some of the best” he had. Time Out and Bloomberg award them the best burgers.

They use a mixture of cuts from dry-aged Black Angus Australian beef. The menu is limited, only 2-4 beef burgers, a fish burger, and a chicken burger. Sides? Only duck fat fries ($8), which is worth ordering. Thick, chunky, hot, very shiok.

Water isn’t complimentary; soft drinks and bottled water start from $5 and bottled beer at $12.

We ignored the fish and chicken burger and went for Double Happiness ($38, above and below), and Wu Tang Style ($25). Double Happiness, as the name suggests, has twice of everything: double beef patties, and double cheese, more suited for American appetites than Asian. The buttered toasted bun is crispy, giving an overall rich, robust texture to the burger. There is a sweetness—maple syrup?—which counterbalances the savoriness.

The other burger, Wu Tang (below), is not too bad: sriracha, cheese, kimchi, kewpie mayo, and tempura sweet potato.

There are two major faults of the burgers. First, the salt. It is either too salty, or no salt. The Wu Tang is salty enough to cause kidney failure. The Double Happiness has no salt at the edges—read: bland—and too much salt at the centre.

Secondly, although the patties are perfectly cooked, pinkish in the middle, the flavoring is a tad bland. They should look into the flavoring, which they call it their “secret seasoning blend.”

But the service makes up for the salt and seasoning. There is a cheerful Malay waitress that is efficient, attentive, and friendly.

On the whole, the burgers are not bad, but it is expensive. Including 2 beers, we spent $120 for two persons. If it’s about $30-$40/pax, it would be more reasonable.