BANGKOK BURGER BLOG

Sukhumvit Rd (Landmark Hotel), Tel. 02-254-0404, Website: www.landmarkbangkok.com/huntsman.html

Rating: 6.5/10

Overview: I ended up here because I was turned away from Rib Room & Bar (RR&B) – apparently they were fully booked on Wednesday night. I suppose in the end, I should thank them as I’m sure I saved a few baht. Anyway, Huntsman Pub is located in the basement of the Landmark Hotel, which makes it pretty easy to get to (Nana BTS). I had never been in there before, and it was a lot bigger than I had imagined. There was a live band playing, so we picked a booth in the far back corner … the music was pretty good, but it was a little loud for my liking. I ordered a pint of Carlsberg and scanned the menu for burgers … with only one beef burger option, it make my decision easy.

Prime 100% Aussie Beef Burger: THB 350- (US $11.67)

“225g Aus. beef patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese and bacon on a sesame seed bun.

First impressions are big, and my first impression of this burger was that it looked much like that burger I had at the Greenhouse Restaurant (the one located just upstairs of this place). That burger tasted a bit like vomit, and I was praying that I wouldn’t have to live through that again. As it turns out, it wasn’t all that bad. While the patty was still a fry cry from perfect – way too dry and dense – it had a very nice meaty, beefy taste to it. I know it’s a hamburger, it should taste like beef … but the truth is the beef flavor many times gets “lost in the mix” so to say. Also, at 225g, you have a nice sized burger … should fill most people up. I wasn’t asked how I wanted the patty done … and I didn’t say anything because I wanted to see how they would serve it. Turns out, it’s well done. I was surprised at how dry it was for the size, really not juices at all … too bad. Anyway, I asked for cheddar and blue cheese as well as bacon on mine, and none of these toppings really added anything to the burger, which surprised me because I almost live by the rule that bacon makes everything better. The bun was ok for me – it was slightly dense, but it went ok with the size of the burger. You have your choice of regular or curly fries, which was nice. I went the curly fries, and they were ok. The Verdict: Not a killer burger or the best burger in Bangkok – the search continues.

Other:

BTS: BTS Nana

Parking: Yes

Serving time: 22 min

SPECIAL: Burger & Beer Thursday’s – thb 399 (any burger and 1 local beer)

For the last week, I have been wandering around the sites of Jordan – and I have to say that this country is simply amazing. I’d return in a second. That said, I won’t get into any of my trip’s details … I know this is a burger blog, and I’ll keep things on topic. While, I understand that this burger joint isn’t in Bangkok, or even Thailand for that matter, I thought it would still be fun to share. Actually, if I had more time and if I didn’t love hummus so much, I would have tried to go to more burger joints in Amman … they were everywhere. As it turns out, I only had a chance to make it to one … and that place was Hardee’s. I’m sure that many of you haven’t heard about this place before, but I grew up with it in the Mid-west … it was about a 1/2 mile down the road from our Mc Donald’s. Anyway, aside from being a part of my childhood memories, Hardee’s is in fact a sister property of Carl’s Jr – which is poised to open very soon here in BKK, same cute star and all.

So here’s the beef. I ordered the Big Hardee – the burger on special.

Big Hardee JD 2.75- / THB 121-/ USD 4.03

What I got./What they promised.

To keep things short, I’ll just say that more of this burger ended up in the trash than in my stomach. I’m sure that some of this can be due to the fact that I was not hungry at all when I ordered it, but I think it also comes down to the burger being pretty dry and bland, let’s just hope that when Carl’s Jr. opens up here their burgers are better than what their sister property serves. The Verdict: Not the best burger outside of Bangkok. (:

Pholyothin Soi 5 (Soi Ratchakru), Tel. 02-617-3950, Website: Facebook page

Rating: 7.5/10

Overview: Someone wrote to me about this place a few weeks ago and ever since then I wanted to check it out. Aside from the fact that he told me it was good burger, I thought it would be a nice change of scenery as a lot of my reviews have been in the Sukhumvit area. Having been an Ari area resident for a number of years, I knew the area and it wasn’t difficult to find at all. In fact if you go down Pholyothin Soi 5, once you get to the T-junction, just keep going straight and there it is. My first impression was a good one. It’s a small, but cozy space built-up in a row of townhouses. There’s both indoor and outdoor seating, and when I was there they had a live band playing music. For the life of me, I can’t remember what they were playing, but it must not have been bad, otherwise I would remember. Anyway, I found a seat in the back and ordered a burger … as there was only one, it made my decision easy.

Tanyamama Burger: THB 160- (US $5.33)

“100g beef patty, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, cheese, mayo and special sauce on a toasted sesame seed bun.”

After my first bite, only one thought came to mind – tastes like a Big Mac, only better. Honestly, it has been quite some time since I’ve eaten a Big Mac, but if my memory serves me right, it tastes something like this burger. I attribute that to the “special sauce” and pickles – almost any fast food burger joint’s “signature” burger has both of these! Anyway, this was a busy burger, so many flavors between one bun – but somehow it worked. The 100g Thai beef patty was pretty good. There was quite a bit of seasoning in it, but not too much to be offensive. My only gripe was that I did find quite a few bits of gristle. I’m sure if I was starving and opted to inhale my burger rather then bite and chew it, I could have easily missed them. All the toppings were fine – as was the special sauce, although I did think there was a tad too much of it. Sort of reminded me of a mayo mustard mix/1,000 island dressing (without the chunks). The bun for me fell short. While it seemed to be a custom-made bun (i.e. not standard Villa 6-pack variety), I thought the bottom was  a bit dry and the top sort of chewy – again, maybe it had been frozen and then thawed in the microwave??? Or maybe I’m just being overly picky. The fries were your standard variety, but very nicely seasoned with Parmesan cheese – big thumbs up for that!  The Verdict: All-around, pretty good burger. Not the best burger in Bangkok, but I would return for round 2.

Other:

BTS: BTS Ari

Serving time: 14 min