Anticipated and Overrated.
I hope this burger wasn’t the creation of the celebrated restaurant and chef of Jason Atherton and his Table No. 1. But according to the waiter, the burger was from the Table No. 1 kitchen. The Wednesday happy hour special, for the value – at 88 RMB, you think you’d get a gourmet burger with a nice craft beer. But no. I was so disappointed.
Why didn’t I like this burger? It was overcooked – burnt to a crisp. Started with what looked like a nice piece of ground beef – thick and supposedly juicy. But after the first bite, I was chewing through char. Only the juices from the tomato kept the moistness in each bite. The inside of the patty was unappealingly dry. Since I was hungry, I have to admit that I finished it, with the tomatoes and red onions keeping me on course.
This isn’t Texas, where they like their steaks well done. But this is Shanghai, where I guess, they don’t understand how to cook a decent burger. Perhaps, they are used to McDonald’s where the patties are thin and cooked all the way through. I don’t know.
I haven’t been to Table No. 1, thought I had hoped to go soon. But I just might delay it, for just a bit longer. My friends have raved about Table No. 1 and it is on my short list of places.
I surely hope that this was a one time thing. I’d be tempted to try it again, since I am sucker for burgers. But for now – stay away from the burger – the RMB 88 burger at the Waterhouse.
What to Order:
What not to Order: the burger (/cry)
Rating
0 Pigs
Price Range 3 $/¥/NT
Links
Smart Shanghai, Enjoy Shanghai, Timeout Shanghai, Dianping, Dining Secretary, Dining City, Tom Eats Jen Cooks, CNN Go
http://www.tableno-1.com/
http://waterhouseshanghai.com/
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