 Le
Yummy
Let’s
face it – about the only thing that’s “Frenchified”
in this restaurant is its name – Le Burger Brasserie.
Everything else – from the menu items down to the giant plasma
screens, servers in short shorts and knee highs and the ultra modern
décor screams American. Not that it’s bad. In fact,
it works quite well and everything gels nicely. Nothing like sports,
grilled meat and giant TV screens to bring men together. And the
food? It’s actually quite good and surprisingly very affordable.
If anything, I find it (though it may not be the case) very tongue-in-cheek
on the hotel’s part to name the restaurant as is and have
a menu solely dedicated to what is possibly the most American food
ever – the humble burger.
It’s
a simple premise, you choose your meat – from beef, chicken,
lamb, salmon and vegetarian – then select any additional toppings,
top that off with a side order of fries and a drink and you’re
done. In this sense, it’s pretty much like fast food, but
wait until you see the menu.  For this isn’t Mickey D’s, this
is a burger with bells and whistles. I spent a good ten minutes
mentally trying out combinations and trying to form my ideal burger,
so I thought I would ask for some help from our server, Melissa
who said that while there were others who went ‘the whole
hog with crazy combinations,’ most opt for the burger combinations
already listed in the menu.
Being
the carnivores we are, everyone in our group opted for the beef
burger. If the taste was anything to go by, then we’re sure
the other types of burgers would be just as delicious. I ordered
‘the classic’ but added a deluxe topping of foie gras.
For the rest, we ordered Le Paris which comes with brie, caramelized
onions and smoked bacon; Le American (L’Americaine) served
with American cheese, sautéed mushrooms and fried onion rings;
the poulet mignon which was chicken tenders, plus a fries sampler
– consisting of waffle, ranch and shoestring potatoes. We
ordered no alcoholic drinks, though they were featured prominently
in the menu, but instead opted for some milkshakes and lemonade.
 The
range of toppings are varied. Diners can select from five sections
– garden, proteins, dairy, sauces and deluxe toppings. Practically
every additional ingredient that you can think of adding to your
burger is listed, such as avocado, caramelized onions, cole slaw,
grilled onions, roasted peppers, sautéed mushrooms, for the
‘garden’ department; then there’s smoked bacon,
pancetta, prosciutto, cooked ham or a fried egg for ‘protein;’
listed under ‘dairy’ are a range of cheeses –
brie, bleu, American, cheddar, goat, mozzarella, parmesan, pepperjack,
provolone, swiss and smoked gouda. Let’s not forget the sauces
– thousand island, balsamic vinaigrette, black olive paste,
caesar, bleu cheese dressing, cranberry sauce, lemon aioli, salsa,
pesto and more. My favorite section is ‘deluxe toppings’
where you will find crabmeat, guacamole, foie gras, smoked salmon
and grilled shrimp.
In addition,
all burgers are served with classic iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, red
onion and pickle plus a choice of artisanal bread or bun –
sesame seed, parmesan cheese, caramelized onion or oven-dried tomato
ciabatta - baked fresh daily.
 If
that hasn’t made your mouth water yet, then there are some
snacks that you can start off with such as chicken wings, potato
skins, quesadillas, shrimp cocktail, burger sliders and even soups
and salads.
Specialty
Room Chef Erik Moritz, who studied at Le Cordon Bleu Australia,
is pleased about the way the restaurant turned out and is not at
all bothered by comments that he’s merely ‘flipping
burgers.’ He adds, “We’ve only been open since
March and yet we have the highest satisfaction rating among the
other restaurants here.” We tend to agree – the burgers
were juicy, done to perfection and the convivial atmosphere, with
the occasional shouts of “Goal!” certainly contributed
to the friendly, laid-back vibe of the place.
And what
of the infamous $777 Kobe burger? (a Kobe beef and Maine lobster
burger with caramelized onions, imported Brie, crispy prosciutto
and 100-year aged balsamic vinegar and served with Rose Dom Perignon
Champagne) I asked if anyone has ever ordered it and he said “We’ve
had five, actually. The first one thought it was $7.77, though he
was okay with it afterwards; and one lady came back for a second
time with her daughter.”
We were
way too full to order desserts but plan to try the beignets or brioche
donuts the second time round. So yes, I would definitely come back,
but being female, I’m probably going to skip football season.
-Rachel
M. Sugay
Le
Burger Brasserie
Paris Hotel, Level 1. 946-4346. Open daily, 11
a.m.-10 p.m., Sunday-Thursday; till 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday.
Price range: Burgers – choice of beef, chicken, lamb, salmon,
vegetarian - $6.99 - $9.99. Toppings and additions: from 69 cents.
Snacks - $7.99 - $12.99. Soups & Salads - $4.99 - $12.99. Desserts
- $7.99. Sides and Fries - $2.99 - $8.59.
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