BJ Burger Wars: First Floor Vs Luga’s

Put up yer dukes, beef boffins, as Burger Versus Burger moves into round 3. Our ongoing mission: to discover if this city of duck, doujiang and 'intestine explodes the pot' has any serious burger contenders. This contest: two Sanlitun Houjie heavyweights going bun to bun. Which of these backstreet beef injections will come away smiling?

In the red corner: Mini Burger, First Floor. RMB 65.

The brief. Hold up. This was a conundrum. First Floor has two ‘standard’ burgers on the menu. First, The Burger. Basic “chophouse style” burger on a bun with fries. Seems the obvious choice, right? But what about 1F Burger? Billed as “made with our signature blend of spices.” Fortunately the menu has the answer – Mini Burgers – any two on the menu, in micro. Fuwuyuan!

The bite. Lightly toasted, soft, sesame-covered buns, ever so slightly sweet, mushing into rough-shaped, charred patties with a juicy, beefy whack. Both burgers taste like they’ve got a bit of chilli in the mix. No idea which is which.

The beef. Properly smashed, rustic meat with chunky grain, juicy as you like and tangy with added spice. Looks like bits of carrot in there too. Hmmm. One is cooked medium well (as requested), the other worryingly rare in the middle. Oops.

The bits. Shredded salad leaves, chopped tomato, lots of tomato-y mayonnaise. American cheese on one; a tiny postage stamp of tangy Swiss on the other.

Harmonious society. Mini burgers have a tendency to deconstruct, and these are no different. But - some of the best beef flavors yet. Admittedly, going for the minis a mistake - seemed to get the same burger, twice. What's the difference? But we like the option to mix and match some of the other varieties on offer.

Fries? Included. Little yellow grease sticks - a bit gross.

Next up …

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In the blue corner: Classic Cheese Burger, Luga's Villa. RMB 45.

The brief. A giant sesame bun, but lift the lid and the too-small patty peeks up at you like a newborn bear cub lost in a forest, or a Frisbee floating in a paddling pool. Actually it’s not that bad.

The bite. Toasted sesame bun – fresh and floury – surrounding a comparatively small, hand-shaped slab of well-done but beefy beef. Overpowering taste of American mustard, iceberg and bread.

The beef. Smoky, charred edge from the grill with half-decent beefy taste, but too dry (they didn’t ask how I wanted it cooked and it’s very well done). And just not enough of it for such a behemoth of a bun.

The bits. Yum– sliced gherkins, thinly sliced tomato, lightly grilled onions but too much iceberg lettuce. Sauce courtesy of mayo and liberally applied American mustard – on both sides of the bun. Overkill. Semi-melted slice of pale processed cheese.

Harmonious society. The bun outweighs the beef, so you end up with a few unpleasant lettuce-and-bread mouthfuls at the end. But overall, better than I was expecting, and a good price. Mainly it’s a ratio problem here. By appearing to offer more, you end up with less.

Fries? Super-salty but good and crispy. Basic but tasty.

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Luga’s put up a respectable challenge but a good burger is so much more than its constituent parts. Build quality (ask the Germans) and design (the Italians) are all-important. With that in mind, and for First Floor’s general quality across the board despite a couple of cooking hiccups, First Floor has the most to offer. (Literally - they have loads of different burgers).

Verdict: First Floor victorious. Back to the drawing board for Luga’s.

Next time: Battle of the Burger Specialists: Let’s Burger vs Blue Frog

* All opinions expressed are those of an Englishman who once went to In-&-Out in LA (he didn’t even know about the secret menu, hah) and now has the gall to write this stuff.

Previous Installments:

BJ Burger Wars II: Union Bar & Grille Vs Flamme

BJ Burger Wars I: The Box Vs Vineyard Café