The Beijinger 2013 Burger Festival Finalist: Blue Frog

As we head into the home stretch, with the Beijinger 2013 Burger Cup culminating this Saturday in the Beijinger 2013 Burger Festival at Beijing City International School (BCIS), we are profiling all of our finalists before they cook off, face-to-face, for the title.

Update: Blue Frog has withdrawn from the 2013 Burger Festival. Although they will not participate, fans of their burger may still vote for them at the event. They will be replaced by Plan B, which will be featured in a finalist spotlight Friday.

Blue Frog
2011 was Blue Frog’s year. The Shanghai-based restaurant was a Beijing favorite from the start, in part because they offer perhaps the best-known regular burger event in Beijing: Monday night's buy-one-get-one-free at any of their restaurants. But there are rules. Two burgers must be ordered and paid for, and the one with lesser value is the freebie. And they must be consumed on the premises – no take-out is available. Still, not a bad deal for a big burger on an off-night of the week.

The Burger: This choice was simple: the blue frog. A large patty served with lettuce, onions, pickles, and tomato, all on a hamburger bun, with a small salad and Blue Frog’s fries. It’s a big’un. Bacon, egg and cheese can all be added together or separately and charged accordingly.

Price: RMB 75. At the original price, it’s reason for pause, but at half that on Monday night, much less so.

Reader comment: "I'm a bit of a food snob and am delighted to make the once a week trip to have a Blue Frog burger."

Why they could win it all: Champions know how to win. Although they didn't lift the Burger Cup in 2012 (that honor went to Home Plate Bar-B-Que), as a former winner they can be expected to bring their A-game. Blue Frog has another advantage: Burger Mondays are a weekly training session for cooking hundreds of burgers in a short period of time. That could give the Frog a real edge when the competition heats up.

Photo: Steven Schwankert/the Beijinger