Burger Brief: Village Cafe's "The Hu" Burger

Burger Brief takes a look at some of the top seeds in the Beijinger 2015 Burger Cup. This time around, we talk to Samson Li of Village Cafe to see what pushed their burger into the top 32 in the tournament seedings.

Name: Samson Li, director of restaurants and bars, The Opposite House
Nationality: Australian
How long you've lived in Beijing: Eight months
Venue: Village Cafe, The Opposite House
Name of signature burger: “The Hu” Burger 

Tell us about your signature burger. What makes it the best burger in Beijing? 
To start, you need good quality ingredients. We use imported flour to bake our sesame seed buns, and we make our mince patties with 100 percent Australian Wagyu beef. We then add the perfect combination of avocado, tomato salsa, cheddar cheese, sour cream, tomato, and lettuce. Not too saucy, not too dry, just right.

What does the burger come with?
French fries and ketchup. Our fries are straight cut and nice and thick, not skinny. 

What drink from your menu goes best with the burger? 
A Coke. The sweetness of a cold Coke is a great match for a savory, meaty burger.                   

What other burgers do you have on the menu? 
Every Wednesday we have a special burger promotion which includes a 10oz Wagyu double cheeseburger, truffle and brie burger, barbecue with crispy shallot burger; and for non-beef lovers we also have a chicken schnitzel burger and a falafel burger available.
 
Aside from your own restaurant's burger, what was the best burger you’ve ever had? 
That's a tough one. Meat Mission in London does a Dead Hippie Burger, which is great for hangovers as it’s super greasy but tasty at the same time. But my favorite still has to be the Wagyu beef burger from Rockpool Bar and Grill in Sydney Australia. It comes with Gruyère cheese, tomato and chili relish, pickles, cos lettuce and vine-ripened tomato on a brioche bun. It’s to die for. Plus, if you eat at the bar it’s only 20 Australian dollars!

Like this burger? Vote to push it through to the last 16 via thebeijinger.com/2015burgercup or catch up on the stiff competition through the rest of our Burger Briefs.

Photo courtesy of Village Cafe