Wild Wagyu: Wild Kite Brewpub Makes a Wagyu Beef Burger That’s Classic Yet Special
For me, a burger should be a simple affair. Patty, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, choice of sauces, that’s all she wrote...
The focus should be on the patty – what’s the meat consist of? How is it cooked? What’s it seasoned with? If it’s masked by a ton of toppings and that patty doesn’t shine through, it’s not worth it.
I was pleasantly surprised, then, when I found a burger that fits this formula close to Andingmen – complete with solid fries and beer to boot.
Enter Wild Kite Brewing, the latest entry into the capital's small-time craft beer scene that first arrived last September at 1921 Cultural Industry Park.
It’s sleek, it’s shiny, it’s new – as with all the other businesses in the complex – and it’s a little rough around the edges (the music played a bit too loud and the selection was all over the place, with the Mission Impossible theme coming on at one point). All this is made up for, though, with a solid drink and food menu.
Chief among the offerings, besides a hoppy yet lightly sweet West Coast IPA and a playful schwarzbier to name a few options on tap, is a Wagyu beef burger.
The Classic Wagyu Burger (RMB 68, with fries RMB 88) stands out because, in lieu of tomato and lettuce, it’s topped with cheese, red onion, pickled jalapenos, and a spicy relish coating the bottom. The spice might threaten to overpower a lesser Wagyu patty, but here, it manages to shine through.
It’s cooked medium rare, with a light pink center and hints of black pepper intermingling with the other peppers involved.
Another thing worth noting here is the fries. They taste like Cheetos. Not the dangerously cheesy kind, but the oddball flavors like steak or chicken you’ll find in convenience stores in China. An interesting twist.
Wild Kite Brewpub 野风筝Brewpub
No. 3, 1921 Cultural Industry Park, Huayuan Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区花园胡同三号城市空间1921文化产业园内
READ: Rich Burger: More Than Meats the Eye
Images: Dianping (user hruby彩虹), Vincent R. Vinci
