It’s a rainy, comfort-food kind of Saturday in Hong Kong, and it’s the perfect time to write up my recent visit to Beef & Liberty, a Wan Chai burger restaurant that is all about guilty pleasures.
Beef & Liberty serves grassfed beef raised the old fashioned way – but there’s a lot more decadence on the menu than just the good burgers.
There’s only three appetisers to choose from (corn cobbler; fried chicken; and ribs) and it’s a wise move. Instead of offering more appetisers just for variety’s sake, the focus on just three means improved quality. And when we opted for the two meat options, this was certainly the case.
The chicken wings packed a punch of crisp and flavour – with a killer batter. My entree favourite, though, was the barbecued pork ribs which had the kind of tenderness and sticky sweet glaze that makes pigging out a pure delight.
When it came to burger time, I was attracted to the burgers on the novelty side of things.
First, a green chili cheese burger with jalapeno relish; and second, a vegetarian felafel burger.
Between pan fried burger brioches that boast a slightly sweet taste, the beef and felafel were very nicely done in their own right.
The beef was perfectly cooked at medium-rare, and a healthy splash of spice coming through the green chili and jalapeno was a fiery yet refreshing complement.
Meanwhile, boasting a rich and creamy textured filling, the felafel patty was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. And to tie up the heady middle eastern taste? A side of cooling harissa yoghurt.
Last and definitely not least, came our ultra decadent dessert: a REAL-life cookie and cream.
While I’ve ‘tried’ this flavour countless times in ice-creams and chocolates, to experience the homemade cream poured over a molten, pan-baked cookie was on another (incredibly sweet-toothed) level.
Think: soft cookie dough with large chunks of melted chocolate chips, topped blended with rich and smooth cream, melting into one another in an explosion of sweetness…
If that doesn’t tempt you, I don’t know what will…
Bakker x
BAKKER'S BITES 