aka Gourmet Burger...

I am well aware that we have tons of pictures from at least 5 different restaurants, which I have yet to review.  By now, I forget the specific details of the items ordered, so my food review wouldn't really do the establishments justice.  For example,  I have not yet reviewed my birthday (bust) at Sushi Oyama.  So we will start with the recent

Gourmet Cafe/Burger is located in the ritzy Portman area (Shanghai pun not intended), right next to a miu miu store.  My favorite location of Gourmet Cafe has shut down, which was a grungier alternative in a tree-lined alley in the French Concession.  We had to relocate and make due with a rather lux interior with dim lighting. And slow hip-hop jazz.  It was a bit stiff, and formal, not a chill atmoshpere to eat a burger.  I missed the Chinese Asylum quality of the other, you could go in real casual.  Here, I felt like I wasn't dressed up enough, which rarely happens.

We choice the place because:
a) we missed it
b) I had to work on my Extended Essay.  I started writing (again! third times the charm, eh?) yesterday. It's due on Monday.  Two years of preparation have boiled down to this...

Overall, the food was very nice.  This being said, it's not quite as good as I remember.  Maybe it's because I am quite stressed, and so nothing tastes as good.  Or perhaps I am biased to the old location, the food there matched the interior as well as tasted great.  Something feels uncanny when you are being served a bean paste burger with lounge hip-hop in the background..

The menu is extensive pages of burgers! Pages of milkshakes, spiked milkshakes, smoothies, beers from multiple continent, the list goes on.  Overall, our meal was reasonable, and seemed inexpensive, for the amount we bought.  However, certain items, the the 68kwai Tuscany Salad, seemed too much for the venue.  Furthermore, all three vegetarian options were rather bland sounding, and the one I had previously wasn't good.  A bit of grilled mushrooms on bread is a sorry excuse for a burger.  However, one of the best part of Gourmet Cafe is how great the staff are.  As the vegetarian burgers failed to impress me, I chose a much more luxurious burger, and asked for the beef patty to be substituted for their been and chili paste.  It was a great decision, the sandwich was light and the beans and chili provided a great flavor.

We ordered a lot.  Well a lot for us.  Two burgers, two milkshakes, two other drinks, garlic french fries, and onion rings.  Joachim ordered the "feel the cheese" burger.  Its prime beef with: mature English cheddar, grilled bell pepper, aubergine, melted parmesan, and sun dried tomato relish.  He added a fried egg (the boy is addicted to eggs).  He said the best part of the whole sandwich was the egg, so I don’t think that’s a good since when an egg is a highlight of a burger.  I got the L'Avorella, a beef burger which I substituted for a chili and bean patty.   It has melted mozzarella, avocados, and sundried tomato relish.  It was a bit dry, and without the chili in the patty, I think it would have lacked depth and flavor.  The french fries are thick cut, golden,  and perfectly done.  Both are nations are the fry capitals of the free world, and we can be quite picky! But these fries are sublime!  the onion rings were good, not great.  A bit to much batter, a bit too greasy.  Milkshakes are perfection, though I couldn't finish mine!

Over all Gourmet Cafe gave a solid, enjoyable dinner.  My view on the food may have been tainted by my EE stress, but it didn't seem to deliver like the old location did.  However, the food was good and imaginative, and I would like to come back again.

Rating **** out of *****.


Onion Rings:


Fries and Shakes:


My burger:


Upclose!:


Joachim's:


Upclose:


Aerial:


- Chrissy