Burger Wars Round Four: Great Leap vs. Slow Boat

Jessica Rapp | Jul 31, 2014 2:30 pm | 1 comment | 2436 reads

Put on your loosest pants, the Beijinger Burger Cup is back! In the lead up to the Burger Cook-Off Launch Party on August 23 and the start of voting on August 25, we are kicking off with Burger Wars: a series of face-offs pitting Beijing's beef patties against each other. These will not necessarily reflect the ultimate match-ups in our Burger Cup bracket, but give burger fans and burger chefs an idea as to how the product may fare in the final competition.

Come back often for more Burger Wars, information about the upcoming Burger Festival and news on how to vote.

Round four pits Slow Boat Brewery and Great Leap Brewing against each other to fight it out for the top spot.

Contestant one: Great Leap Brewing
2013 ranking: 3

I first had the Great Leap cheeseburger when its concept had just been born, and my mouth waters now just thinking about it. It was a double patty, with not two, but four slices of cheddar cheese. It was one for Beijing's crazy food record books as far as I was concerned.

I remember thinking as I bit into the sumptuous meat that it reminded me of a place in my hometown called Crown Candy Kitchen where they had a BLT that was rumored to include a full pack of bacon. Eating one made you feel like you might have a heart attack, but you did it anyway for the memories. Great Leap's burger slid so easily down my throat in all its greasy glory, and landed heavily in my stomach, and I wondered whether I should've had a few beers before my meal to lessen the impact. No heart attack in sight, but I certainly worried about indigestion.

But Great Leap's was the kind of burger that would be worth the pain if you were inhaling it at 2am while slumped across a diner counter that smelled of cleaning agent, mopping up the grease with like 20 paper napkins because you pulled too many out of the napkin holder.

Eating that cheeseburger in Great Leap though? I would expect a burger that was as sophisticated as some of their craft beers and their warm wooden decor, but you can't have everything make sense.

Price: RMB 50

Contestant two: Slow Boat Brewery
2013 ranking: N/A

The only Slow Boat burger that could possibly live up to Great Leap's cheese monstrosity is The Fryburger (RMB 45). (What's my reasoning? Fried potatoes = four slices of cheese. Four!)

Positive reviews of this burger were taunting me long before I got around to trying it. One lady said it was just like her mom made on the grill, and someone else said, "Do yourself a favor and eat their fry burger," so I couldn't wait any longer.

At first, I was skeptical. I'm not the type of person that shoves potato chips into my peanut butter sandwich or anything, so fries on a burger seemed like a stretch. The last time I had fries on anything that wasn't ketchup was when I was in college and dipped long, skinny, sad, shoestring fries into a Wendy's chocolate Frosty. That was delicious, so, by logic, Slow Boat's Fryburger was probably delicious too.

I was right. Those fries are righteously crispy, the patty is thick (but not too thick) and juicy, and a slathering of aioli sauce adds just the right amount of kick. Plus, the french fries are beer-battered. I like to get bucket of fries when I eat one because you can never have too many fries.

Price: RMB 45

Verdict
Two of Beijing's famous breweries, two famous burgers. Slow Boat's concoction goes down easier and feels more like a pub burger. It's a great dinner option if you don't mind having to fight for a table. Great Leap's sticks to your insides, but they have a veggie plate on the menu should you start to worry about your health. But if that's the case, what are you doing guzzling so many beers?

So really, it all depends on what you're in the game for.

You didn't think I'd actually pick a favorite, did you? Leave a comment to tell us which burger is your number one. We're eager to hear your thoughts.

Check back on Friday for the next installment of Burger Wars.

Photos: Cat Nelson, Slow Boat Brewery