What's New Restaurants: Kenny's Burgers, Nali Patio

It takes guts to open a burger bar in Beijing, even more so to open one in Nali Patio, right at the heart of Sanlitun alongside some of Beijing’s most popular restaurants. Kenny’s Burgers’ eponymous proprietor Kenny Fu doesn’t need guts because he has the culinary chops to back it up. A classically trained Western chef, he is somewhat of a local celebrity, having done stints in some of Beijing’s best restaurants, including pan-Asian My Humble House, and is a brand ambassador for German cookware company Miele. His reputation clearly precedes him, as posts about Kenny’s Burgers have been blowing up our WeChat since it opened a month ago.

Kenny’s first solo venture is a study in au courant design tropes – polished concrete floors, Eames-style chairs, and a deep house soundtrack on the speakers. Pulling up a stool at the wide window-side bench seats and looking out over rarefied Nali Patio, you really could be anywhere in the world.

The streamlined design is accompanied by an equally streamlined menu, featuring just salads, steaks, and of course, burgers. The burgers and steaks are made with 100 percent grass-fed Tasmanian beef from producer Cape Grim. To really taste the flavor of the beef, you’ll want to stick with the classic burger (RMB 58), adorned with just cheese and burger relish. Beyond the classics, the menu veers into more unusual combinations, such as the Wutong burger (RMB 78), with kimchi, tempura sweet potato, and burger relish or the AV burger (RMB 68), featuring a veal patty topped with chopped arugula. Wash down your gourmet burger with an equally gourmet selection of drinks – think fine wines instead of the usual imported or craft beers. The wine list is surprisingly approachable, with interesting bottles from Italy and Spain, several of which come in around the RMB 300 mark.

This may be a burger joint, but make sure you don’t leave without trying the desserts, which really show off Kenny’s chops as a classically trained chef. The mason jar-clad panna cotta (RMB 68) and tiramisu are both delicious and eminently Instagrammable. You can even take the jars away (for a small deposit) and pretend to your guests that you made them yourself. We’ll look out for your post.

More stories by this author here.

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Photos: Uni