Burger Brief: Wow Your Palate With The Granary Bar and Bistro’s Gourmet Prawn-Topped Burger

Burger Brief takes a look at some of the attendees of the Beijinger's 2017 Burger Cup. With the grill warming up ahead of the 2017 Burger Cup’s voting starting on May 22, the day after our May 20-21 Burger Fest, we ventured to The Granary in Shuangqiao to try their inventive self-titled burger.

If you’re getting patty fatigued, and growing weary of the same-old-same-old burgers topped with oh-so-typical ingredients then The Granary’s new eponymous beef entry will be the perfect change in gear for you.

It boasts gourmet-level presentation and creativity thanks to the prawn perched atop its patty. Though that might come across as a bit of a gimmick for cynical customers, even the most jaded among us will have a hard time to deny that this twist on the fast food classic is creative and eyecatching. Plucking the head off the prawn, placing the other bun on top, and biting into the fluffy, pre-shelled seafood and the juicy patty makes for a fun and tasty meal that’s sure to help The Granary stand out at this year’s Burger Cup. If that wasn’t enough, this burger also goes the extra mile with a black caviar sauce and a sliver of foie gras.

All that might seem overkill, but the high grade of the ingredients, along with their well-balanced portioning, push this burger to new limits of indulgence and creativity without tumbling over into the ostentatious – an impressive act to say the least. That, of course, means this burger can’t come cheap, and at RMB 150, its price, along with its quirky, fine dining elements, may be off-putting for less adventurous (or money-strapped) patrons.

Thankfully the menu also features several more straightforward burgers and sandwiches like the RMB 50 braised pork, RMB 55 pulled pork, the RMB 65 bacon and double beef cheeseburger. The Anniversary Double Cheeseburger (dedicated to owner Yuan Wentao’s girlfriend, who helped him dream up the burger’s recipe around the time of their one year anniversary), albeit its sloppy demeanor, is also a winner, and is stacked with Swiss cheese, bacon from Andy’s craft sausages, a cream of mushroom sauce, and a delicious, gooey fried egg on top.

Those menu feats are all the more noteworthy when you consider that The Granary just opened a month ago, is also a top-notch livehouse, and – here’s the real kicker – is located at Shuangqiao subway station (on the Batong line, east of Sihui). And while all this makes The Granary less than convenient for the centrally located Beijingers among us, it’s conversely one of the venue’s biggest strengths, making it a unique, hidden gem begging to lure us out of our comfort zones for a memorable trip to the boonies.

Yes, adventurous Beijingers will dig the creativity of prawn-topped Granary Burger, the spacious venue’s offbeat ambiance (it used to be granary factory before it was overhauled, hence the name) as well as DJ sets and alt-rock shows, curated by the now defunct Dos Kolegas and Mako Livehouse vet Dizzy Di. The Granary’s spacious, leafy yard is set to make for a great hangout in the coming summer months while the indoor gigs will keep things moving into the night or when the pollution takes a turn for the worst.

Meanwhile, the impressive quality of the menu can be chalked up to owner Yuan Wentao, who cut his teeth as a waiter at Great Leap Brewing’s flagship #12 location before studying hospitality in Switzerland and opening a place of his own. Not lacking in ambition or vision, Wentao hired four highly trained chefs who have experience in hotel kitchens like Beijing’s Kempinski and the Crowne Plaza. Yuan rounded out those plans with a strong drink menu that includes Jing-A beers and a range of whiskeys and other spirits.

These aspects should help The Granary attract curious foodies and music fans to their outlying, but nevertheless new frontier location. Or, at the very least, they’ll make a strong, outside-the-box impression on customers that try their offerings at the Burger Cup at Galaxy Soho come May 20-21.

The Beijinger 2017 Burger Cup is sponsored by Bon App, Job-in, and Left Hand App.

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @MulKyle

Photos: The Granary