Heavyweight Hitter: Fatburger Enters the Fray
Los Angeles, 1952: Johnnie Ray is storming the Billboard charts with a new sound that will eventually become rock & roll. And the superbly named Lovie Yancy opens the world’s first Fatburger.
Nearly 60 years on, I’m in the capital of the PRC, sitting with a Fatburger, Fat Fries, and a Coke, looking out through windows damp with spring drizzle at embassy concrete and razor wire. The burger (RMB 60, meal deal) does a good job of looking like its photo: aesthetically charred patty, neat shreds of iceberg, and cheese overhanging the bun at just the right angle. But this is fast food, inasmuch as I wouldn’t bet on it in a blind taste test against a McWhopper.
The flavor is delivered not through the meat (which tastes of little) but through the mayo, mustard, relish and cheese (RMB 5 extra). That’s not to say it’s bad. But the price is getting into Let’s Burger territory (RMB 48, cheeseburger), and the two are a galaxy apart in quality.
The Fatburger website eulogizes “talk show hosts and rap stars who’ve made this such a happening place.” Inside, ’50s diner meets McDonald’s in a clash of brown Formica and red neon. As Dire Straits becomes Celine Dion and cars trundle over damp tarmac in the parking lot, it’s less Route 66, more Knutsford Services on Britain’s M6. The scorching hot fries and thick milkshakes (RMB 30) might merit another visit, but there are smarter ways to clog your arteries in Beijing.
Standout dishes: Fat Fries, onion rings, milkshakes
Also try: Let’s Burger, All-Star Sports Bar & Grill, Hollywood
Fatburger
Daily 11am-9pm. 1/F, The Grand Summit, Liangmaqiao Diplomatic Compound (300m north of the Kempinski Hotel’s main entrance), 19 Dongfang Donglu, Chaoyang District (8532 1878) 朝阳区东方东路19号亮马乔外交公寓1号楼会所1层1号铺
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