BJ Burger Wars: Kiosk Vs Rumi

This week Burger Vs Burger is taking a bit of a time-out from its regular all-American whoop-whooping. We’re pitting Serbia against Persia in a battle of epic, ethnic beefiness, with the popular, pink-hued Kiosk north of Gongti taking on the much-loved Persian prince Rumi up the road. (Both have great background music, by the way). Our on-going, artery-clogging mission: to discover Beijing’s best meat in bread. So undo top buttons, and let battle commence.

In the red corner: Big Bite Burger, Kiosk. RMB 38.

The brief. It’s in French bread. Brown French bread. Burger purist alarm is ringing! But props that it comes wrapped in paper (removed for photo), and a good size for the price.

The bite. Crusty French bread with a hint of brown flour virtue melts into ultra juicy patty. Gulp, undercooked, maybe? Tastes rather light on seasoning, but offset by a mouth-tingling whack of spice and vinegar from the pickled chilli topping.

The beef. A blend of ground pork and beef, actually, and cleverly stuffed with oozing cheese. Not sure exactly what the pork brings to the table but it makes us worry that bit more about potentially undercooking. This one’s getting sent back. Five minutes later and the burger returns, much darker and still plenty juicy despite the extra cooking time.

The bits. The aforementioned awesome pickled chilli, some nice green leaves and lots of tangy cheese in the middle. Less saucy than a typical American sandwich.

Harmonious society. The French bread copes pretty well, but there is some reported leakage of burger juices over hands.

Fries? (Cost extra – RMB 15). Hand-cut, thick wedges of potato, twice-fried and very light in color. Just crispy enough with a fluffy center.

Next…

In the blue corner: Rumi Cheese Burger, Rumi. RMB 76

The brief. A giant rectangular plate of food, with a sea of crispy, very appealing (and delicious) French fries. Burger looks a bit more humble on comparison, served closed with salad on the side.

The bite. Thick n' squidgy bread, loads of cheese and onion coming through, but not much beef flavour.

The beef. Quite juicy, cooked well-done but with a general absence of beefiness. Rather pale in color, too. A few seconds after swallowing your mouth echoes with bread, cheese and onion but not much else.

The bits. Raw onion, tomato slices and nice herby lettuce leaves on the side. Burger covered in thick cheese and studded with salty little mushroom pieces.

Harmonious society. Yes, keeps its head despite others losing theirs.

Fries? Tiny, amazingly crispy and not too greasy. Loads of them too. Excellent.

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I’ve dined at Kiosk a few times (bigger fan of the chicken and bacon burger) and I’m mostly impressed – only this time the burger was underdone and fries/salad not quite as vibrant and perky as I remember. Still, it’s a good sandwich at a great price. Rumi offers more of a classic burger, but it fails to wow compared to some of their other great grilled meat, especially at this price. Although the fries are just about perfect. And to be fair, Rumi has a chargrilled beef fillet sandwich in French bread that is probably closer to Kiosk's.

Verdict: The Serbs just clinch it – Kiosk has the better burger, even though it's not strictly a burger. In the strictest sense.

Next time: Shuangjing sluggers – Lily’s Vs Grinders (yeah, right)

In the mean time, keep your mouth watering by reviewing our previous burger battles ...

Heat 1: The Box Versus Vineyard Cafe

Heat 2: Union Bar & Grille Versus Flamme

Heat 3: First Floor Versus Luga's

Heat 4: Let's Burger Versus Blue Frog

Heat 5: Village Cafe Versus Scarlett

Heat 6: Grandma's Kitchen Versus Paul's Steak & Eggs

Heat 7: Pete's Tex-Mex Versus Big Boss Fish & Chips

Heat 8: Home Plate Versus Hollywood

* All opinions expressed are those of an Englishman who once went to In-&-Out in LA (he didn’t even know about the secret menu, hah) and now has the gall to write this stuff.