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Remember this post from early July? That promise to give us Beijing’s biggest burger has been fulfilled with last Sunday’s opening of The Butcher Steakhouse at the north end of Sanlitun bar street (former Cappuccino space). This burger is a meaty beast with a kilo of Australian beef and two more of bun and toppings. I mean, look at the size of that thing! That’s a virtual planetoid! Has its own weather system! If you finish it by yourself, it is free. If you can’t, or you decide to share it with friends, it will cost RMB138.
The Butcher Steakhouse is run by three Danish butchers: the manager, Kenneth Arrild, has done everything from owning butcher shops in Copenhagen to running a steakhouse in Shanghai. It includes a restaurant that seats about 100, a bar with three beers on a tap and plenty of wine choices, and a patio with space for 50 that provides views of the street and leafy embassy area. The Butcher Steakhouse is also a deli, with sausages and steaks and sauces and salads all done on premise using about a dozen pieces of machinery that ranges from sausage makers to vacuum packers.
Some items from the menu:
- All-day Butcher’s breakfast, with sausages, smoked ham and pate, eggs, bread, and coffee, tea, or juice (RMB88)
- Brazilian rib-eye steak with mixed vegetables (200 grams for RMB98; 400 grams for RMB198)
- Australian Angus beef “New York strip” (500 grams for RMB348)
- Sausage selection with roasted onions, mustard, and bread (RMB98)
The menu also lists five-desserts, including grilled bananas, from RMB58; five kids menu items, including burgers and wings, from RMB38; and eight lunch sandwich options (pork loin, meat ball, etc), with fries, soda or juice, and ice cream with caramel sauce, at RMB58. (If you like your sandwiches a bit sloppy, you’ll like the meat ball.)
I’ll post a review when I get some friends together and give that burger a try…
I plan to tackle that burger this weekend!
puny
Count me in! Eight pounds….no problem.
I am a steak person and since being in Beijing for the last 7 months I tried most steak houses and so far nothing comes close to the wagyu ribeye steak I had on last Friday’s lunch and again last night(28th August).It is so good that I feel like having one right now. Equally the pate that is made in- house was just as sumptous followed by the crepe dessert just made me feel completely at home.As they say the taste of the pudding is in the eating, you just need to pay Butcher Steakhouse a visit and confirm my views
Small correction; the Butchers are Danish.
(You can add this as a story if you want to – James)
On Friday evening I tackled this monster burger. I am ‘well-padded’ and am able to eat a lot when pushed, so I felt extremely confident in tackling this challenge.
Let me start off by saying that the guys at Butchers are extremely friendly and made us feel really welcome. They walk around and chat to the customers which is great. You feel very at home.
As it was pretty warm, we opted to sit outside on the balcony. It was cooler out there and it had a great atmosphere.
The one negative was the lack of a drinks menu. The guys seem to still be sorting the drinks out, so you are limited to water, beer and some soft drinks. I was looking forward to a daiquiri or similar iced beverage, so ended up sticking with water.
The burger itself is monstrous. The photos online do not do it justice! I had not eaten the whole day and felt ravenous by the time we arrived at the restaurant. But when they brought this big boy out, I knew that it would be a battle!
The first thing you notice is the sheer size of the thing. The second thing you notice is the mass of toppings. The third thing you notice is the giggling Chinese staff. The fourth thing you notice is the knowing looks from others who have already attempted to take on this beast. There were even words of encouragement from the other tables.
The meat was cooked just the way I like it – medium (a little pink in the middle). The sauces were delicious, but this is also part of the overall battle. I found that after a while the sauces were very rich and it added to the battle.
The toppings were all fresh and in great abundance – tomatoes, slaw, cucumber etc. The fried eggs on top were perfectly cooked – not too dry or crunchy.
The burger comes with fries on the side too, but I was assured by the guys that I did not have to eat them as part of the challenge.
I managed to eat the top half of the burger, along with just over 1/3 of the meat before admitting defeat. There was still a huge amount left!
My advice to those who think that they can take on this challenge:
1) Make sure you stay there for a long time and take it slow.
2) Drink only water as fizzy drinks / beer will just fill you up quicker (I drank water, my friend drank beer)
After taking a long digestion break, we were presented with a dessert on the house – pancake with ice-cream and homemade caramel sauce. Very delicious!
All-in-all it was a great experience and one I am eager to tackle again sometime soon!
Around 45 persons tryed the big burger the first 5 dayes..no one could finish it,who will be the first to come a The Wall of Fame..