"No longer a humble hamburger"

Burger
This article first appeared in THE WEEKENDER

12th May 2007

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What’s a hamburger worth? Or, to ask a more definitive question: what would you pay for a burger? Under the neon-yellow arches, you can get a few slices of greasy cardboard for not much more than R5. R20 will buy you something a bit more tasty at one of our homegrown hamburger franchises; a combo with chips and a drink will set you back about R30. For something a little classier, you would expect to pay more – but do you have the bravado to cough up R699 for a truly extravagant burger-eating experience? That’s what it costs to buy the Gourmet Garage’s “Dom Burger”, a hamburger accompanied not by a coke or a milkshake, but by a glass of Dom Pérignon champagne (which typically sells at upwards of R3000 a bottle). 

 
This may be a marketing gimmick, but putting the words “hamburger” and “champagne” in the same sentence – let alone combining them on a menu – is nevertheless quite an achievement. Doing so has an effect similar to the oxymoronic name of the Gourmet Garage itself, combining the ordinary with the extraordinary by turning a mundane meal into something special. The Gourmet Garage (Athol Square, Sandton) is not alone in this endeavour; the phenomenon of the gourmet burger has led chefs across the country to augment the old formula of patty + bun with a dash of style.

Hundreds of years ago, citizens of the northern German town of Hamburg were known to be fond of putting a chunk of leftover pork or beef between slices of crusty bread. Through a series of well-documented historical accidents, this tradition crossed the Atlantic and, during the course of the last century, became synonymous with American cultural and economic hegemony. Remember the exchange between Vincent (John Travolta) and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) in Pulp Fiction?
VINCENT: You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?
    JULES: They don’t call it a Quarter Pounder with Cheese?
VINCENT: No, they got the metric system there, they wouldn’t know what the *&%# a Quarter Pounder is.
    JULES: What do they call it?
VINCENT: A Royale with Cheese.
    JULES: A Royale with Cheese? What do they call a Big Mac?
VINCENT: A Big Mac’s a Big Mac, but they call it Le Big Mac ... You know what they put on French Fries in Holland instead of ketchup?
    JULES: What?
VINCENT: Mayonnaise ... I seen ’em do it!

Of course, this did nothing to help Franco-American gastronomic relations, which were further soured following the “Freedom Fries” debacle of 2003 (when members of the USA’s House of Representatives suggested a symbolic name change to condemn the French government’s opposition to the invasion of Iraq). Nor is the act of renaming fast foods as a form of propaganda new: during World War One, the hamburger itself was temporarily dubbed the “Salisbury steak” so that patriotic Americans could continue to eat what had already become a favourite national dish without acknowledging it as an import from their German enemies. 

On the other hand, the European “slow food” movement represents the disdain that many have for American cuisine. Indeed, the fast food burger-and-fries image is hardly an appealing one: clotted with cholesterol, assaulting the tastebuds with mediocrity. But South African restaurateurs have joined the worldwide trend to free the humble hamburger from this taint and transform it into something that is both healthy and original.

The Royale Eatery (or Café Royale, as many Capetonians call it) can take much of the credit for the local rejuvenation of the burger. Situated at the top of Cape Town’s famous Long Street, the good folk at Royale have been serving speciality burgers for just over four years now. “Many fine restaurants have had a gourmet hamburger or two on their menu for a long time, but making it the sole focus of a restaurant is something relatively new in South Africa,” notes Hugo Berolsky, who runs Royale along with brother Sascha and mother Dina – known by regular patrons simply as Mama. Their burgers are garnished with ingredients as diverse as chourico[chorizo], brie, mango-and-coriander salsa and cranberry sauce, but it’s the range of patties that impresses (along with the quirky names): the “Real Estate” is seared tuna; “Big Bird” is ostrich; and “Le Squid” is, unsurprisingly, calamari steak. Vegetarians are also spoilt for choice: amongst other options are the “Zelig” – falafel with chickpeas, peppadews and humus – and the “Googamooly” – soy, lentils and sunflower seeds.

A big drawcard for many gourmands is what comes “on the side”, and at Royale, it’s sweet potato chips or potato wedges with sour cream and chilli sauce dips. No gourmet burger could simply be served with slap chips. (Upcountry, the Green Truffle in Greenside offers a house hamburger with buffalo mozzarella cheese, balsamic onions, basil pesto mayo, plum tomatoes and sweet Pommery mustard; with a list of ingredients like that, only pommes frittes will do as accompaniment.)
Royale’s success has kick-started the creativity of rival burger entrepreneurs: at the other end of Long Street is the appropriately named Gourmet Burger (GB), which also has a branch opposite Cavendish Square shopping centre. I tried and enjoyed GB’s lamb, feta, spring onion and garlic burger, but the last item on their menu is probably the most interesting – a Japanese teriyaki burger.

A few blocks away in Shortmarket Street, Fat Albert’s, part of the image-conscious Heritage Square development, fuses hamburgers with the sensory delights of good wine and quality jazz. Part wine bar, part New York-style grill, Fat Albert’s offers a selection of burgers that require a subtle palate. Manager Beto Gomes and his waitering staff will recommend a dry chardonnay to complement the chicken burger à la “Shanghai Sid” (satay sauce, bean sprouts, carrots) or the prawn and crab “Whopper” (with wasabi mayo, watercress and onion rings), while a heavier shiraz might go down well with the “Cotton Club Special” – mushroom sauce and crumbed mushrooms – or the rich flavours of the “Cordon Bleu”.

One thing’s certain: adding more than a touch of class and sophistication to one of the world’s most common meals, the gourmet hamburger is here to stay.   

 
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