By Alex Reeves – @afreeves23
Burgers. Universally loved, yet somehow incredibly divisive. Comically, the simplest of our foods seems to bring out the strongest of our opinions. It’s literally meat between two pieces of bread but then inarguably a whole lot more.
Fat, thin, layered, toppings, brioche, classic, well-done, red in the middle. It goes on and on and on. It’s perhaps the only food that gets as much of a stir out of hungry patrons as its equally simplistic brother in utilitarian arms, pizza.
The Goods: This is what everyone turned up for, burger after burger. Photos courtesy of Hanoi Events
So, how better to settle our differences and prove our preferences than to get a handful of the city's most confident burger joints together in some form of grill off? A sizzling shoot-out, if you will. Put your burger where your mouth is? Sliders at dawn? I’m not exactly sure where this is going but for our sins, we got the latest edition of the Hanoi Events team’s contributions to the culinary calendar – Burger Fest 2024.
PERFECT SPOT: The 100 Garden delivers again as a slice of calm in the backstreets of Tây Hồ.
After the roaring success of spring's taco equivalent, I was more than a tad excited. While sticking my nose into the world of Michelin commended eateries is an undeniable perk of the job, seeing a familiar place, full of even more familiar faces, all in eager anticipation of a simple pleasure, then getting the chance to write about it? It’s quite honestly a joy, and so the day itself proved to be, as an unprecedented 800 hundred plus punters inhaled north of 2,500 burgers up by West Lake.
The setting for those unfamiliar: ‘The 100 Garden’, a 1,100m.sq oasis when compared with the chaos of the flower market it’s set just back from. Hidden down winding alleys, it’s a proper all-purpose event space, hosting the best of Hà Nội’s more Western-driven occasions. With a 25+ tap selection of craft libations, live entertainment, ample greenery, and a warm, perma-smiling team, it’s all too easy to forget you’re but a short gander from the Tây Hồ tarmac.
Winner, winner: Noah, crowned the champion of the Chops sliders eating competition.
On that note, I would be remiss not to mention the effort that went into rebuilding the venue in the wake of the recent Typhoon Yagi. As an open-air arena, the damage was telling, but this real sense of community that the garden fosters was returned in kind, as a handful of loyal and handy regulars took time out of their busy lives to bring the space back up to scratch. This, a testament to the space that ‘100’ has become.
The icing on the cake for the weekend was welcoming a new friend from the culinary world – Logan Hester, former head chef of Hong Kong’s Chom Chom fame. Anyone following Vietnamese cuisine outside the domestic bubble could and should be aware of the work he’s doing – watch this space. After meeting on barstools by chance last year, this was an auspicious opportunity to put each other through our paces as he dropped into town.
Nobody plans for chaos, but with a ratio of over a hundred punters per vendor, a tangible autumn energy, and perhaps a few of the aforementioned craft beverages in the air, it was just that. Some of the capital's very best were on show and they brought the good stuff. Unfortunately, I don’t have the word count to wax lyrical about every contribution, but I do take a little joy in knowing we both called the top spots in unison with the popular vote.
Tip-top, top of the pops, the ever-popular – Chops. Having had their Old Quarter joint named as Trip Advisor’s best casual eating venue in Việt Nam (18th globally) this month has seen genuine recognition from both critics and punters alike. Since I first arrived here back in 2017, Chops have consistently set the industry standard in all things burgers, and their expansion across the city has only broadened their appeal.
Rather than spread their commercial butter thinly across a brand by bowing out of such an occasion, they were present and eager to put their fare up against the city's other contenders. Chops don’t need to win a burger festival to get customers through the door, but their team was as impassioned as any other to provide and showcase to the masses.
Of their entries, ‘To Brie Or Not To Brie’ undoubtedly made the difference. With a breaded wheel of deep-fried cheese providing answers to both the day's primal and philosophical questions, a bun which maintained structural integrity against the odds, double smash patties, and a rich IPA chutney, Greg Clarke and his team turned up to win and took home the proverbial bacon. Expect this special in Chops branches throughout November.
Second place, Mischief & Mayhem. Emile Van Heerden is about as passionate on the subject of meat as I am about anything I care to mention. With as close to a cult following as a burger spot can get, they were my early front runners.
Imported New Zealand lamb, arugula, roasted garlic mayo, chimichurri, and homemade half-sour pickles with a dash of M&M BBQ sauce to wet a classic American cheese and crispy fried shallot layered bun? A salivatory mouthful in all senses. No limited press here, as a very similar version is yours tomorrow as a staple of their menu. On any other day, this takes the top spot.
Out on top: The Chops team came through on the day to bring home No 1 spot.
There’s no neat and tidy way to pull this all together. Burgers are a messy affair, but each entry held its contents together. In a year when burger festivals down south have been laden with controversy, there was no such commotion here. The day succeeded in feeding the masses in a celebration of community and craft. Proving that while burgers may be a hot topic, they’re better at bringing us together than keeping us apart. VNS
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