Wednesday, June 8, 2011

The Brooklyn Bar - Dalian, China

A lovely establishment.

Well, as you probably know, we temporarily suspended our posts to “The Best of… Kingston” because we have been in China for the past few months.  The food here; that is the authentic and 'real' Chinese cuisine is a far cry from what we are used to back in North America, however we discovered a restaurant in Dalian that specializes in Western food.  It is called “The Brooklyn Bar” and we couldn’t resist trying their hamburger.

The Brooklyn Bar is owned by Wayne Hou, who was born in Chicago, U.S.A.  After graduating university with a major in Finance, Wayne decided to venture to China to open up this establishment.  He has worked very hard to lead his staff in providing excellent service and excellent food.

Perfectly cooked burger.
Jo - Although we heard that pizza was the specialty, we were eager to try “The Brooklyn Burger”.  I ordered it with cheese and you had the choice of cheddar, American or mozzarella.  I ordered Canadian cheddar of course.  The burgers were made to order so we settled in with a beer and took in the scenery – lovely brick walls and delightful ambiance. The burgers arrived with home cut fries.  I took my first bite and let me tell you, it was one of the best burgers I have ever eaten.    The burgers were hand-made, nicely spiced and grilled to perfection.  The patty rested on a fresh brioche bun – unbelievable… topped with crisp fresh lettuce, tomato and onion.  All I can say is that I loved this burger.  So much that we went back a week later and enjoyed them a second time.  Good job Wayne!  

Stephen - Yes, it is true... we went all the way to North-East China... 6,648 miles to be exact... to find what I can only describe as a perfect burger! This was heaven! OK, so it is true that we are far away from home, have been surrounded with 'unusual food choices' here in China and perhaps, just perhaps, a little wanting of some good old western comfort food... but the fact remains... this was a great burger! As Jo so aptly described, everything was perfect, bun, patty, condiments, atmosphere and of course for me... an ice cold Corona! I simply can't describe this experience any better than to say it was awesome. I will add that as Jo noted, we did return for a second helping and we met one of Jo's co-workers there; an American who describes himself as a true-blue burger boy and to reinforce our positive reviews... Mike ordered the burger as well! I rest my case.
Brooklyn Bar - Dalian, China