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2013-09-28
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跟我熟悉的朋友都知道我是極少吃快餐的，因為我對一些食品添加劑，例如防腐劑，味精等等，都十分反感。CaliBurger 是美國加州的漢堡連鎖餐廳，專門供應用上頂級新鮮材料製成的漢堡和食品。CaliBurger 的漢堡用的是100%草飼牛肉，肉質鮮味而且有咬口。多款小吃，例如水牛城炸雞翅，也很惹味! Every person has their own food preferences, and for me, I like to eat real, proper food and usually stay away from MSG-laden monstrosities, food with artificial sweeteners or flavourings, etc...This practically means that most fast food joints are no-go for me, except for a handful of decent ones, like MANA and the new burger joint in Wanchai, Cali
Every person has their own food preferences, and for me, I like to eat real, proper food and usually stay away from MSG-laden monstrosities, food with artificial sweeteners or flavourings, etc...This practically means that most fast food joints are no-go for me, except for a handful of decent ones, like MANA and the new burger joint in Wanchai, CaliBurger.
CaliBurger, a chain from California that specialises in beef burgers and chicken sandwiches (which many have likened to another Californian burger joint In-N-Out), opened their first branch in Hong Kong in September 2013.
CaliBurger focuses on serving fast foods that are made from premium, fresh ingredients - their burgers are made from 100% lean grass-fed beef, their buns are freshly baked and their sauces are all made in-house. CaliBurger believes that they have nothing to hide when it comes to the preparation of food, so everything is prepared in open kitchens and you can see exactly what these young, energetic chefs are doing with your order!
As only top-grade ingredients are used, adjust your pricing expectations accordingly. Burgers cost around $36-$78 each, and you can add $20 for a combo, which comes with regular fries and a soda.
(1) I started the meal with the Wild Style Fries ($32). CaliBurger's fries are freshly cut using potatoes imported from the USA, and are served with dressing and some caramelised onions. The sauce, made from a "secret recipe", sounded promising, but taste-wise it wasn't explosive; perhaps the fries were intentionally pale, but they could have been crispier. I preferred another Californian chain's version of these.
(2) The BBQ Chicken Wings ($36), in a sweet and sour sauce, were tangy and delightful, and the fresh chicken had an excellent bite.
(3) The Buffalo Chicken Wings ($36), however, made me even happier. The sauce was a tad spicy, and the crispy skins were moreish! A few celery sticks were thrown in to make this feel slightly less sinful.
(4) There were a few varieties of beef burgers available (depending on how much beef, cheese, etc. you want), and I tried out the restaurant's signature CaliDouble ($78). Two pieces of medium-thick beef patties were sandwiched between soft, smooth buns. Freshly fried, these patties were warm and juicy and, as promised, deliciously lean. The tomatoes and lettuce also retained their crispness - it was overall an enjoyable burger.
(5) As an alternative to beef burgers, there were also chicken sandwiches available. The Chipotle BBQ Chicken Sandwich ($54), using the same sweet-and-sour sauce as the BBQ Chicken Wings, was accomplished. The chicken had a pleasantly firm texture and the sauce added some zing without overpowering the chicken's taste.
(6) The Calichicken Sandwich ($44) also fared well, and in fact, I might have preferred it to the Chipotle BBQ Chicken Sandwich. The absence of a flavourful sauce meant that the natural taste of the chicken breast shone through; light herbal notes lifted the sandwich and I found it completely satisfying.
The burger joint currently has two cables for customers to charge their mobile phones - hopefully they will install more cables to cater for different types of phones.
As all burgers and sandwiches were made-to-order, it took around 10-15 minutes for our "fast food" to arrive, but overall I think it was worth the wait. With Hong Kong becoming increasingly health-conscious, I feel that CaliBurger is heading in the right direction by emphasising the use of fresh, topshelf ingredients. The selection is a bit limited now, but I look forward to them gradually introducing more exciting items on their menu!
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