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2010-01-19
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Important note: Although the address is correct on Openrice the map is totally wrong. The Jockey is actually on Wong Nai Chung Road between Blue Pool Road and Sing Woo Road. If you follow the map on Openrice you are completely on the wrong side of the race track. I am reporting this to Openrice and hope they fix it soon.So I came here mainly because one of my good friends lives in Happy Valley and has been raving about their burgers. Just as a point of reference I went to Union J last week and t
So I came here mainly because one of my good friends lives in Happy Valley and has been raving about their burgers. Just as a point of reference I went to Union J last week and tried their 'gourmet' burger which I quite liked.
Environment: I am a big fan of open air dining so I quite liked it at The Jockey. We had a 6-person table slightly inside for the 3 us and it was pretty comfortable as far as pubs go. The table might have been a little cramped if we actually had 6 people but it worked fine for 3. Ideally I'd liked to sit outside in the al freso dining area.
Service: The waitress we got was probably new so my opinion might be a little unrepresentative of the normal service of the place. We repeated our order 3 times before she got it down. Our order was:
1 bacon & cheddar burger with mushrooms (medium rare)
1 bacon & cheddar burger with mushrooms (medium)
1 bacon & blue cheese burger (medium rare)
Should be pretty simple and straight forward. Outside of that minor snafu everything came on time and the orders were spot on.
Food: Since I was sick the other day I just ordered a simple burger and sparkling water.
Bacon & Cheddar Burger With Mushrooms (medium) - So I was pretty happy the minute I saw on the menu that I could have a bacon cheese burger. The fact that I could also have sauteed mushrooms on top I already gave this burger a few extra 'brownie' points. I would think most people would be pretty happy with the burger in my photo.
Any way, at first glance I could tell this was more of a 'traditional' burger. Most gourmet burgers infuse expensive ingredients (truffles, foie gras etc) or use better cuts (wagyu) but the burger here at The Jockey looks like a traditional 80/20 (80% ground beef 20% fat) one. What I do like about it from a pure visual aspect is the slightly charred exterior of the patty which locks in the juices.
Onto the most important part...taste. First bite into it was very flavorful in my mouth. The initial crunch from the warm toasted bun (such an important detail missed by most burger joints) was a major plus in my book. The bacon and mushrooms are always an awesome match. My minor letdown was the patty (although tasty) was a little more on the dry side. I'm not one to be shy about eating a messy burger so I expected juices to be flowing out of the patty which did not happen in this case. Overall still a good burger but I just wished they would have cooked it less (maybe I should order medium rare next time) or there was a little more fat in the burger.
On a side note, I'm totally digging the potato wedges. Big fan of Cajun spiced fries with its heavy garlic taste and a little heat in the finish. Honestly, even though people rave about duck fat fries or truffle tries I think these potato wedges stand neck and neck with them in terms of taste. Only wish there were more!
So how does the burger here stack up against the gourmet burger I had last week at Union J? From a pure taste standpoint I liked the gourmet burger slightly better. Regardless of all the details the patty ultimately needs to win me over. Although once you factor in the price of the burger ($98 @ The Jockey versus $148 @ Union J) I think more than a few people might be swayed in their decision. I think the bottom line is if I am looking for a good no-frills burger joint...The Jockey is a good choice.
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