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2013-10-26
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I have a relatively busy semester right now, with little time to cook. When my wife went out of town, I was looking for a 'low-key' dinner where eating alone wouldn't seem to weird or sad. I'd been to Canteen a few times, but I didn't even know they had food until one day I walked by during lunch. So I set out for an evening meal, and I was pleasantly surprised.The servers seemed very friendly. I ordered a mojito and it didn't take long to arrive:I'm no mixed drinks expert, so I don't fully unde
The servers seemed very friendly. I ordered a mojito and it didn't take long to arrive:
I'm no mixed drinks expert, so I don't fully understand why some mojitos are amazing and others are only so-so. This one had plenty of mint, but otherwise just seemed kind of 'flat.' I guess you shouldn't walk into a place with Blue Girl ads plastered over everything and expect top of the line mixed drinks. Nothing really wrong with it, B-
I ordered the cheeseburger and fries. As you can see, there's not a lot of light to eat your meal by (this was a plus for me, dining by my lonesome).
Here's the meal illuminated by my flash. A breakdown:Burger patty: Meaty -- a lot of HK burgers are composed of bread crumbs and mystery juices; this patty seemed like real hamburger. My main problem was that it didn't hold together very well. When I make my own burgers, the meat has trouble sticking together too. It was also a little 'soft.' I thought it was a nice attempt. B
Other aspects of the burger: Lots of crisp lettuce, tomatoes, and minced onions. The cheese wasn't particularly flavorful, but given my past experience in HK, that's probably a good thing-- there's a very strong processed cheese food taste at places like Burgeroom. Finally, I'm a bit of a condiments freak. I prefer to add my own. I found this one had far too much ketchup. B+
Fries: I liked the fries. They were a little soft and oily, but nicely salted, hot, and potato-y in a good way. B+
The presentation caught me off guard. If you've been to or walked by Canteen, it's pretty gaudy-- maybe 'tacky' is the right word. The decor is "Blue Girl Advertisement Chic" and the soundtrack is "Electronic Darts Medley." Then your food arrives and it's on this beautiful wooden platter with hand-cut fries and a steak knife holding your burger together.
I'd definitely come back. I stuck to the burger because I doubted they could actually make food here. But I was wrong, and I was happy to be wrong. Good: B
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