Brand New Fat Tiger Burger in Shuangjing: Worth the Trip

Long gone are the days when a Beijinger’s burger cravings could only be satiated by a trip to Mickey D’s.

No, in fact, burger joints are popping up at a pace that’s hard to keep up with, and the latest we came across is on the newly re-energized 22 Art Street in Shuangjing.

You'd be forgiven if you walked right past Adonis and did not think "juicy burgers within"

Less than a week ago, the Adonis Bar & Cafe started serving burgers under the moniker of Fat Tiger Burger.

A tiny sign at the entrance of Adonis is easy to miss

With a simple selection of a half dozen burgers and some sides, these folks have miraculously made one of the city’s finest new burgers.

Just look at that house-made onion relish and that sunny-side up egg

I got the standard burger for RMB 58 and it came back towering with avocado, homemade onion relish, lettuce, tomato and slices of perfectly ripe avocado, all on a toasted sesame seed bun.

A combo of regular and pumpkin fries comes with each burger

Accompanying the burger was a medley of standard potato fries and pumpkin fries – a delightful, fresh addition to the canon I haven’t seen elsewhere.

Even the basic burger is a mouthful at Fat Tiger

The burger was great – juicy, tasty, and the egg done perfectly for you sunny-side up lovers. My only complaint was the onion relish was a little too sweet for my tastes, but I'm sure others will go nuts for it.

The avocado was perfectly ripe -- a feat some full-service restaurants can't manage

One could be forgiven for wondering if a small bar has the volume to keep lettuce, tomato and avocado fresh – however, Fat Tiger has no problem in this regard. The tomato and avocado were ripe, the lettuce crisp.

Fat Tiger serves their burgers in the cozy seating area of the Adonis Bar & Cafe

The dining room is small -- only a handful of tables -- but the service was snappy during the day (though that could differ in the evening when the room does double duty as a whisky bar).

The bar at Adonis has plenty to whet your whistle

Fat Tiger's short menu features a half dozen burger combos, including the Beef Burger (RMB 58), the Meat Party (featuring sausage and bacon), RMB 68; the Pineapple Bacon Beef Burger (RMB 68) and a Curry Chicken Burger that features a fried chicken cutlet, curry sauce, and interestingly, hash browns (RMB 35).

The Curry Chicken Burger features hash browns between its buns

A showier option is the Flame Burger, which is one of their standard burgers smothered in two types of cheese and served aflame, on an iron plate (RMB 128).

At RMB 128, the Flame Burger is Fat Tiger's priciest menu item

And while traveling across town for a single burger may seem crazy, there’s plenty of other distractions at 22 Art Street, which has slowly but surely developed into a mini 798 / hipster paradise. Several of Beijing's more prominent and active art galleires anchor the area, and rounding it out are a bunch of quality coffee shops, a smattering of bespoke tailors and dress shops, and a dozen or more F&B outlets.

So make an afternoon (or evening) of it -- you won't be disappointed.

Images: Fat Tiger Burger, Michael Wester