Uwe Opocensky, executive chef of The Greater China Restaurant Company
The burger is an American cuisine staple that has evolved over time, with all manner of trendy and creative twists on the classic sandwich. Despite the demand to produce artistic and unique burger toppings, some restaurants still opt to serve classic burgers to its customers.
Last week, Hong Kong restaurant Beef & Liberty came to Macau for the first time, introducing its renowned hamburgers – which only use hormone-free and grass-fed beef – that have made waves in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
The pop-up restaurant opened at the Mandarin Oriental for three days.
German-born group executive chef for The Greater China Restaurant Company, Uwe Opocensky, said that creating classic burgers remains a priority for the restaurant, despite a demand for something creative and unique.
“We don’t just serve a burger, we take it much more seriously – we look at the quality and the sourcing of the ingredients,” he said.
Opocensky left the Mandarin Oriental Hotel as an executive chef after nine years to serve Beef & Liberty.
The executive chef says that the patties they served were shipped from Scotland to create the same experience that residents have in Hong Kong.
Although there has been a demand for trendy burgers from social media foodies and bloggers – a demand capitalized upon by many modern restaurants – the executive chef believes that nothing beats classic ingredients.
He argues that attention to detail and the ingredients should remain a priority.
“The food itself has to be delicious. You don’t have to put [unusual] ingredients in a burger like a lot of people do [such as the chocolate burgers] – I think that becomes more of a gimmick,” he reminded.
He also said that it is important for food chains to serve what the mass market eats, and to be mindful of the sustainability and quality of menus as many residents are now more conscious of healthy ingredients.
He believes that the number of restaurants serving high-quality burgers is not increasing, particularly in the trendy city of Hong Kong, which is prone to temporary fads.
Good products and service, Opocensky believes, will prevail in the long term.
Burgers, while considered a staple of American cuisine, have also enjoyed popular demand in the Chinese market, particularly Macau. Opocensky admitted that he was surprised to see the turnout at Beef & Liberty, saying that the place was fully booked despite the limited menu.
The menu included Beef & Liberty’s signature hamburger, made with hormone-free and grass-fed beef and grilled to a pink and juicy medium.
It was served in a golden bun and topped with Tiptree ketchup, lettuce, onion and house pickles.
Also featured on the menu was “the Cheese Burger”, crowned with melted raclette cheese and caramelized onion.
Guests who opted for something different were offered the “The Notorious P.I.G Hamburger”, with “Wicks Manor English” slow-braised BBQ pork, crackling, green apple slaw and spring onions.
When questioned on plans for a permanent restaurant, Opocensky remarked, “I think [Macau has] nothing that caters to high-quality everyday consumption so certainly there’s a demand for that.”
Opocensky also revealed that they will open another two restaurants in Shanghai due to popular demand in the city, noting that the Chinese market is significant for its business.
“We want to do more, it’s just that we are very cautious on how we are approaching it, and make sure we get details right,” he explained.
“At the end of the day, quality always prevails. Other trends come and go.”
Beef & Liberty will be back this Thursday to Saturday with similar offerings to those it presented last week.
