Boy n Burger: Celebrate CNY with Juicy Prosperity Burgers

Boy n Burger launched into the local Hong Kong culinary scene fresh in August 2021, aiming to deliver a new casual burger experience to the harbour shores of Hong Kong, with funky Americana-inspired flavours, vibes, and interior.

Located in the hustle and heart of Wan Chai, the now infamous Boy n Burger commits to top quality between two buns, featuring premium 20-day salt moss-aged and wild cereal grain-fed beef for their wide menu selection of patties. All thanks to the theorists and food-makers behind the brand.

The Wan Chai burger joint was founded under the creative direction and inspiration of Mel Zhou, an Australian-born-Chinese now living in Hong Kong, who conceptualised the greasy, savoury menu as a nostalgia trip to her youth in Australia eating fast food, and her pregnancy cravings for pickles and burgers.

In celebration of the upcoming Year of the Tiger, Boy n Burger has launched three exclusive Chinese New Year burgers, a nod to the local sweet and savoury flavours enjoyed annually for celebrations.

From Jan. 17 to Feb. 13, customers can ring in the new year with three limited-edition burgers, priced at HK$38, and the auspicious Double Prosperity Slider Box (HK$168), which features two sliders of each limited-edition Chinese New Year tofu, pork, and beef sliders.

Each burger is served between a toasty, nutty sesame bun, crisp lettuce, tomato slices, green onion, scallion, and juiced up with the quaintly crafted Chinese Hoisin Honey BBQ sauce. Kickstarting our early Chinese New Year festivities, we dug into the Health & Wealth Tofu Burger (HK$38), a nicely structured sandwich with two crispy tofu bites lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.

With each Chinese New Year burger paired with the same fillings, the crispy exterior and juicy insides of the two rectangular tofu bites in this burger flesh out Boy n Burger’s creative juices. It is a fun burger with a nice crunch and salty bite with every taste, and a creamy inside that coats the mouth with a pleasant soybean aftertaste.

Up next, we snacked and munched on the Golden Pork Burger (HK$38), a meat-heavy bready sandwich paying homage to the comfort of cha chaan teng recipes with the Hong Kong-style grilled pork patty.

Appearance-wise, the pork burger glistens under the soft orange light and boasts a heavy bite. The two pork patties stretch out beyond the small bun and taste nutty and salty, with just the right amount of fat that melts on your tongue, but not too much as to overwhelm the burger.

To end with a bang on our Chinese New Year tasting session, we tried the Fortune Beef Burger (HK$38), a Chinese twist on Boy n Burger’s signature beef burger, with all the trappings of Boy n Burger’s classic beef dish.

The Hoisin Honey BBQ sauce offers a pleasant creaminess and sweetness to the salt of the thin beef patties with each bite. The juicy tomato slices and flaky lettuce soften the crunchy, crispy sesame bun. An addition of salt to punctuate the earthy beef flavours of the patty would elevate the overall flavour profile of the burger, however, the sweet and sour tones blend well together.

With our hunger satisfied but our eyes fixed on the potato dishes on the menu, we left our stomach’s empty to taste the infamous Tater Tots (HK$15), using juicy russet potatoes to mould the crispy textured and creamy side dish

It would not be an overstatement to label Boy n Burger’s Tater Tots as one of the best grated potato dishes in Hong Kong. The bitesize potato creations sparkle when opened and are not too greasy to the touch. The crisp shell of a tot bites back when teeth pressed deep, only to be pleasantly surprised by the creamy potato filling, which has a slight garlic taste.

Verdict

Using local suppliers to source all vegetables and meats, the Chinese New Year special-edition burger hits the mark with freshness, affordability, and a salty-sweet flavour unseen in other burger joints. Extra salty and spicy seasoning on the burger patties would be a bonus, and so too would a variation of Chinese New Year-inspired sauces as add-ons.

We especially enjoyed the sweet and savoury blend of flavours in Boy n Burger’s hit Chinese Hoisin Honey BBQ sauce, tasting notes of peanut butter, honey, soya sauce, and oyster sauce. For a wholesome Chinese New Year experience burger-style, we recommend ordering the Health & Wealth Tofu Burger for an alternative approach to New Year snacking, along with Tater Tots, Green Apple Coleslaw (HK$15), and BBQ Corn Cup Salad (HK$20) for a flavour-exploration of American-inspired classics.

This food review is based on a complimentary media tasting provided by Boy n Burger in exchange for a truthful review and no compensation. The opinions expressed within represent the views of the author.