COCONUTS CRITIC’S TABLE — The classic guide to writing, The Elements of Style, contains the following, oft-quoted advice: “A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid all detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.” Tell me only what I need to know. Cut the crap, stop the yammering, get to the point already.
Alright then. What goes for machines, sentences and paragraphs goes just as well for cooking and – more pertinently, given the subject of this week’s review – for burgers. An exemplary burger should contain no unnecessary parts, and every element should count. Each ingredient should be there for a reason; it should pull its weight, and not be the lazy workman sitting idly while other elements of the sandwich do the heavy lifting. I should be able to taste beef. The cheese should be more than a lubricating, fattening agent. It should have a flavor. Anything else that goes in should justify its presence by adding something that my palate can detect. Surf and turf is a nice rhyme and has a ring of indulgence, but fried shrimp, say, can get lost completely in the melange of tastes and textures.
I say all this because Daniel Thaiger, the truck-based burger purveyor that rolled onto Soi Sukhumvit 38 and other street-food hubs last year, is expanding. Given the quality of these burgers, that is a very good thing indeed. Without wishing to gush – oh, sod it – these are fantastic specimens. You can tell instantly that all the ingredients have been chosen carefully. They work together to create a coherent and delicious whole.
The latest outlet has been christened Nerd, appropriately since the company is catering the Game Over video game cafe on Thonglor Road. Frankly, video games don’t interest me much, and given the choice of investigating the screens in this moodily lit lounge and diving straight into the beer and burgers, I went for the latter. But there are also board games on hand and a pool table, if you’re one of those people whose interests extend beyond things they can consume.
The menu has been extended, so that some of the “specials” that used to be offered sporadically at the food truck are now staples. Thankfully, the legendary Mr. Steve, which comes with cheese and bacon, is still on the list. And it can still be ordered “On Fire,” which entails spreading nduja – that glorious spicy, spreadable Italian sausage – all over the thing. That is a stroke of genius, by my reckoning.
A Mr. Steve’s On Fire is a wondrous thing. The beef tastes of beef – which is surprisingly rare in a Bangkok hamburger. The sharp cheddar cuts its way through. The caramelised buns, baked fresh at a local bakery, are firm yet fluffy. Crispy shards of bacon add a pleasing crunch. The Thaiger sauce is a homemade Thousand Island that, like The Dude’s rug, really ties the room together. You should be warned that even though the burgers come half-wrapped in wax paper, it is very easy to get covered with the spicy, fatty sauce that drops out of these things. I am still waiting to find out if my favorite jorts will forever be “decorated” with a nduja stain on the crotch.
Fries come separately and are very similar to those you get at McDonald’s, which many people will be happy with, though those who prefer a fatter cut will have to go elsewhere. They also come covered in parmesan and truffle oil. For me, this is a bit much; something clicked in my taste circuitry last year, and now I find that the latter reminds me of shoe polish. Best of all, the burgers here won’t cost you more than about THB200, and frequently a fair bit less. They are the best-value burgers in town. And if you remove the word “value” from that sentence, it still – to my mind – rings true.
Photo: Cole Pennington
Coconut’s Critics Table reviews are written based on unannounced visits by our writers and paid for by Coconuts Bangkok. No freebies here.
FIND IT:
Game Over
Liberty Plaza Thong Lor
Enter through the parking garage
Dan Waites is the author of Culture Shock! Bangkok, a guide to the culture, customs and expat life in the Thai capital. Follow him on Twitter: @danwaites
Reader Interactions