As the writer of an exhaustive list of the Best Burgers in Jakarta (I’m not sure how I survived eating at all of them…), I have eagerly been anticipating the opening of Le Burger, which, as you can probably tell from the Frenchified article in the name, is a burger restaurant with serious culinary ambition.
Located in the brand new Alila SCBD hotel, this is about as fancy as hamburger joints get in Jakarta. Le Burger is the more casual sister restaurant to Vong, the Alila’s fusion fine dining restaurant next door, but both restaurants were conceived of by the same folks — legendary chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten (whose flagship Jean-Georges restaurant in New York holds two Michelin Stars) and his son Cédric Vongerichten.
Unlike Vong, with its menu of diverse dishes featuring French twists on Southeast Asian cuisine, Le Burger’s menu is short and straightforward. There is a cheeseburger and truffle burger, as well as a chicken, lamb, shrimp and vegetarian burger (all served a la carte — you’ll need to order fries or other sides separately).
I tried the cheeseburger (Rp 110,000) and the truffle burger (Rp 130,000). Yes, those prices are steep indeed for Jakarta (slightly higher than even those at Three Buns, now the second most high-end burger spot in the capital). So, were Le Burger’s burgers worth it?
On first glance they look a little smaller than I’d hoped for, but the patties are substantial and, most importantly, made from very high-quality beef. Buttery and very juicy, they definitely satisfy those elemental carnivorous cravings. The veggies on the cheeseburger were fresh and crisp while the gooey brie and sauce on the truffle burger was rich and decadent without overpowering the flavor of the patty.
So I’d say they were excellent burgers overall, but given the price, I also feel it’s fair to nitpick a bit. The patties I tried lacked much of a seared chargrilled crust, which can adds so much in terms of textural contrast and flavor via the Maillard reaction. The buns taste well-made but their soft fluffy texture doesn’t quite work with the juicy patty — the threat of them falling apart grew with each bite.
While I’d still say the burgers are worth the price, I found the sides a bit disappointing. An order of jalapeno fritters (Rp 60,000) came out as a small bowl of what I’d describe as fried cheese balls. Each about the size of a very large marble, they were plenty cheesy but seemed to lack any discernible jalapeno flavor.
The crazy fries (Rp 60,000) came in a portion that could easily satisfy two people. Covered in cheese sauce as well as pickled onions, jalapenos and cucumbers, they were an intriguing flavor combo but unfortunately the fries themselves didn’t hold up. I thought they were soggy because of the wet topping but even those untouched by the sauce were limp. I’m not a cook, but my guess is that they were not fried twice or long enough to develop a crispy exterior. An order of regular fries on my second visit were slightly better but still lacking le crunch.
One pleasant surprise for me was the “Le Beer”, which my waiter told me was actually brewed in-house. Light and fruity, it made a great counterpoint to the heavy taste of the burgers and fried food. Although Rp 70,000 for a small, it’s definitely worth a try for beer aficionados.
Before I first visited Le Burger, I saw on its Zomato page that if had gotten a few bad reviews from people on its opening weekend due to slow service. Such early reviews can sometimes be suspect (which is why you should only listen to us professional restaurant critics) but I can say that service was great when I visited the restaurant the next week and our food came in a timely manner. At one point while waiting for our burgers, our waiter made a point of letting us know he’d check with the kitchen to make sure they would be out soon – perhaps management had seen the bad reviews online and had already taken steps to improve service speed.
So while they still have a few kinks to work out I expect Le Burger will keep getting better in time (they only opened on July 27). Burgers are such a simple dish that it is really is the attention to the hard-to-nail details — like the crust on the patties, the fortitude of the bun and the crispness of the fries — that make a huge difference. If they can consistently deliver in the those departments, it could become a contender for best burger in Jakarta (in the “all price point” category, at least).
One thing about Le Burger that I hope they don’t alter is their opening hours that go late into the night (until 2am Sunday-Thursday and 5am on Fridays and Saturdays). Those hours, plus the great burgers, fine drinks and sleek setting should make it a favorite for hungry clubbers looking for some late night eats after they stumble out of the nearby SCBD nightlife hotspots — no matter how much I love them, it’s much easier for me to justify spending over Rp 100,000 on a burger while inebriated.
Note: The reviewer visited Le Burger anonymously and Coconuts Media paid the bill.
Find it: Alila Hotel, Lot 11 Jl. Jenderal Sudirman Kav. 52-53, SCBD. 021 50808788. Website.
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