Bestenburger
It’s 15:54 and about half an hour ago I had an orgasm. A midday culinary orgasmic experience if you will. Pure pleasure.
Bestenburger is a little riddle, if grammatically incorrect. If we take Germany, or more specifically Hamburg, as the origin of hamburgers (in German called frikadellen), then the name should be Besterburger or even Bestenburgers. Still, interesting choice of name. This place is unlike our previous restaurant discoveries in every sense. To begin, no one knows about it. It was spotted by accident by one of my colleagues — my boss, who asks for credit — and now thanks to our blog has actually decided it’s worth visiting. It’s located in a small street in the heart of barrio de las letras, close to calle Huertas. This zone is being rebuilt so it is even harder to get there. Of course in all the excitement I not only forgot to call and make a reservation but I also forgot the map. So we ended wandering around a bit until we finally found the place. It was already 2:30 by the time we got there and we figured we’d have to wait a long time to get a table. Picture our surprise when we saw that the place was empty.
A smiley waiter was expecting us inside and as soon as he heard our conversation being lead in English he switched without obvious difficulties; he even offered a menu in English! A curious thing about this place is that the interior is that of a bar. You can even get caipirinhas and other cocktails here. Given the neighbourhood and size of the place where we were we expected something a bit more hippie. But no, it’s like the reverse mirror image of Alfredo’s Barbacoa, which is a cheap styled restaurant in a big-ass poshy neighborhood. Well this looks like a big-ass poshy place in a slightly cheap neighborhood. Apart from the regular daily menu there is the section solely dedicated to hamburger with about 10 different choices. Hermzz reached back to his roots and ordered La Pampeana with provolone cheese and chimichurri sauce and of course, lettuce and tomatoes. I grew a pair this time and went for La Danesa. Yes, Danish selection crowned by wild berry sauce, mustard and… blue cheese. Since the summer is slowly making its way through the streets of Madrid, we decided the time is ripe for a small beer. Calories or no calories, we love our bodies just the way they are. Small detail though, potatoes or any other side are not part of the dish, you have to order them apart. We got such a good vibe from the place that we ordered a half fries, half onion rings dish.
The selection proved to be the jackpot. I will try to describe the indescribable and see if I can transmit this galactic eruption of tastes and feelings.
- The bun – soft and cuddly, almost dissolves with the touch of my tongue.
- The lettuce – cut to slim stripes, fresh and crunchy
- The tomatoes – two rings, equally big as if measured with a ruler. Red, crunchy and full of authentic taste
- The meat – not too thick, not too thin, juicy and made with lots of love (I felt it I swear).
- Super portion of baked potatoes and onion rings, served in porcelain bowl (this is my posh part talking).
- An incredibly creamy Espresso Italian style as a bonus to top it all off.
I can’t really find word for this experience. I’ll only say I didn’t want to brush my teeth afterwards so the taste of the hamburger could linger that much longer in my mouth.
We hit the chosen one ladies and gents, we have found the place.
Hallelujah.
Modern Art makes me hungry for quality food.
La Danesa
Even the onion rings were incredible.
La Pampeana
