The Four Seasons in Jakarta, Indonesia has recently introduced one of the most expensive hamburgers in the world. The burger costs 1 million rupiah, which is approximately $110, or roughly twice the monthly minimum wage in the country! Served with a side of french fries, the hamburger is made of Kobe beef, foie gras, Portobello mushrooms and Korean Pears. The pears are known for the sweet taste and juiciness, but even with all the press that this burger has received, it isn't clear how the pear is incorporated into the final product.
One of the chefs from the hotel confirmed the reason that the burger is so expensive is that that the hotel "import[s] all the materials, and they are high quality." In the last month, the hotel has sold 20 burgers.
Estik, a restaurant in Madrid, Spain, also claims a burger in the same price range. Their kobe burger is €85.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-01-2007 @ 2:26PM
MJ said...
Not again ....will we ever learn?????????
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1-01-2007 @ 2:28PM
calamari said...
This is another luxury dish where I just don't see the logic of the ingredients. Half of me wants to run to the store for beef, pears, and Portobellos to try this at home, and the other half is saying, "Ick!" so loudly that it hardly seems worth the bother.
Anyone volunteer to mock up the burger with affordable ingredients? If the basic flavor balance works, it should be do-able with decent ground beef and a normal pear.
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1-01-2007 @ 3:20PM
Chef Alfred said...
Ok guys, you want the "insider" truth on this one ?
Actually, it's the fat content in the ground beef that gives it the "taste" for a Hamburger.
That inexpensive, heavy with fat, ground beef in the market is actually the good stuff for a burger, not the Kobe. Save the Kobe for your steak.
The next important factor is the roll which should be
a Keiser fresh baked with egg wash (one egg to one tablespoon of water)...crisp on the outside, soft and delicious on the inside. Sliced with a sharp serrated knife to omit snags.
Cheeses are not limited to American, and you should try Muenster, or Danish Havarti.
My relatives invented the burger in Hamburg, Germany, so you can ask me for insider info if you would like.
Any potato will work as a side, but fresh sliced
thin pieces fried in peanut oil are my fav.
The goal is to make them crispy on the outside and soft cooked on the inside.
All commercial french fries are frozen and processed, though some are tasty, but the best are made from fresh potatoes such as Idaho, or my fav - Yukon Gold.
With practice, you'll be able to slice your own thin fries.
Chef Alfred
alfredschrader@aol.com
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1-01-2007 @ 3:37PM
Robyn said...
i would never spend this much on... any meal, but the pear doesn't seem so weird to me. i see it as kind of serving the same function as onion. no?
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1-04-2007 @ 6:37AM
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