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RESTAURANTS : 1885 Burger Store

1885 Burger Store Address: 24-1 Pucheng St, Taipei City (台北浦城街24-1號)) Telephone: (02) 2367-8258 Open: Mondays to Thursdays 11am to 9:30pm, closes at 10:30pm Fridays and Saturday, opens at 10am Saturdays and Sundays, closes at 9:30pm Sundays) Average meal: NT$200 Details: English and Chinese menu; credit cards not accepted

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1885 Burger Store was taking a big risk locating its recently opened premises a stone’s throw away from Evans Burger (reviewed here on Feb. 27). Evans packs in the crowds not only because of its prices and snappy service, but also with its relaxing colonial-style space.

Burger Store clearly did its homework before opening. Its interior of soft lighting, brick walls, wood finishes and comfortable booths matches Evans’ laid-back vibe. Also like Evans, this joint offers cola refills for free and there is no service charge. Unlike Evans, Burger Store is mainly interested in one thing: burgers. And when it comes to its daily burger specials (served during the week from 11am to 6pm), Burger Store is good value.

Monday’s offering is the cheddar and Swiss cheese burger (NT$190); Tuesday’s is the cheese and mushroom burger (NT$180); Wednesday’s is a grilled steak burger (NT$220); Thursday’s is the BBQ bacon and cheese burger (NT$220); and the week rounds out with a BBQ pineapple and cheese burger (NT$220). All burger specials are served with French fries and a drink. As it was Tuesday, I went with the cheese and mushroom burger.

Generous slices of fresh mushrooms, lightly fried, rested on a piece of melted processed cheese and thick beef patty on an open bun. The sliced tomatoes, red onions and lettuce along with three slices of pickle come on the side for patrons to add them if they so choose.

To set itself apart from similar restaurants, Burger Store has added some novel flourishes such as substituting plates with wooden cutting boards and placing the fries in cute metal pails.

For the price, it was an impressive display. The fries were crispy while the burger was juicy and tasty.

Less impressive, however, was the grilled steak breakfast (NT$290). It came served with two thin slabs of beef, two eggs (any style), a choice of cheese potatoes or hash browns and salad, juice and bread.

We were surprised to find a whole-wheat hamburger bun accompanied the dish. Is Burger Store too specialized in making burgers to offer sliced bread?

The vegetables in the salad consisted of those that accompanied the burger. Hiding them underneath a mound of canned corn merely added insult to injury. Even the cheese sauce that came with the very oily and flavorless potatoes tasted suspiciously like the same variety used on the burger. All that was missing from this burger-disguised-as-a-breakfast was the pickles and mushrooms.

The dish began to make sense only when my dining companion piled the egg and slightly gristly steak on top of the bun — burger style. Some baked beans here or fried onion there would have done much for this “breakfast.”

Burger Store won’t win accolades for originality or superior taste. But what it does do — whip up a solid burger — it does well.

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