While in Sofia several people recommended me the burgers at Crystal. This is a steak house which used to be famous long ago in communist Bulgaria. I was pretty excited to see what they have come up with on the burger menu. Suffice to say I was pretty impressed, they have redesigned it and the overall branding of the restaurant is in its every detail. Lets see if they have that level of detail for their burgers.

 

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How tasty is the Motherf*#$&r? – 8.5/10

This was the steak house and there is another Crystal apparently which is a burger and steak joint (maybe I should try it next time). I don’t think the difference would be massive considering how delighted I was with this burger. All and all I think this is a fantastic recipe that could of been executed slightly better.

Size: Large

The burger had:

  • Beef Patty
  • Egg
  • Aged Mature Cheddar
  • Egg
  • Argula (rocket salad)
  • Caramelised Onions
  • Tomato
  • Truffle Paste
  • White Bread

In a steakhouse I expect a lot from the meat especially from high star restaurant like this one. The quality and the preparation did not disappoint. I have to say this is one of the better quality meats I’ve tried . Sadly burger is not a steak and having simply good quality meat won’t cut it… at least for me. You need some more “umph” with the spices. You want to push your patty in certain culinary direction and even though the meat was great I would of hoped for slightly more.

The cheese had a similar problem with a lot of burgers around. You put cheese as part of the recipe but you don’t balance it correctly according to the ingredients. You could certainly feel the mature cheddar in some bites that were more plain but it wasn’t distinct when you had that juicy tomato and truffle fighting with the sweet onions. Put more or make sure it compliments the ingredients better.

The overall burger felt very Italian with the argula, tomato, truffle paste and the egg. These are ingredients you will see in south European salads and pasta. The combination between egg and truffle is always amazing . The egg acts as an amazing flavour sponge. I love rocket salad on a burger, I do believe it is a better options for a lot of burgers to lettuce. Somehow argula works really well with oils and grease and accentuates the taste. The overall combination I really loved it is just the cheddar cheese that was slightly off recipe.

Let me make it crystal clear ( get it? ) the best thing to go with burger are caramelised onions. It can only be good or great. I do believe this is one of the easiest way to add a lot of flavour and balance to a burger.

The bread was perfect. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, lightly toasted… yes please.

All and all the burger was really good and I do recommend it although it is a bit pricey for Sofia.

 

Burger joint venue and overall experience? – 8/10

You are going to have a good time here. Service is nice, ambience is amazing everything is stylish. The only problem is that it has nothing in common with a burger joint. You will get amazing service with delicious fries.

I would give it a higher score if it had a good beer selection but sadly wine is the speciality of the venue and so far I’m not convinced of the burger/wine combination (maybe I should try it more)

 

Quirkiness level of the experience? – 7//10

You get sophisticated serving for a greasy burger. You get an interesting recipe and good execution. Yes.