Restaurant Review: Oh.My.Burger!

By Betty Richardson

The Place

Throw a stone in Shanghai and the chances are you'll hit at least three places that can sell you a burger. Heck, even Jean-Georges sells lobster burgers on their bar menu.

No prizes for guessing what the specialty is at liberally punctuated OH.MY.BURGER!, but unlike your standard hamburger-vending operation, offerings here have a uniquely Asian twist. They are determined not to be like other burgers, and to this end have introduced a first for Shanghai: the ramen burger.

The Food

That's right, ramen burgers – a foodie fad of 2013 instigated by Keizo Shimamoto that has taken a curiously long time to wash up on Shanghai's shores. OH.MY.BURGER!'s specimen (RMB70) looks as tidy as any by the hand of Shimamoto – crunchy, fried noodle 'buns' topped decadently with cheese, arugula and a runny-yolked egg.

But despite hefty appearances, the ramen burger lacks flavor. The beef patty is a dense, baldly seasoned old bugger, and its toppings do little to balance the rather bland ramen buns. Perhaps a lick of sweet teriyaki glaze or chopped scallions might bring the Asian theme to life?

The chicken bao (RMB70) elicited another 'meh' response. We really liked the juiciness of the chicken cutlet, but the chewy and heavy bao bun was basic Family Mart silliness. We don't even want to talk about how basic those dry 'Cajun' potato wedges in the background were. Luckily, the crispy and flavorsome duck fat fries (RMB50, or RMB95 when combined with a burger) are so much better. 

The Sichuan beef (RMB70) also served disappointment after its initial punch of spiciness. We suspect it's served top English muffin-off to give you a chance to remove those enormous whole chillies before inserting into your mouth. Sichuan people don't eat them, so why would you?

Finally, OH.MY.BURGER! gets it right with the avocado fish burger (RMB70), a salmon patty topped with fresh mint, cilantro, red onions, and julienned cucumber and carrots. Housemade sodas (RMB35 each) also redeem this place somewhat, particularly the ginger peach one. 

Food verdict: 1/3

The Vibe

The burgers might not be better than the sum of their parts, but the service certainly is. There were smiles. Pleasantries. Table water served without prompt. Servers who looked like they weren't about to fling themselves from the tops of tall buildings. There was – wait for it – eye contact!

We reckon menu tweaking would help realize this concept into the exciting alternative burger destination it can and could be; with such great service and concept it would be a real waste not to.

Vibe verdict: 1.5/2

Total Verdict: 2.5/5

Price: RMB65+ 
Who's going: locals and young expats
Good for: quick eats, lunch, novelty burgers

OH.MY.BURGER!, 691 Jianguo Xi Lu, by Hengshan Lu 建国西路691号, 近衡山路

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