Now Open: CaliBurger ie "The Fake In N Out"

CaliBurger finally opened its doors near the end of Chinese New Year holidays in late January. All is right in the CaliBurger world post-settlement with In N Out with new signage, menu names, and revamped interior.

I am not sure who picked that brown color scheme for the dining area, but the original mockup on the CaliBurger website had shown a black and white scheme. It is now this unappetizing light brown reminiscent of a chocolate shake. The rendering is now updated on the CaliBurger website. The art in the wall alludes to the vibrancy of California. The speakers blared current hits, a welcomed change from Celine Dion.

The number of staff running the place is considerable. They are everywhere. One opens the door for you; one escorts you to the counter; a couple people take your order; and a kitchen team whips it up in viewing distance. The menu is still basic and kept to a minimum, which is characteristic of the In N Out menu. "Off-menu" requests are also granted like a mustard patty, whole grilled onions, and extra-crispy fries.

Staff ready and awaiting command to serve / Menu display
Not only is CaliBurger a fast-food restaurant, they also do table service. Instead of waiting by the counter for your order, you are given a number and a team member will deliver your cardboard box of food. Better yet, they tout table service for wine. The wine is imported from California and sells at 44RMB for a glass or 132RMB for a bottle. The label looks like Clint Eastwood, but Roy Newman claims it is an image of himself. To be honest, I did not see the resemblance (see for yourself). Edward, one of the CaliBurger team members, came over to the table with a white cloth napkin draped on his arm to uncork the wine and pour it into real wine glasses. He was very polite offering a tasting immediately after the uncorking before serving the rest of our table. This is fancy. You are at a fast-food joint and wine is being poured at your table with a white cloth napkin to clean up spills and breakable glasses. It makes me wonder a takeaway glass of wine is packaged. Loving this perk.

Roy Newman California Red Wine / Table service for wine by Edward
The "Wild Style" fries (38RMB) had melted American cheese, chopped grilled onions, and special sauce on top. Others who were better versed on the original "Animal Style" fries said that these were pretty good. CaliBurger does claim that their fries are always fresh, but we were informed that they were currently using a "high-quality" frozen fry. "Frozen" does not necessarily translate to "fresh," though "freshly frozen" or "frozen fresh" may ensure some bit of quality. In any case, the textures did not impart any qualities that freshly cut potatoes do. The sourcing team is waiting until spring for this year's crop of potatoes to see if they will match standards. So in the meantime, if you are thinking you are getting a freshly cut fry, do not be fooled. On top of that, Australian beef is still being used.

Set meals will soon be added to the menu as follows: Meal A = Hamburger + French Fries + Soda = 35RMB (a savings of 23RMB); Meal B = Cheeseburger + French Fries + Soda = 40RMB; Meal C = CaliDouble + French Fries + Soda = 55RMB. Now that is 5RMB extra for a bit of cheese or 15RMB for an extra burger patty with cheese. But Wild Style fries are 38RMB, so that may tack on another 20RMB to your meal set. Check out the set menu here.

There are still people skeptical if CaliBurger could even live up to the fraction of the greatness that is In N Out, which it is attempting to pay homage to. The only true test is the taste test, which is already subjective, but even then comparisons to those using California-grown produce would be difficult to make.

CaliBurger. 98 Yanping Lu (near Xinzha Lu), 新闸路98号(近新闸路), Shanghai, China. Caliburger.Asia

First Look: CaliBurger ie "The Fake In N Out"

Gasps of amazement and horror rippled through Shanghai amongst those familiar with the California burger joint, In N Out. CaliBurger is opening a 山寨 shānzhài (refers to Chinese imitation and pirated brands and goods) store in front of the cheap compound popular amongst expats, SanHe HuaYuan 三和花园. It was set to open on Friday, December 9, 2011, as reported on various Shanghai lifestyle websites. CaliBurger apparently had a media night on the eve of its opening as well as to introduce the three finalists of the CaliBurger Girl Contest. Passerbys that the couple weeks up to this date reported that the burners were on and vigorous testing was being done as the kitchen ventilators emptied out street-side.

I am there at 12:30 on Friday, December 9, 2011. I wanted to see what they were about and how CaliBurger was at its attempt to ape the beloved In N Out. The CaliBurger sign does not hang outside, aside from the wires that will be used to power it. There are two people standing at the door to greet me as I walk in. Roy Newman, self-proclaimed wine distributor first and investor second, and Jon, the Californian beach-blonde guy doing business development, basically stared at me when I entered. The place was void of customers not to mention a menu.

"Hi, how can we help you?" Inquisitive stares. Awkward silence.
"Online it says you are supposed to be open today."
"We are not open." More staring.
"Then why does it say online that you are supposed to be open today? I have friends already on their way."
"A lot of friends? Um...what can we do?" They look at each other.
"Are you from California?"
"Would you like a sample?"
"Yes." Free food!

I take a seat in the booth behind me and wait for my friends. Roy Newman takes the time to sit and talk. He is excited that an actual Californian in Shanghai would visit CaliBurger. We know that CaliBurger had bought the rights to use signature trademarks of In N Out in China, Russia, Hong Kong, and Australia, among other places as In N Out had failed to secure this previously. There were some legal issues with In N Out that even went so far as to provoke an In N Out popup for the purposes of "soft market research." I am informed that CaliBurger has come to an amicable agreement with In N Out only the day before that basically "gives [CaliBurger] well-wishes on the international venture." Since this agreement, the menu items known as "Double Double," "Animal Style," and "Protein Style" are now referred to as "CaliDouble," "Wild Style," and "Garden Style," respectively. CaliBurger did not want to copy In N Out, but merely pay homage and spread its greatness abroad.

The menu was limited that day as only burgers were available and they have not yet found a suitable supplier for potatoes. We ordered from our table a cheeseburger with whole grilled onions and no pickles and a couple CaliDoubles Wile Style. We did not have to go to the counter to pick up our order since CaliBurger decided that diners will have the option to order from their table.

CaliBurger Cheeseburger and midway through its consumption
Now on to the actual burgers. They arrived in a box and wrapped in a branded hamburger sleeve. They did not go so far as to copy the hidden Bible verses on select In N Out packaging. The cheeseburger arrived with whole grilled onions and pickles "Wild Style," which was a fail since the girl who took the order was clearly fluent in English. Not wanting to make a fuss, the pickles were picked out. The CaliDouble looked really good and it smelled great. The burger was pretty solid for that price point (28RMB for a burger, 33RMB for a cheeseburger, 48RMB for a CaliDouble). It was of appropriate size and had great texture: crunch from the lettuce, softness of the bun, girth of savory meat, sweet grilled onion, juicy tomato, gooey cheese and soft zing from the sauce. Breaking the burger down to its individual components was a slightly different story. The buns are made locally and were toasted on the inside so the bun never got soggy, but I swear the In N Out buns were lighter and spongier. Few produce can compare to what you can get in California. The lettuce may not be as green, but it was crisp the whole way through and not browning. You cannot expect to get a decent tomato in Shanghai, especially asking a winter tomato in Shanghai to meet Californian standards. The American cheese melted the way through and did not have that over-processed gag-inducing flavor that is commonly found in Chinese-made American sandwich singles. The burger patty was dry. There was not indication if the patty was pressed whilst cooking (Roy was not aware of the cooking methods used). Luckily, the cheese and sauce were able to cover that fact up. CaliBurger was thinking of importing beef from the States, which is illegal, but sourced Australian beef instead. They claimed that Chinese beef is not up to their standards. However, this does not take into consideration the CaliBurger motto of "Always Fresh." Putting together different cuts to create a great burger is a bit of an art, so perhaps they should consider further testing of different combinations of Chinese beef cuts.

Vanilla Spiked Shake and CaliBurger branded wine
Newman claimed to be a wine guy first and an investor second. He brings out and offers us a bottle of CaliBurger-branded Californian red wine that they will be offering. The wine was chosen to compliment the burgers and is not very heavy. Then we are offered a cup of their spiked shakes (28RMB), which is the standard milkshake spiked with bourbon. The vanilla Spiked Shake was pretty tasty and the bourbon flavor was clear. The milkshake could have been thicker. There is still discussion on what the final bourbon source will be, but Jim Beam was mentioned. After the wine and the Spiked Shake as well as the convenience store beer we brought since drinks were not available, this lunch chat was getting tipsy. You can call it either a way to win us over or to blur newly made memories. Still thinking about that vanilla Spiked Shake...

Let's say the visit was during its "soft-opening" (they had planned the real opening for 9th December after the media tasting the night before) so CaliBurger still has time to work out the kinks for its January 2012 opening. Though, this is not a particularly opportune time with the Christmas holiday season just ending and Chinese New Year being the last week in January. Roy Newman and his team were eager to listen to criticisms and suggestions for improvement, so here is to CaliBurger being able to produce a solid product and maintain oversight to ensure standards after turning it over to a local team. Or so you would hope.

CaliBurger. 98 Yanping Lu (by Xinzha Lu), Shanghai, China. 中国上海市静安区延平路98号 (近新闸路). CaliBurger.Asia

Weird Fish in the Mission District

A vegetarian friend in the Bay Area recommended that we go to Weird Fish in the Mission District for lunch for something typically Californian (think fresh, fresh, fresh) and on a budget. The menu pleases non-vegetarian and vegetarians alike with a variety of options, including vegan ones. Even better, Weird Fish takes on the principles of eating local and sustainable and even tries to farm most of its own produce.

Weird Fish has a cozy little space on Mission Street. It is a bit reminiscent of being on a bright ship without all that pirate cheesiness. The decorative details show an appreciation for local art and the music is pretty good. If you look closely at the artwork above the kitchen area, you can spot a little vented window where the office presumably is. Only when someone is up there moving around do you actually notice. Very sneaky.

The veggie tacos had sweet potato (for that day), mango salsa, slaw, and vegan crema. The bright colors jump out immediately evoking thoughts of the peak of freshness personified is about to be consumed. The sweet potato was prepared in a way that brought out the girth of its savory qualities. There was no skimping with ingredients to build the taco. However light it tasted, the veggie tacos were surprisingly filling for its size.

The Seitan N Chips plate had soy battered house seitan with housemade fries, vegan tartar, and slaw. Seitan, "wheat gluten," "gluten meat," or "wheat meat" is made from wheat starch or vial wheat gluten and washing away the starches leaving only an elastic mass that is insoluble high-protein gluten. It becomes similar to the look and texture of meat when cooked, serving as an alternative substitute to tofu. Different textures can be achieved and it can be flavored a variety of ways. Seitan was first developed in China and is popular among Southeast Asian countries. Those who require a glut-free diet be warned though gluten-free seitan is available. The pieces of fried seitan were just huge though the batter coating could allow one to easily mistake it for true fish. The seitan substitute for fish was mildly flavored, though slightly more chewy than anticipated. The texture was that of a solid piece of moist fish rather than being flaky or over-cooked and dry. The red cabbage slaw added some bite and contrast to the fried seitan. The chips were newly fried, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Veggie Tacos and Seitan N Chips
The weird fish that is not really fish at Weird Fish sets this restaurant apart. For every fish dish there is an alternative answer to it on the menu. Amazing. One can definitely appreciate this balance.

Weird Fish. 2193 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110, United States. Tel: +1.415.863.4744. Closed Sundays. WeirdFishSF.com.