Burger it, let’s do takeaways, says posh chef
The Waldorf Astoria hotel in Amsterdam, with a Michelin two-star chef and rooms starting at $700 (R9,959), initially balked at the idea of offering burgers for delivery. Then reality hit.
Without guests or open dining rooms, hotels and restaurants in the Netherlands have had to turn to offering takeaway meals.
For the Astoria, that meant a $20 burger to go.
The chefs had to come up with something unique, said manager Roberto Payer.
For à19.50 (R332) plus an Uber Eats delivery fee, the Waldorf Signature burger comes with a 240g HolsteinFrisian meat patty and is served with English Duke of Berkshire bacon on a French brioche bun and aged Dutch cheese and homemade relish.
Uber Eats reviewers have awarded it 4.8 stars out of 5.
With hundreds of weekly orders, it’s been a success, but it won’t compensate for a prolonged ban on inside dining.
Crafting the perfect burger took serious research, said executive chef Sidney
Schutte, who, during normal times, runs the Michelin twostar Spectrum restaurant, which serves no burgers.
It had to be “the best burger that you can buy here in Amsterdam ... it needs to be perfect”, he said.
Dutch plans to ease some Covid-19 measures this week turned out to be too optimistic and have been pushed back until April 28 at the soonest.
When the Waldorf Astoria does reopen, it will have a tasty dilemma: does the popular burger stay on its exclusive menu?