Burger Night #6 The East London Yacht Club

We seem to have missed the February deadline for another Burger Night, but we might double up in March.  Balance.

Last nights event was held at the East London Yacht Club.  Turns out there is more than one yacht club, the singular harbour complicating the matter.  We spent the evening on the West Bank of East London's Buffalo River, looking out over the many docked yachts; highlighted first by the sunset, and later by the yellow harbour lights.  If it sounds a little dramatic, then you're feeling me on this.  The venue is fantastic - it is without pretense and great for a big group to enjoy an evening together, with just enough space for seating and possibly some dancing - if you have an itch.

The theme was nautical.  Continuing the run of appropriate theme'ing.  My original plan to go as a pirate was hamstrung by my schedule, but my stripey golf shirt was strangely appropriate.  Everyone put in a good effort, the more attainable dress code definitely got a better response.

There wasn't a waiter per se', we're still not exactly sure who was who, but the food was prepared by a duo who worked solid for 3 or 4 hours to cater for our group.  Unfortunately the lead time on getting food was quite long (read very long), its probably best to enquire about catering for big groups, or to provide food that doesn't require onsite prep; finger foods or cold foods.  We came for burgers, and this might not have been standard fare for the kitchen team.

The burger?
The art of food reviewing is tricky.  We were all hungry, the burger was the answer.  Unfortunately it was cold by the time it made it to HQ, but it definitely hit the spot.  There was good garnish and a special mayo sauce, but all in all, it didn't have the presence of the Crickter's pattie, or the presentation of Primi Piatti.  It was tasty, but I wouldn't mark it down as an East London must-do.

The chips?
Somewhat in contrast to the burger, the chips were piping hot and found a comfortable home between crispy and slap.  They were great and definiely added value to the meal.

As a bonus, the club provided desert, included in the meal cost.

I wasn't sure what to expect form the clubhouse, but, as you can see from the scoreboard, the venue and ambience was fantastic.  The drinks were well priced and the club members were very accomodating.  All in all, a beautiful evening out.  I'll be investigating the option of having breakfast at the club soon.

Final bill: Burger + Chips, Ice-cream and Amstel R50.

For enquiries tel: 043 722 2278

Find a map here

Burger Night #3 Cafe Neo

The pursuit of the ultimate burger lead us to one of East London's most recent entrants into the restuarant market, Cafe Neo.  You'll find it above the bastion of burgers in Slummies, the Windmill... The telephone number is : 043 722 4531.
It was with interest that I arrived, given the ground-floor heritage in burgers, it could prove to be an interesting meal.

This month's dress up theme was Glamour.  After celebrating International Suit Up Day I resisted the temptation to Suiting Up, in favour of a shirt and tie... and jeans - its Burger Night after all. We saw some awesome committment from the 31 people that rocked up for the eating.  Well played Burger Night attendees.

Ironically, as I walked into the restuarant I spotted a table of suits... realising that they weren't part of our group, it became clear that we had made a major move upward in the social areena from last month's visit to Buccs.  Time would tell if Cafe Neo could unseat Buccs as the current title holder.

We were a big group.  The popularity of eating Hamburgers on a week night seems to have taken off, or maybe our friends just enjoy suiting up, or maybe there wasn't much on TV - whatever the case, we had 30+ attending, and for any restuarant that presents a problem.  We'd been assigned about a third of the floor space, but were dissappointed that our group had to split itself into four groups, tables in relatively short supply.

I opted for a beef burger, the original.  I did spot a couple of chicken burgers and housemate Nic put away a dagwood.  Well played Nic.

The food arrived without much delay - just enough time to become fully eager.  Our waiter, faced with a swarm of mobile patrons did fantastically to make sure everyone had a drink infront of them, and even remembered an hour and a half later that I'd ordered an Amstel - my empty long gone.  Well played Our-waiter.

The Burger?
Interesting point this... bear with me.  I've realised that being an impartial food reviewer is tricky - you experience your meal in the context of the restuarant you're in and then there's the compounding issue of price.  The burger wasn't what I was expecting, given the decor/atmosphere, but it was still good.  Very similar to the offering from Buccs, it was large and the pattie was well sized.  Plenty of garnish too.  More attractively presented and definitely not as messy as the bar.

Chips?
The chips were on the thin side, not crispy - more in line with expectations.  Downstairs you get a punnet of artery busters, but the Cafe provided a more classy, manageable variety.  Portion could have been a little larger, but satisfactory on the whole.

Vibe?
Cafe Neo has a great vibe and the 20-something crowd only had good things to say about the atmosphere, decor and its inherent similarity to all things Cape Town.  Its upmarket, but casual - and you'll feel comfortable so long as you're wearing shoes and a clean shirt.  No small feat.  Pants advised.

This has been our most successful burger night s far.  The venue was great and we'll all be going back soon - Cafe Neo is definitely filling a niche, and doing it better than anyone else in town.

Final bill was R55 for a burger, Amstel + tip.