Selfridges' £85 wagyu sarnie

[offcentre]

It had to happen sometime I suppose.

Ingredients:

Wagyu beef

fresh lobe foie gras

black truffle mayonnaise

brie de meaux

rocket

red pepper and mustard confit

English plum tomatoes

Can you even get english plum tomatoes at this time of year?

[Tim Hayward]

It had to happen sometime I suppose.

Ingredients:

Wagyu beef

fresh lobe foie gras

black truffle mayonnaise

brie de meaux

rocket

red pepper and mustard confit

English plum tomatoes

Can you even get english plum tomatoes at this time of year?

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Remeniscent of Daniel Boulud's foie gras burger at DB Bistro Moderne back around 2003. Apparently a burger comprising 10oz of ground sirloin wrapped around a core of braised short ribs, foie gras and black truffles. In a brioche bun with chips. Set you back $59 or $99 if supersized with extra truffles.

To be absolutely correct, the reviews were not universally glowing. Most of the New York based publications seemed to find the idea of dead-eyed Wall Street succubi ploughing into these meat mountains ironic and amusing. By the time the story had hit everyone else’s papers, however, it was being spun as another example of obscenely conspicuous American consumerism.

It seemed a shame really. Though I can’t imagine myself ever attending the DB nor ever making that kind of crass gesture in a menu decision, the idea of a burger flavoured with foie gras was still profoundly appealing.

Excellent PR stunt too.

[Matthew Tomkinson]

When i was in New York a few weeks back Daniel Boloud's Bistro Moderne was just down the street from our hotel. We ate there on our second to last night, one of our party took the burger and although not the record breaking burger (there is a plaque in the window from the Guiness World records) it was still the most expensive main course we ordered. It had black truffles, foie gras and wagyu or kobi beef and was really, really good. It had a little cone of fantastic chips and a selection of homemade condiments. I must say i had a starter or chicken oysters, frog's legs, confit garlic and pine nuts and it is definately one of the best things i have ever eaten.

[Rian]

The Starwich sandwich chain in NY have been churning out something similar for a while. There is also a thread on it. Tallying up, I reckon that a similar sandwich would set you back around $40-45. Steal. When in season, they'll shave black truffles onto your chosen sarnie for a supplement of $15. Menu doesn't list foie gras, though. Weasels.

[Andy Lynes]

The Starwich sandwich chain

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Hmm, that names sounds oddly familiar....that's not the same company that was the subject of the first hour long eGullet Radio foodcast and eGullet article and eGullet Spotlight conversation by any chance?

[Champagne Sadie]

When i was in New York a few weeks back Daniel Boloud's Bistro Moderne was just down the street from our hotel. We ate there on our second to last night, one of our party took the burger and although not the record breaking burger (there is a plaque in the window from the Guiness World records) it was still the most expensive main course we ordered. It had black truffles, foie gras and wagyu or kobi beef and was really, really good. It had a little cone of fantastic chips and a selection of homemade condiments. I must say i had a starter or chicken oysters, frog's legs, confit garlic and pine nuts and it is definately one of the best things i have ever eaten.

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I too had this burger a few weeks back, and it's not $59.00, it is $29.00.

Very nice too.

I quite fancy the selfridges sandwich - but at £85.00 I think not. I'm not sure that all the ingredients combine well.

[Matthew Tomkinson]

I quite fancy the selfridges sandwich - but at £85.00 I think not. I'm not sure that all the ingredients combine well.

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So what would you choose to put in your own no limits sarnie?

[Champagne Sadie]

I quite fancy the selfridges sandwich - but at £85.00 I think not. I'm not sure that all the ingredients combine well.

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So what would you choose to put in your own no limits sarnie?

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I'd get rid of the Brie to start - and possibly the red peppers, other than that, a pretty good sarnie.

[Tim Hayward]

I quite fancy the selfridges sandwich - but at £85.00 I think not. I'm not sure that all the ingredients combine well.

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So what would you choose to put in your own no limits sarnie?

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Swan on a bap?

[Tim Hayward]

I quite fancy the selfridges sandwich - but at £85.00 I think not. I'm not sure that all the ingredients combine well.

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So what would you choose to put in your own no limits sarnie?

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Seriously?

St John sucking pig leftovers, cold.

San Francisco sourdough.

Rocket, plum tomato and Hellmans mayo.

With an ice cold Anchor Steam beer.

At a window table at Sean's Panaroma overlooking Bondi.

[slkinsey]

Remeniscent of Daniel Boulud's foie gras burger at DB Bistro Moderne back around 2003. Apparently a burger comprising 10oz of ground sirloin wrapped around a core of braised short ribs, foie gras and black truffles. In a brioche bun with chips. Set you back $59 or $99 if supersized with extra truffles.

To be absolutely correct, the reviews were not universally glowing. Most of the New York based publications seemed to find the idea of dead-eyed Wall Street succubi ploughing into these meat mountains ironic and amusing. By the time the story had hit everyone else’s papers, however, it was being spun as another example of obscenely conspicuous American consumerism.

It seemed a shame really. Though I can’t imagine myself ever attending the DB nor ever making that kind of crass gesture in a menu decision, the idea of a burger flavoured with foie gras was still profoundly appealing.

Excellent PR stunt too.

The "Original db Burger" is a sirloin burger filled with braised short ribs, foie gras, and black truffles topped with tomato chutney and served on a parmesan bun with pommes soufflées or pommes frites. It normally goes for twenty-nine bucks, and to the best of my knowledge the reviews have all been fairly positive.

Now, that does sound pretty expensive for a burger. But I wouldn't say it's a "hamburger" so much as it's a fancy dish riffing on the concept of a burger. There is also the point to be made that this burger costs as much as it does simply because of the ingredients it contains, which were chosen for their gustatory contributions rather than their cost or supposed luxury status. Unfortunately, since that time there have been myriad imitators who have latched on to the idea of a "really expensive hamburger" and created absurdely overpriced sandwiches with what I feel are often extremely inappropriate ingredients (Kobe/Waygu beef, for example, is just a stupid idea for a hamburger). Most of these have been reviewed as just this side of "terrible" -- but that's to be expected when one is creating a dish more for the purpose of inflating the cost than inflating the taste. That, I think, is a bit of the case with Selfridge's sandwich, which doesn't sound all that good to me.

If you do ever make your way into db Bistro Moderne, I definitely recommend you try the dB Burger. It's well worth it.

Really what I'd like to see is reastaurants taking this concept in the opposite price direction. . . a tiny bit of foie tucked inside a burger would be delicious, and need not cost a zillion dollars. I could easily conceive of a burger that was made of, say, ground chuck filled with braised short rib meat, a touch of foie and some rehydrated porcini that went for $15 instead of $29.

[Tim Hayward]

If you do ever make your way into db Bistro Moderne, I definitely recommend you try the dB Burger.  It's well worth it.

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Next time I'm in New York... it's a date.

[Alexis]

Forget £85 sandwiches, who wants to start someplace selling good £5-and-under sandwiches, not those sad triangles with half an ounce of filling, always on wholemeal because it doesn't go soggy in 10 minutes?

[Gavin Convery]

On the question of burgers and foie gras, I believe one of the innovators was Michel Trama at L'Aubergade in SW France who for several years has produced a foie gras burger (no beef). Lovely restaurant that recently go its 3rd star...

Have a look here: http://www.aubergade.com/anglais/restaurant.html

[Matthew Tomkinson]

If you do ever make your way into db Bistro Moderne, I definitely recommend you try the dB Burger.  It's well worth it.

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Next time I'm in New York... it's a date.

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You must have the frog's legs and chicken oysters to start!

[SBonner]

Let's see a sandwich or the menu prestige at Gordon Ramsay's? I think the 85 pounds is better spent at the latter

Stephen Bonner

Vancouver

Edited April 18, 2006 by SBonner (log)