The latest contender to this heavy crown is Gourmet Cafe on Shaanxi Road N. Opened late last month, the cozy, 24-seater diner weighs in with a whole slew of beef, pork, chicken and vegetable burgers. Does the venue match up to the incumbents, or is it punching above its weight?

The answer is a resounding yes, as the cafe goes toe-to-toe with just about every other burger produced in the immediate vicinity and comes out standing.

"We aim to run an informal, relaxing restaurant," said William Bray, director of Prism Concept, the operator of the cafe. "What sets us apart is the quality of our ingredients."

The term gourmet tends to be abused at times, with less- than-worthy offerings being labeled with the term. The Jing'an District eatery, however, is clearly not mincing its words.

"We aim at simplicity, offering only two types of food - 22 different types of burgers and fish and chips," the Englishman said. "We also pay great attention to the freshness of our ingredients, and handle them as little as possible."

The staff at Gourmet Cafe takes such ethos very seriously. Every morning, it bakes fresh bread and prepares ground meat for the various patties. The results are tasty burgers with juicy meat and crisp veg.

The Feel the Cheese burger is the pick of the lot. At 58 yuan (US$7.25), it may be a lot dearer than fast-food outlets, but still presents excellent value for money with the sheer quality of the prime beef, grilled bell pepper and aubergine and covered with a generous helping of mature English cheddar.

The Le Poulado (58 yuan) is equally sensational. The burger consists of fresh chicken breast on a bed of lettuce, tomato and red onion. It also includes good chunks of ripe avocado, not a common ingredient locally, and is smothered with a tangy, spicy pepper mayonnaise.

If neither chicken nor beef tickle your fancy, then a number of alternatives are available. The cafe also serves veggie burgers, like the Bun Laden (50 yuan), or the pork-laden Ripsnorter (58 yuan). Seafood fans can also try the grilled garouper Deep Sea Salsa (68 yuan), or the enticing King of Salsa prawn burger (80 yuan). All burgers are served with a small salad on the side.

While the ingredients do live up to their billing, the buns are a bit of a featherweight. Dry and crumbly, they barely withstand the rigors of supporting such hefty portions of meat. Perhaps the bread could be afforded the same attention as the filling.

The fish and chips were also being touted as the best in city, although competition in this category is not quite as fierce.

"We fry our cod in a beer batter and make homemade tartar sauce," Bray said. "This is the most authentic fish and chips you will find here; we even print our own newspaper, the Gourmet Daily, to wrap the meal for takeaway."

The staff in this fashionable and cosmopolitan cafe is friendly and efficient. Most of the workers are Filipinos who were hired specifically to cater to the target clientele of business people in the office buildings in the area and residents of the nearby upmarket apartment compounds.

Are the burgers the best in town? It is still hard to say. They are certainly compelling enough to make the trip, and the half-kilometer free delivery radius make them even more attractive. When the bell goes at the end of the fight, however, the burgers at Gourmet Cafe will have outlasted any pub burger out there.

Address: 455 Shaanxi Road N.
Tel: 021-52136885