Burger Week: #2: The Gård burger @ Gård Nordic Kitchen, Amsterdam

Burger Week at Arcisfoodblog: 6 posts on some of the more remarkable burgers I “encountered” in the past couple of months; either homemade or in restaurants. Across the road from work, a Courtyard Marriott hotel was erected in the past year or so, and it opened this summer. Its restaurant Gård focusses on the Nordic Kitchen, and they have a signature burger, “the Gård burger”…

What worked and what didn’t:
I found it a bit strange that I was handed an iPad mini when seated. However, it had the entire menu and an order module that is directly connected to the POS/kitchen. Although it is a new take on the slightly tacky picture menus, I think it was an excellent idea, and it worked well as I was alone: you can only blame yourself if you screw up the order.

Nevertheless, you can debate about its added value over-ordering with the same waiter that is explaining the concept, bringing the drinks and returning to ask how I wanted my burger cooked… Furthermore, it seemed more time-consuming for the group of 8 on an adjoining table: they had to enter the entire order for the table on the same iPad, so nobody was able to take a sneak peek at the menu until it was their turn on the iPad.

On the upside: it is a solution for a pet peeve of mine: no longer a need to desperately draw the attention of an otherwise preoccupied waiter to pay your bill. Here, you just push the button on the iPad, and the waiter will come with the check and PIN machine…

Right, getting to the Gård burger… it was a nice one: a juice patty (cooked medium as ordered) covered with cheddar, fried red onions and some pickles served on a toasted bun covered with black and white sesame seeds. Unfortunately, run of the mill mayo and ketchup was served with the fabulous potato wedges. The second time I tried it, the patty was spicier, but unfortunately, the potato wedges were replaced with slightly limp spiced fries.

Yes, it is good enough to come back again, but the only thing preventing that is the hefty price: EUR 15. Add a drink, and you’ll have to pay EUR 18 to 19. In that sense Gård unfortunately really is a hotel restaurant. The “afternoon special” price of EUR 12 I saw advertised a couple of times is more realistic for what you get.

I keep thinking that it’s a bit of a shame that they didn’t do anything with their Nordic Kitchen theme. Topping of roasted beetroot? A dollop of lingonberry jam? A side of oven-baked Hassleback potatoes served with dill mayo? I reckon that there is more than enough inspiration to add a genuinely Nordic burger to the menu.

Verdict: 8/10