Restaurant Review: Duke's Bangkok

[Meridian007]

Great burgers shitty location.

Exactly! And you really have to look for it, no one in the mall (including the info booth girls) has any idea where White Spot is. I think they may have changed the name of it, (the sign said "Triple O Burgers by White Spot"), here to highlight the fact that they only really sell their signature burger here, the triple O. In Canada, the White Spot is a full-on restaurant, with really good dry-ribs! They only have the breakfast and burgers here, so it's more like a White Spot express, I guess. I almost couldn't find it!

The bun is the best you'll find in BKK, but I like to get the BC burger with two patties to really get the flavour. That's what I had yesterday! Thanks again for the tip!

(Sorry again for sidestepping the OP's topic, I guess I should try the Duke so I can comment on it! )

[Ossies]

Back on topic, went to Dukes Express over the holiday period.

I had the Duke Burger which came with fries and was very impressed. Good taste and decent portions.

Getgoin, I think you said it is sirloin you use with the addition of fat. Where is the beef coming from, local or import?

I think the fries were some of the best I have had in Thailand as it is difficult to get good potatoes for fries/chips over here as they tend to be too waxy/high water content.

Where do you source your potatoes as would be good to be able to make better fries/chips at home than I have been able to so far?

Will be back to try out other items on the menu, I think the ribs will be next up

[Meridian007]

I went to Duke's last week, and I was impressed. To review:

Location: Yes it's in Emporium's food court, but it's so far out of the way that it might as well be in its own room. I didn't feel like I was surrounded by shoppers, in fact, there was hardly anyone about at all. This was mid-afternoon on a weekday.

Service: I don't know how anyone got bad service here, they seem to be falling over themselves to serve you. One question however, are they connected to Sunrise in some way? One of the people there, (he looked like a manager), was wearing a Sunrise Taco shirt. If they are connected, I think Greg is trying to corner the market on western food! I think he might be successful!

Food: I had the blue-cheese burger with onion rings. The burger was nice, thick and juicy. Although I like White Spot, (as seen above ), I have to get two patties there to really taste the burger, but at Duke's, this was not an issue. The bun needs some work, it was too small, crusty, and fell apart before I could even try to eat the burger with my hands. I had to resort to a fork and knife, which takes away some of the fun. I'm a sucker for a good blue-cheese and bacon burger, and this satisfied that well. The pickle was good too.

The onion rings are crispy now, (or at least when I went there), but are more batter than onion, which can be okay if you're looking for texture over flavour, but if they would cut the onions a little thicker, they would be more like onion rings instead of tempura onions.

I just had a water with it, as I know I'm too picky about my ice tea, and the "Lipton's instant" mention from earlier in the thread scared me off it.

All in all, I really liked it, and the portions were big enough that I almost couldn't finish. I can't compare prices with White Spot as I've forgotten what I payed at each place, but if I could get the White Spot bun on the Duke's burger, I'd be in heaven. I'm surprised that I wrote that considering that I never really liked burgers that much at home, they were too common. I guess that it is so hard to find a good burger here, that when you find one, the meal is elevated well above common.

I will return, and next time I'll try the ribs!

Edited January 14, 2010 by Meridian007

[getgoin]

The good news is that The Duke's Express has had a kitchen expert down from Chiang Mai to help them clear up any of the issues that everyone has been having. Expect the buns to be better.

As always it is good to get feedback so that we can make things right.

I believe the tea is fresh brewed.

[Tingnongnoi]

yep the buns are way to small, other than that was great, service also been good whenever ive been

[camerata]

Slightly off-topic but of interest to burger-lovers, The Landmark Greenhouse and Terrace currently has a "Burgers and Brews" promotion: Mexican Fajita Burger with Corona Beer, Far East Chicken Twin Burger with Tiger Beer, Indian Tandoori Lamb Burger with Kingfisher Beer, and the Kobe Burger with Asahi Beer.

Sounds interesting. Never heard of Kingfisher beer.

[onethailand]

The good news is that The Duke's Express has had a kitchen expert down from Chiang Mai to help them clear up any of the issues that everyone has been having. Expect the buns to be better.

As always it is good to get feedback so that we can make things right.

I believe the tea is fresh brewed.

The tea *was* fresh brewed - but on the last visit there was no mistaking the Nestea unsweetened instant and the heavy load of sugar. The difference is night and day, not dissimilar to the difference between instant coffee and freshly ground arabica.

Is the "expert" going to fix the cole slaw, and the lasagna too?

[bkkjames]

The good news is that The Duke's Express has had a kitchen expert down from Chiang Mai to help them clear up any of the issues that everyone has been having. Expect the buns to be better.

As always it is good to get feedback so that we can make things right.

I believe the tea is fresh brewed.

The tea *was* fresh brewed - but on the last visit there was no mistaking the Nestea unsweetened instant and the heavy load of sugar. The difference is night and day, not dissimilar to the difference between instant coffee and freshly ground arabica.

Is the "expert" going to fix the cole slaw, and the lasagna too?

I thought the lasagna was ok.

[getgoin]

The good news is that The Duke's Express has had a kitchen expert down from Chiang Mai to help them clear up any of the issues that everyone has been having. Expect the buns to be better.

As always it is good to get feedback so that we can make things right.

I believe the tea is fresh brewed.

The tea *was* fresh brewed - but on the last visit there was no mistaking the Nestea unsweetened instant and the heavy load of sugar. The difference is night and day, not dissimilar to the difference between instant coffee and freshly ground arabica.

Is the "expert" going to fix the cole slaw, and the lasagna too?

We fixed up the slaw before. They are working out the lasagna.

I am assured that the tea has always been fresh brewed but they were adding too much sugar and boiling it with the tea. This should be OK.

We went over a lot of things and will be helping out along the way to make sure that everyone leaves satisfied.

[t.s]

Slightly off-topic but of interest to burger-lovers, The Landmark Greenhouse and Terrace currently has a "Burgers and Brews" promotion: Mexican Fajita Burger with Corona Beer, Far East Chicken Twin Burger with Tiger Beer, Indian Tandoori Lamb Burger with Kingfisher Beer, and the Kobe Burger with Asahi Beer.

Sounds interesting. Never heard of Kingfisher beer.

yeah, well India is a small country.

[DukesBKK]

The good news is that The Duke's Express has had a kitchen expert down from Chiang Mai to help them clear up any of the issues that everyone has been having. Expect the buns to be better.

As always it is good to get feedback so that we can make things right.

I believe the tea is fresh brewed.

The tea *was* fresh brewed - but on the last visit there was no mistaking the Nestea unsweetened instant and the heavy load of sugar. The difference is night and day, not dissimilar to the difference between instant coffee and freshly ground arabica.

Is the "expert" going to fix the cole slaw, and the lasagna too?

I agree in Thailand, the culture is lots of sugar and sorry to say it probably

had too much in it but the good news is we never ever used instant tea and never

will. Not one jar of that "stuff" is in the kichen. Have boxes of tea and thats

the way it will always be.Will inform the staff to make it with less

sugar... can always add more:-) Thank you very much for visiting Dukes

Edited January 20, 2010 by DukesBKK

[drronnie]

I ate the lasagne the other day, thought it was great,. went today tried it again and it was exactly the same, the best I've ever had. Asked for a sample of the cole slaw, it also was good. They did mention it was a new reciepe and some liked the old version but most liked this style better as it was like the orginal taste in the West.

[onethailand]

I should probably post a picture of the lasagna I had. I will be very happy if it's fixed because that would be one of my favorites.

And the cole slaw - i don't think anyone in their right mind could prefer a salty coleslaw with coriander to a simple coleslaw, unless it was the Thai staff.

Maybe next month after all the kinks are worked out.

[drronnie]

I should probably post a picture of the lasagna I had. I will be very happy if it's fixed because that would be one of my favorites.

And the cole slaw - i don't think anyone in their right mind could prefer a salty coleslaw with coriander to a simple coleslaw, unless it was the Thai staff.

Maybe next month after all the kinks are worked out.

It must have been fixed or you had bad luck.

I have gone with other friends and we love the cole slaw. I looked and don't see any coriander.

Have had the lassgne several times since last week. Its my favorite, like you. I love lasagne!!!! No one gives this quality or portion in Bangkok.

Next time I go, I'll take a picture.

[onethailand]

Have to watch my diet at the moment so we'll have to see how soon I can go back to visit.

Re: the tea - easy suggestion - don't put sugar in it at all, and provide sugar syrup instead.

[smokie36]

Slightly off-topic but of interest to burger-lovers, The Landmark Greenhouse and Terrace currently has a "Burgers and Brews" promotion: Mexican Fajita Burger with Corona Beer, Far East Chicken Twin Burger with Tiger Beer, Indian Tandoori Lamb Burger with Kingfisher Beer, and the Kobe Burger with Asahi Beer.

Sounds interesting. Never heard of Kingfisher beer.

I tried the Kobe burger the other day. Good meat but the thing was swimming in cheese. A sloppy mess unfortunately.

[Ossies]

I had a burger from the terrace at the Landmark last year some time having read some comments on the burger thread on this forum.

Obviously being the Landmark it was not cheap and I also found it swimming in grease as I picked it up (not from cheese but presumably just cooking grease). It was a large burger but had trouble finishing it, not due to the size but the grease.

Far from impressed for the establishment and price.

[getgoin]

Well sure you can't go to a hotel that buys a product from someone that they don't know where the product is coming from. I was buying ground beef from a couple of places in Bangkok. I will not name then nor will I name the places that they advertised that they supplied.

Choice Meats in Bkk supplies a lot of good restaurants in Bkk but when we tried their burgers they were not great and they were not as good as the burger we currently serve.

Duke's Express has listened to it's customers and it has improved. Sure the food was always good but, yes, The Duke, crazy guy that he is has decided to lower the prices. Crazy Duke!!!!

Bangkok food at Chiang Mai prices. I think The Duke is crazy but what the heck.

[camerata]

I took the gf to Duke's Express at midday on Saturday so her daughter could try the ribs. After about 5 minutes were were told the ribs hadn't thawed out enough to cook just yet. Of course the kid didn't want anything else but was hungry (she is the most finicky eater on the planet) so she got mum's Duke burger. Well, she doesn't like burgers much (what kid doesn't like burgers??) and said the bacon was too salty, so I ended up eating most of it. The gf then ordered a Rueben sandwich (according to Wiki it's technically a Rachel sandwich if made with pastrami rather than corned beef) for herself, which she raved about, having acquired a taste for them in the States. I had my usual Duke burger and I must say the fries were the best I've had in decades.

Suffice it to say that the staff were very much concerned about customer satisfaction and the ribs problem, and it was ultimately solved to everyone's satisfaction. We picked up the ribs and onion rings as a takeaway later, reheated them for dinner and the kid loved them. Since she liked them, that's a guarantee we'll be going back.

[Meridian007]

I went back again for lunch, and it was empty again (how can anyone afford to stay open there?). They have increased the bun a bit, I was able to eat my burger without a fork and knife, but with some amount of messiness.

It was delicious as always, but the bun is still a little small. I amused the staff at the Vietnamese restaurant next door with my eating, (I'm not a messy eater, but it wasn't possible to eat this by hand without some mess), but I think they were just bored since they had no customers.

Another good meal, and I agree, I think they are listening to customers. With a burger as big as theirs, I think they need a Kaiser bun for it. I would hate for them to feel that they need to make the beef patty smaller, as that is one of the things that I like, (I don't like places with a tiny beef patty - "where's the beef?"), but it does require some skill to eat a burger cleanly there!

[camerata]

I never eat the top half of the bun, so problem solved. I wonder if I could order half a bun and get a discount?

[dantilley]

Been to Duke's 4 or 5 times now since reading the reviews on here and I think it's excellent. Burgers are great with excellent meat, true they are a bit messy to eat but that's a minor quibble really, the burger itself and the toppings are probably the best I've had in Bangkok - certainly I can't recall having better in recent times anyway. We're not exactly spoilt for choice here when it comes to good quality burgers, but I think Duke's would hold their own back in the west. Portions are huge also, you definitely leave the place feeling stuffed.

Fish and chips is excellent, and the chips themselves (which are also served with the burgers) are also among the best I've had here.

Lasagne is OK but probably the weakest dish I've had there - the mince wasn't ground enough, in fact at it seemed as if they'd stuck a couple of their burger patties in between the layers of pasta! Too much tomato in the sauce for my liking and not enough herbs & seasoning. It's called "American Lasagne" on the menu so maybe it's supposed to be in this style, but I prefer the Italian version. It was still quite tasty, and I've had much worse over here, but I think I'll stick to the fish & chips or the burgers for my next visit: which will be soon I hope.

Service is always very friendly and prompt, and prices are reasonable for the amount and quality of food you get.

The one worrying thing though is that the place is nearly always empty. Twice I've dined alone in there, the most I've seen is two other tables taken. Never seen it approaching what you'd class as busy. I think the reason for this may be the signage and the general decor: it looks like a cheap, low quality diner, the pictures of the food on the walls don't look appetising and generally it has rather a tacky, low budget feel to it. When you sit down the furniture and cutlery is of good quality - but it just doesn't look enticing from outside. I doubt I'd have gone there if I hadn't read about it on here.

[camerata]

The place was full of geriatric Americans when I was there at midday on Saturday. That's probably a good sign for an American restaurant.

[dantilley]

Yes, a good sign, and glad to hear they do have their busy days.

[onethailand]

The burger I had on my first trip was definitely good. But the lasagna I had on the second trip (yes, I think that's the same chunky beef they use in the burgers) was terrible, almost looked like it had been placed in a bowl of minestrone.

I strolled by yesterday to check out the menu - no one was in at the time (6 pm!) and yet again they did not pay any attention until I started to walk away (I had already planned on going to Sunrise). I do see the menu has some new items though. But I don't see any lowering of prices like getgoin claimed above, so if he has any specifics I would appreciate it.

[TheLaughingMan]

Been to Dukes twice, both times ordered lasagna and it is american style (which is what I want) and very big and delicious. Ordered one of the salads and it was very big too. The french fries are terrific.

Complaints: They were putting crappy sweet Thai kethcup in Heinz bottles and thinking no one would notice... hopefully that was just temporary because without heinz on your fries they are not nearly as good, that Thai stuff is revolting. Also I'm not cheap, but I refuse to pay snazzy club prices for a stupid coke at a regular restaurant. 80 baht for a coke is way too high, the limit should by 40 baht, 50 if you are greedy. 80 is a slap in the face with a steel glove.

[Ulysses G.]

This sounds like you need Super-getgoin to swoop in from Chiang Mai and fix everything!

I have a feeling that he is on his way.

Edited February 28, 2010 by Ulysses G.

[hhgz]

"...all American, the type you would think were really nice, polite people..."

Ouch! Would you have the same thoughts if the family was Asian, south Asian, southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, African, or European?

[onethailand]

"...all American, the type you would think were really nice, polite people..."

Ouch! Would you have the same thoughts if the family was Asian, south Asian, southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, African, or European?

I was describing a particular type of person... not American's in general LOL.

[Meridian007]

Wow, I'm amazed by the vitriol! OneThailand, if you don't like it, no-one is forcing you to go. I have to say that based on my own experience, and what the majority of others have relayed here of their experiences, you are almost a unique case. It makes me wonder if there isn't some other issue going on in behind your posts.

I don't know about the 1/4lb burger as I would never get it, (a big burger is what keeps bringing me back), but I have to say that when I compare Duke's burger to the other current options, there is really no choice. You can taste the quality in his burger, and you can only get that when it's hand-made.

As to the onion rings, the batter wasn't stuck to the onion? Maybe because the batter is extra-crispy it broke away from the onion, but that is normal with crispy batter. I've only gotten the onion rings when I go there, because I love onion rings. As I said in my first post on this thread, if the onions were thick cut, they would be perfect, but they are still good onion rings. I also won't bother ordering coleslaw anywhere, because I'm too picky about it, (my mom still makes the best!), so I don't want to be disappointed. I keep wanting to try the fries, but I can't bear not ordering the onion rings, and I think I would be way too full if I tried to eat an order of both!

Fix it or lose it - simple as that. You don't need me as a customer but you sure need others to keep returning and they sure as hel_l won't be if you leave it the way it is - take it for what it's worth.

Considering the ratio of happy, (or even satisfied), customers to unhappy customers, I don't think they have to worry about this. If they have any problems getting customers, it's because of their location, not the food or service.

Sorry to barge into your argument, If you honestly had such a bad time there, I feel sorry for you that it's somewhere that you won't enjoy eating at. For me, I'm glad they are here, and I hope they start opening stores in other areas! (Paragon or MBK would push business through the roof, tourists are always looking for a taste of home while trying out new things)

Maybe you should try Mos Burger, or Triple-O? They are the only burgers that I know of that come close to Duke's. Good luck!