Tracking down hamburgers in Chongqing has been a passion of ours since  here at cqscene for a long time.  Times have not changed.  I admit I've been a little slow on this one however, first hearing about the Beer Garden Bar and Grill, in Jeifengbei's Deyi Shijie bar area.  In my defense however, we were still in a time of gray skies, and that unpleasant cold humidity that plagues the city.  Needless to say, the weather then, was not the weather it is now, and last Friday, in the early evening nothing sounded better than sitting outside with a burger and a beer. 
The beer, your standard "outside bar" Carlesburg draught, was made better solely for it being a cold beer on a warm day.  The burger my friends, was one worth returning for.  And though the food at hand gets its name from Germany, its no secret that America is where she was born and bred, and it was of no surprise to see the man behind the grill, to be from one of the 50 states.  Cooked to perfection, the burger can be enhanced with a variety of items such as white chedar cheese, grilled mushrooms, and bacon to name a few, along with "gramma's secret sauce," and delightfully seasoned, hand-cut fries, the Beer Garden and Grill's burger rivals any to be tasted on either side of the two rivers.  Being a passionate consumer of mustard after some good time spent in Germany, my experience was slightly soured by the lack of god's condiment, but head Chef  Mike Shane was quick to assure me that they would be having it soon, as chili dogs are destined for the menu in the near future.

Moving to CQ 4 months ago, I made a decision to assimilate into the Chinese culture.  The first stop:  food. 

We all know about Hot Pot.  A big ole Pot that’s as hot on the way out as on the way down.  But, as I have started to discover, Hot Pot is the tip of the iceberg…
A week ago I tasted my first “Bone Soup.”

The special treat of the meal is the bone (of course)!  The diners put on the glove, take a bone, and proceed to use the straw to suck out the bone marrow.  A bit of meat is on the bone as well, and can be gnawed off.

Overall, I was a bit perplexed by bone soup.  The straw was a bit much for me, but the marrow was quite tasty.  If your wanting a new adventure, check out one of the many Bone Soup shops around China.

T.Barnes