Halifax restaurant introduces $125 wagyu beef burger for Burger Bash

Asia Restaurant and Bar in Halifax is serving up a $125 wagyu burger – enhanced with caviar and 24 karat gold edible shavings.

Chef Sunpreet Singh of Asia Restaurant and Bar in Halifax is introducing a Japanese katsu sandwich made with top-grade wagyu beef sourced from New Brunswick.

The indulgent dish, set to debut in time for Halifax Burger Bash next month, offers a unique culinary experience.

“It’s super fatty, very rich and of course, delicious,” said Singh.

The sandwich is traditionally served on Japanese milk bread, with precise cooking techniques required to preserve the delicate balance of flavours. Singh enhances the dish with caviar, which he says compliments the wagyu’s richness.

“You’ve got salinity and acidity in the butteriness from the caviar. So, you’re really expecting a luxurious bite-rich, creamy, fattiness and salty caviar,” he said.

For the final touch, the chef adds 24-karat gold shavings.

Wagyu burger Asia Restaurant and Bar’s $125 burger is made with a wagyu beef patty, and topped with Acadiana gold caviar and 24-karat shavings. (CTV Atlantic/Hafsa Arif)

“You’ve got the caviar as an intermediary of luxury. Wagyu is common at this point, but the second you add gold, you’re adding the cherry on top,” said Singh.

Singh said he collaborated with the restaurant’s owner, Zoey, on the creation of the sandwich, focusing on sustainability and using local ingredients from the Maritimes.

“Asia is about traditional flavours and authenticity,” explained Singh. “She wanted to do something luxurious and I wanted to do something sustainable. So, it’s a blend of both of those things, and how you combine both of those things and make something extra delicious, extra fancy, and ‘Instagrammable.’”

The extravagant sandwich comes with a hefty price tag of $125 per serving.

The 24 Karat Burger A $125 wagyu beef burger being offered in this year's Halifax Burger Bash is pictured. (CTV Atlantic/Hafsa Arif)

While the restaurant has received mixed reactions, it’s optimistic about its reception.

Especially since the ingredients are locally sourced and $25 from each sale will be donated to Feed Nova Scotia.

“People are shocked by it, but then we have people who actually know the price of wagyu and they support us. They say, ‘You guys are actually not making any money on this,’” he said.

With its blend of luxury and local ingredients, the wagyu burger aims to push culinary boundaries. Whether it’s worth the splurge, however, depends on individual taste and budget.

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$125 wagyu burger A $125 wagyu burger being offered by Asia Restaurant and Bar in Halifax during this year’s Burger Bash is pictured. (Source: Halifax Burger Bash)