Ranajit Dam

DONGMEN is the last place in the world where you might expect to find a cowboy. As one of Shenzhen's busiest commercial areas, it is a maddening maze of small shops, and even smaller salespeople shouting, clapping and sometimes chasing you with the promise of "maa-saa-ji" or "sek-sy DVD."

The food scene there is similarly chaotic: McDonald's and KFC jostle for the impatient throngs of shoppers storming in for a quick burger and cola, and even the Starbucks in Sun Plaza looks uncharacteristically sardine-tin-like after the masses have packed into it. So in the middle of this insanity, meeting a genuine American cowboy with a demeanor reminiscent of the ranch -- and a speech pattern that's even slower -- comes as a bit of a surprise, to say the least.

David Wilson does indeed own a ranch back in the States; in Shenzhen, he and his Hunanese business partner Toni Tong run Cowboy's, a burger joint and coffee shop located almost perfectly in Dongmen, a short walking distance from a the Lao Jie Metro station.

Cowboy's, which opened on Jan. 28, currently has a fairly basic menu, comprising burgers, meat skewers and coffee in at least 15 different flavors, but the food is of much better quality than what Shenzhen residents have come to expect, and its all pretty cheap too. And with the promise of an expanded menu and more freebies, you can expect the place to keep getting better and better.

When I first met Wilson shortly after the Lunar New Year, he told me that his biggest challenge was to prove the superiority of his burgers to a city all but hooked on the McDonald's variety. Cowboy's burgers are different because, unlike the mass purveyors of fast food, the restaurant grills its meat instead of frying it, making of food that is not just healthier, but tastier too; as you bite into a burger you get a taste of the smoky meat as opposed to a mouthful of oil.

But its not just the burgers that score highly: Cowboy's French fries have few parallels in the city. The fresh-pressed fries, made using corn oil, are nothing short of lip smacking, making you want to order the XL plate, which, incredibly, costs just 10 yuan (US$1.4).

The reasonable pricing is the other obvious USP of Cowboy's. Try the quarter-pounder for just 18 yuan, or have it with bacon and cheese for 24 yuan. Tong said the restaurant was planning to produce a 1/3-pound burger as well, so meat addicts would be well advised to follow developments closely.   

Among the meat skewers, the lamb kebabs (eight yuan for three) are recommended, and don't forget to wash it all down with large lattes in flavors ranging from ginger spice to mandarin orange, and from pomegranate to almond-roca.

Beer is presently unavailable at the restaurant unless specifically ordered in advance for group events, but Tong said it would be offered in the near future, along with a full breakfast menu, combo meals and vegetarian options.

A few other facts about Cowboy's you might want to remember: It is open from Sunday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.. Free home delivery is provided to locations within a 20-minute bicycle ride; large orders can be delivered to places further away if you pay one-way taxi fare. And Cowboys now has free wi-fi too.

The interior is a bit basic and cramped, and the staff wearing cowboy hats might appear a tad cheesy to some, but then, you really should be heading there for the food. So if its tasty burgers you crave at fairly cheap prices, you get ready to say a big "Howdy!" to Cowboy's.