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08/10/2008

Burger Mania

As the hamburgers are getting the spotlight these days, there are hamburger restaurant owners who want the foreigners to try their hamburgers. Mr. Moriguchi, a young, budding hamburger chef is one of them. His hamburger restaurant, Burger Mania, is located in Shirokane, a popular place for foreigners to live in Tokyo. Interestingly, even though there are many foreign people living in Shirokane, there were no hamburger restaurants in that area. So, Mr. Moriguchi made up his mind to open a hamburger restaurant in April 2008. Although it is a bit walk from the nearest subway station, Shirokane-Takanawa, the place is always packed with people, with some speaking English.

Before launching Burger Mania, Mr. Moriguchi trained at Firehouse (Hongo) and *ease (Jingumae), both known for serving excellent hamburgers. Along with Mr. Moriguchi's passion for hamburgers, Burger Mania uses the finest meat and buns to complete its high-quality hamburgers. The patty meat is 100% Japanese-domestic raised cattle, ensuring the juiciness and tastiness of the beef patty. The buns are from Mineya, a very popular bakery located in East-Shinjuku. Their buns are also used at many popular hamburger joints, including AS Classics Diner (Komazawa) and Goro's Diner (Jingumae).

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This is the hamburger topped with Cheese, Bacon and Avocado. Even with all of the tasty toppings to the hamburger, the beef patty's flavor is conspicuous, with the chunky exterior and the juicy interior. The size of the hamburger is just right; you can taste the entire elements that co-exist within the hamburger in a single bite.

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For those who want to spice things up, the Mexican Burger is the hamburger for you. Topped with jalapeños and chili beans, the hot flavor of the hamburger will spark your taste buds, even when the hot and humid Tokyo weather is wearing you down.

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Another interesting menu is the Mango Burger, a hamburger topped with two slices of mango. For the apple and pineapple hamburger fans, be sure to try this sweet burger, as the mango will melt to form together with the beef patty.

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The marquee hamburger is the Platinum Burger. The unique thing about this hamburger is that it does not used the grounded patty, but with thin strips of prime Black Wagyu. On top of the beef is the special balsamic vinegar sauce. The beef is mouthwatering, and the sour sauce adds a new diminiton to the hamburger. This hamburger is named after the area Shirokane, which means platinum. Burger Mania only serves ten of these Platinum Burgers, so be sure to arrive early if you want to try this burger. Although it is a bit pricy (1,500 yen), it is a must-eat hamburger for, well, burger maniacs.

----SHOP INFORMATION----
Official Homepage: http://www.burger-mania.com
Business Hours: Open Daily 11:00am - 11:00pm
Address: 6-5-7, Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo Japan

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08/02/2008

The Ritz-Carlton Wow Burger

One might wonder, "What is the most extreme hamburger?" Well, it is difficult to single out the most "delicious" hamburger, because we all have different tastes. However, it is fairly easy to point out the most expensive hamburger in Japan.

The Ritz Carlton Tokyo provides the Tokyo's most expensive hamburger, the "Wow Burger". The price tag for this hamburger is at whopping 13,500 yen, without service charge. The final bill for this burger will be at 14,795 Yen each (with the service charge). Come to think of it, the regular hamburger at McDonald's cost 100 yen each. You can eat one-hundred and fifty McDonald's hamburgers with 15,000 yen. While this hamburger's price tag is mind-boggling, if you want to try this burger, head for the 45th floor of the Tokyo Midtown tower and head for the "Lobby Lounge and Bar".

The hamburger comes with your choice of either tea of coffee. The restaurant has a wide variety of tea selection, so pick your favorite tea. The tea comes in a small pot, and the waitress will replenish the tea when the teacup becomes half-empty. Enjoy the tea while sitting in the comfortable soft sofa, and wait for your burger. (Of course, table seats are also available)

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When the hamburger is served, you will definitely notice the huge tower of French fries. The hamburger features sautéed onions, fresh tomatoes, beef patty, avocados, lettuce and arugula. The sweet sauce with truffles adds the flavor to the burger.

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I don't know whether this dish qualifies as a hamburger, because it is impossible to eat with your hands. The truffle sauce is layered below the hamburger, so it is not meant to be picked up by hand, but meant to be eaten with fork and knives. But, if the restaurant insists that it is a "hamburger", well, it is a hamburger.

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It is a good-looking hamburger, but is very very difficult to eat. Since the beef patty is so loosely-cooked, it easily crumbles when you try to cut it with a knife. It is a very flavorful hamburger, with sweet truffle sauce and ripe vegetables. I cut out the crown part of the buns, and used it as a base to put together the meat and vegetables so that I could eat the various ingredients with a single bite. After all, hamburger tastes the best when the buns, meat and vegetables fusion together in a single bite.

After finishing the hamburger, enjoy your fries. I think the practical way to eat the whole fries is to share it. I sadly couldn't finish them myself.

Is this a tasty burger? Yes. But with this price tag, it is only for special occasions. The reason why I had this burger is to celebrate my 200th hamburger. Next time, I will introduce a more "practical" hamburger.

----SHOP INFORMATION----
Official Homepage: http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Tokyo/Dining/Default.htm
Business Hours: Breakfast: 8:00am - 11:00am (Continental Breakfast)
Beverage service: 11:00am - 12:30am
Afternoon tea: 12:00pm - 5:00pm
Address: Tokyo Midtown, 9-7-1, Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-6245 Japan

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