James' Blog

I love burgers, looooooove them. My friends joke that no matter where we go, if there’s a burger on the menu i’ll order it. During my time in Japan i’ve sampled quite a few(with many more to try) and my personal favourite to date is Freshness Burger.

Freshness Burger is a well established chain in Japan(189 stores according to Wikipedia!) their restaurants have a nice friendly feel with wooden flooring and furniture – making them look alot less fast food than Burger King or McDonalds.

Ordering is an absolute breeze as all menu items have their name spelled in english as well as Katakana, if you aren’t comfortable trying to order verbally they also have placemats on the counter so you can literally point at the items you’d like – much like McDonalds in Japan do also.

Find yourself a seat and your lovingly prepared meal gets brought across to you in a nice little basket with the Burger wrapped in paper so you don’t get all messy, it never hurts to try the terrifically chunky chips too.

My personal fave is the Classic Burger with cheese, which consists of burger, red cheddar, massive slices of onion & tomato the size of the burger and salad. So good. Emma prefers the plain or teriyaki chicken burgers. All burgers are made to order so whatever you get it’s fresh, piping hot and super good!

I’ve added a google maps link below to the Kanda branch which is the one I personaly visited as it was near our hotel. I’ve found them all over the place though, from Ebisu to Osaka!

And on google streetview

On my next trip in December, Awajishima burger is a place i’m looking forward to trying… rumored to be one of the best burgers in Japan! Here’s a great video of one guys visit, looks awesome!

I get the feeling burgers is a subject I could talk about all day long…

To make up for the fact i’ve decided to cover a chain restaurant i’ve included my homemade burger recipe, please give it a try!

Ingredients
(makes 4 James-size, or 8 Emma-size burgers)
500g Lean Mince (Leaner the better for a less fatty burger)
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed (garlic flakes would be fine too)
2 Chillis, finely chopped
1 Red onion, finely chopped
1 Egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Ketchup
Small handful of dried basil

Firstly add the mince, garlic, chillis, red onion and beaten egg into a large bowl. Add the tablespoon of ketchup and work all the ingredients together with your hands. Once it’s all nicely mixed add your basil in and work that in too.

I’d recommend leaving them in a cool place for about 10-15 mins to let everything settle, and then cook on your device of choice! Personally I use my George Foreman grill – if you do the same lightly coat the burgers in olive oil or they will stick!

The result!

Once complete, serve in a nice chunky bun with lots of salad and maybe some chips if you fancy a treat!

You may also be interested in:

1. A year in review, top 10 posts of 2009
2. Bloody Hell.
3. Japan 2009! 22nd December (Day 3)
4. Japan 2008- Day 3 – Osaka Day Trip