I was walking around the mall the other day with my brother and sis-in-law and they asked me if I’d had a Mos Burger before. I looked at them quizzically wondering what a Mos burger is. They both chimed in that they were these tasty small burgers from Japan and that I should definitely try it. First off, I’m not a big burger fan, secondly, Japanese and spaghetti never worked for me so why should Japanese and burger be any different?
We get to Mos Burger and it’s a fast food burger spot. I almost laughed out loud when I saw the menu: rice burgers? croquette burgers? SERIOUSLY? Can anything be more unpalatable? Croquettes are kinda gross anyway with its mushy interior and often less than stellar exterior. And sandwiched between a soft hamburger bun? And oh, there is also the “Fresh Burger” — hmmm as opposed to what might I ask?
However, I kept an open mind and told them to order whatever they want and I promised to taste it.
My brother ordered the Mos Burger (HK$21/US$2.70) which was a small sandwich a tad larger than a slider. The beef patty was very processed, like a Mickey D’s beef patty but less flavorful (if that was even possible) and very dry. A slice of tomato accompanied along with a slathering of a sickly sweet sauce the consistency of runny chutney. Suffice to say it was pretty nasty.
Saku Saku Chicken Burger (HK$23.30/ US$3) was a tad better. At least the sauce was more palatable but still, on the sweet side. This chicken patty had a handful of shredded lettuce thrown in and the sauce had a slight kick to it so the sweetness wasn’t as evident or as gnarly on my tongue. Both burgers had a texturally unpleasant bun — that of white bread — very popular in Asia.
Mickey D’s McChicken is a buck and about the same size as the Saku Saku. If I were to actually make a meal of it, I’d probably need to eat 3 or 4 of them to really make any sort of a dent in my belly. Still, Mos Burger seems to appeal to local tastes and they can be found at shopping mall all over the city. It might even work in Irvine. Who knows?
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