How tasty is the Motherf*#$&r? – 8/10

Yen Burger’s is one of those places where you know it is going to be good when you walk in, or at least you hope so. The menu got my attention and scratched my itch for themed burgers,. I really like it when burgers go to another country to take what they can from there and turn into something slightly different. And  looks like the guys from Yen Burger have done exactly that; they have given the best twist to a Japanese burger I have seen

The burger had:

• Wagyu Beef
• Lettuce
• Shiso & Burger sauce
• Pickled Red Onion
• Smoked Turkey Bacon
• Yen Sauce
• Cheese
• Steamed Bun

We all know where should our attention be with a burger like this… the shiso sauce… Joke aside I have been wanting to try a Wagyu beef for some time to compare with one of my previous experience . The meat was of really good quality. I actually don’t think the patty was spiced except for salt and pepper but the flavour was so pure and typical of grass-fed beef. The truth is in my mind I expected a bit more from the beef but at the same time, it was a really good natural taste. The rest of the ingredients were light except for the turkey bacon which is one of the reasons the burger has a lower grade. It was unnecessary. When having a bite with a bit more of the turkey bacon it was shadowing the natural taste of the beef. What you want is ingredients to compliment each other and sometimes when you have a gem like this patty try to highlight it and put it on the forefront of the pallet.

Taking a step back from the meat there was one more culprit for the lower grade and that was the cheese. It felt unnecessary. It was good it was fatty I would have loved it on almost any other burger but there was something about the flavours in that one that was much more delicate. A play with tofu or a nutty manchego I think could have worked much better with the patty and the rest of the burgers or even not have it at all.

The salad was perfect. It provided that brightness through every bite. It was light yet with very tasty and just balanced so well with everything else including the sauce. The pickled onions weren’t overpowering anything yet were lining that great onion flavour to go with the patty

One of the bits that makes the burger great is the sauce. The shiso sauce and their burger sauce just enhanced absolutely everything. It gave that familiar Japanese flavour profile and just made the burger quite distinct. It merged so well with the steamed bun it was a pleasure to eat it just with the sauce, yet it wasn’t dominating a single ingredient it felt like a good salad dressing. I absolutely loved it

If it wasn’t for the bacon and the cheese I think this could have easily been a 10/10

Burger joint venue and overall experience? – 9/10

These are some of the best fries I have tried in my life. It is strange how a simple spice from another part of the world can completely change and improve a food that you are familiar with. This is exactly what happened and I do to people to try the fries.

They also have a nice selection of drinks and side. Overall a great burger joint!

Quirkiness level of the experience? – 9//10

I love it when a food that you love is changed through the prism and food culture of another country. It is just such a fun way of exploring food and in my opinion, works great!