Hello my fellow Ibarakians, vegetarians, and vegans. This post is for you. As most of you know, I love meat, and I love burgers. But as I have stated before, I am willing to try anything once when it comes to food. So when I was at Blande in Tsukuba and saw a food truck that said vegetarian burger on it, I decided to give it a go.
Beyond Beef
One beautiful day in February, I was at Blande supermarket in the Kenkyugauken area. I was doing a little bit of shopping and also got some coffee from Micro Farm who was part of an event there. When I was returning to my car, I saw a bright green food truck called Beyond Burger. I was intrigued and decided to walk up to this truck. The sign read "no meat" which stopped me in my tracks.
No meat burger? I have never really had a no meat burger, at least not that I can remember. Burgers are sacred to me. I love them. The beef patty, the melted cheese, the tasty bun. I always thank the Germans for this amazing invention. Did I really want to take a leap of faith and try this veggie burger? Leave behind all I knew and dive into a no beef patty. Well, since I wrote this post, you know the answer is yes.
The Menu
Beyond Burger is not from Ibaraki, and I'm pretty sure it is not from Japan. It is an international company that operates around the world. Their goal seems to be to shift from meat to plant based meats, to save the environment.
I walked up to the food truck and checked out the menu. The menu of the Beyond Beef food truck is very simple. Craft soda and hot coffee for drinks. Cheeseburger or hamburger for food. From what I read on the menu, the patty seems to be made from green peas and canola oil. For my vegan readers, I am not sure about the cheese on the cheeseburger. If the cheeseburger is something you're not sure you want to try, go for the hamburger.
Eco-friendly
I ended up ordering a cheeseburger and eating it in my car. The bag and burger box the burger came in seemed eco-friendly. I opened the box and checked out my burger.
The Cheeseburger
First thing I noticed, it was small. It was 500 yen so I should not have expected anything like a normal sized burger. Next thing I noticed was the bun was different. Not necessarily a bad thing, but different. Finally, the patty was cold. I guess since it is a veggie patty, it had to be cold. Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to my first bite, but I went for it anyway.
Not bad
My first thought was, it's not a burger. Not even close, but it was not too bad. The cheese did cover most of the burger and patty, so the American cheese flavor was basically what I tasted first. But then I got some of that cold veggie patty and honestly, it wasn't bad. Not amazing, but not bad. I wasn't sure what the sauce was in that burger but it did go well with the patty. The bun held everything up pretty well and I liked it. This was an interesting veggie burger and I can see why it can be a substitute for vegetarians and vegans.
Beyond Burger was a very interesting experience. I was surprised by the burger and wouldn't mind having it again as a healthy option. Would I pass up a beef burger for a beyond burger? No, absolutely not. I am a beef burger guy all the way. But it was a nice plant based burger nonetheless.
So if you are looking for another vegetarian option when it comes to burgers, why not give Beyond Burger a chance. You can find these burgers in Blande supermarket in Tsukuba at both the Kenkyugauken location and Namiki location. Also, if you spot the food truck at your local event, you can get one ready to order.
Enjoy!
For more information on Beyond Burger, check out their website:
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