Sometimes you really can have it all, Yotsuya burger specialist reminds us.

The imbalance between man’s unlimited desires and limited resources is held by some philosophers to be one of our world’s greatest sources of sadness. However, others would argue that this gap between ambition and ability is what inspires our society, or even our species, to progress beyond the bounds of its current capabilities.

For example, sometimes our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun finds himself craving hamburgers and pizza at the same time. Having only one mouth, though, generally means he has to make the heartbreaking decision of relinquishing one of those gastronomic goals…but not this time.

P.K. recently paid a visit to Burg Holic, a hamburger specialty restaurant that opened up in Tokyo’s Yotsuya Sanchome neighborhood last December. Looking over the menu, he was tempted by the Garlic Bacon Cheeseburger, but what really commanded his attention was the Pizza Burger.

In Japan, presentation is a highly valued part of the dining experience, and it’s common for restaurants to include pictures of their entrees on the menu. Burg Holic only does this for its standard burger, however, and the text description for the Pizza Burger said it’s “A burger that’s very hard to describe.” When the waiter brought P.K. his Pizza Burger, though, he couldn’t really understand what the source of the difficulty was.

Burg Holic’s Pizza Burger is a hamburger with a thick patty and a slice of cheese pizza instead of a top bun, which seems like the sort of thing you don’t have to be an accomplished wordsmith to describe. Still, just like we don’t concern ourselves with how the sentences we write taste, Burg Holic’s focus is clearly more on flavor than eloquence, and in that regard the 1,400-yen (US$13) Pizza Burger delivers more than we’d expected even from its enticing premise.

Rather then simply slap one greasy comfort food on top of another, Burg Holic’s chefs have made a seriously delicious hybrid here. The restaurant actually bakes its patties in an oven, for an effect that’s like a juicy mini steak. The mixture of tartar and tomato sauce on the Pizza Burger goes great with the patty, so much so that this would be a satisfying sandwich even if it had a regular bun.

Because of that, the slice of pizza on top is like a dairy-based cherry on a meaty sundae: an extra that we might not have necessarily needed, but absolutely loved having, and we’re definitely happy this double-dose of decadence exists.

Restaurant information
Burg Holic / バーグホリック
Address: Tokyo-to, Shinjuku-ku, Yotsuya 3-3, S Pass Concele Building 2nd floor
東京都新宿区四谷3-3 エスパスコンセールビル 2F
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24
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