Lots of vegetables are all well and good, but when it comes to a burger, it’s gotta come with potatoes!

Just the other day, Japanese fast-food burger chain Mos Burger released a burger with a topping we never could have imagined: the Tobikiri (“Exceptional”) Avocado Croquette Burger. True to its name, it’s a beef hamburger with an avocado croquette in it, which is something Japan has likely never seen before.

At least our Japanese-language reporter and Mos Burger fan K. Masami has never seen anything like it before, but that didn’t stop her from being so quick to taste it that she might have been one of the first people to try it.

The sandwich, which costs 590 yen (US$4.23) on its own, contains a patty made with 100-percent domestically raised beef, a croquette made with avocado paste, and plenty of thinly shredded cabbage, all topped with an original Japanese style sauce and what’s called aurora sauce, a mix of tomato puree, béchamel, and butter. To Masami, it was a pretty hefty burger, weighing heavily in her hands.

What Masami was most interested in was, of course, the avocado croquette. The product photos showed a pretty green croquette, but would the real thing stack up to the marketing? When Masami took a bite, she revealed that the interior of the croquette was, in fact, extremely green. This was not, for once, a case of false representation.

Plus, the flavor was actually quite refreshing. Masami had expected it to be pretty mild, but it had a surprisingly vegetable-like feel to it, which made the Japanese-style sauce a good complement.

And thanks to the batter coating, it was also plenty satisfying. Masami had never had a burger quite like it.

Since Mos Burger is currently offering Fried Edamame Corn as well, referred to as the “Imatoku set” when sold with the Tobikiri Avocado Croquette burger and a drink. Masami ordered one of those too, which bumped up her total to 920 yen. Apparently, that’s a good deal, since it’s a 250 yen discount if you add up all of the items in the set individually. The Fried Edamame Corn is apparently 50 percent bigger, too.

Masami was already quite full from the burger, but she had ordered the Fried Edamame Corn, so she couldn’t let it go to waste. The edamame and corn used in the dish were lightly seasoned with salt before being covered in a batter of top-grade rice flour and panko bread crumbs and deep-fried.

This was a first for Masami, too. The flavor of both the corn and the edamame was very strong, and even though it, too, was deep-fried, the degree to which it tasted fresh and green was really impressive.

But…though it was a perfectly satisfying meal and everything was delicious, Masami still missed one thing: potatoes. Masami always orders French fries when she gets a burger from Mos Burger. Avocado, edamame, and corn are each delicious, and each different in a good way, but in the end, what it came down to was the combination of it all.

When it comes to pairing with rich foods like hamburgers, the palate-cleansing quality of fried potatoes is just perfect, and this experience really hammered that home for Masami. Branching out every once in a while is okay, but in the end, she’ll always come back to fries.

Of course, you can decide for yourself how you feel about the Imatoku Set together, or the Tobikiri Avocado Croquette Burger and the Fried Edamame Corn individually. How will you like it? Give it a try and find out!

And of course, if you’re trying to level up your burger palate, you’ll also want to try McDonald’s newest rice bun burgers. If you thought not eating fries with a burger was off the beaten path, try replacing the bun with rice!

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