They’re overflowing with pasta and quality.

One day our Japanese-language writer P.K. Sanjun was scouring the Internet for article ideas when he came across videos featuring mac and cheese burgers, hamburgers topped with a generous amount of macaroni and cheese sauce. Since quirky food items are this website’s bread and mint-chocolate butter, he thought that make for a good topic.

These kinds of burgers have been around for a while and a number of places served them, so P.K. had to decide which one to eat first. Then he remembered that in 2018, fellow SoraNews24 reporter Mr. Sato had visited a place that sold mac and cheese burgers called Icon in Yoyogi, Tokyo. At the time, Mr. Sato was reviewing their apple-topped Ringo Burger but mentioned that their Mac and Cheese Burger looked really tempting too.

▼ Ringo Burger

At the time, Mr. Sato sang the praises of Icon’s Ringo Burger, but considering P.K.’s colleague’s bottom-dwelling track record on their gourmet challenges, P.K. didn’t really trust his taste buds. Still, it was as good as any and P.K. was more concerned with how it looked than how it tasted, so he headed over to Icon and bought one for 2,640 yen (US$17).

Since P.K. was under the assumption that this was just a gimmick burger he expected it to taste decent but forgettable. That’s why he was utterly shocked to find that Icon’s Mac and Cheese Burger was not just the best burger with macaroni and cheese, but one of the best burgers he’s ever eaten.

Of course, the visual impact of all that pasta pouring off the patty was everything he had hoped for, but it paled in comparison to the taste. There was a combination of factors supporting this burger’s quality, starting with the meat. Icon used a coarse ground beef that let him really taste the flavor almost like he was eating a steak.

There was also a tomato sauce on it that tasted homemade. It had a subtle tanginess one might find in a ratatouille that supported the other components without overpowering them.

Then there was a surprise addition of nuts that completely blew P.K.’s mind. They brought some amazing texture and aroma to the dish that kept his taste buds on their toes and added a whole other dimension.

Even the macaroni and cheese was exquisitely made. It has a distinct seasoning that would have been too mild when eating the pasta on its own, but when used as a burger topping it melded perfectly with all the other flavors. The cheese sauce also had just the right thickness to be served on a burger.

Eye-catching as it may be, P.K. feels certain that anyone who tries this will quickly see that it’s more than just a pretty burger. In fact, the way it looks is downright trivial to its meticulous array of tastes and textures.

Restaurant information
Icon / アイコン
Address: Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Yoyogi 2-30-4
東京都渋谷区代々木2−30−4
Open: 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday), 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. (Thursday, Saturday, Sunday)
Closed Mondays
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24
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