Mos Burger's Soy Burger Patty

During my first years in Japan, Japanese burger chain Mos Burger was barely a blip on my radar. I'd always hit the big names like McDonald's and Lotteria. They had the daring, limited time only products and the cool collaborations.

Meanwhile, I'd pass by Mos Burger without even a glance at their menu. To me, the offerings looked so boring. Plus, I'd seen the portion sizes before and I wasn't impressed with the amount for the price. 

It wasn't until my cousin professed her love of Mos Burger to me that I even gave it a passing thought. She told me that she would sometimes go multiple times a week. I couldn't believe it. Finally, I decided to see what all the fuss was about.

Funnily enough, the closest fast food restaurant to my house was actually a Mos Burger. Less than five minutes away, I finally decided to give it a try. I looked over their menu, unimpressed, before noticing something interesting...

They offered soy patties! Because I don't eat red meat, a lot of actual burgers are off limits to me. I usually scan the chicken offerings and make my decision based on that limited menu. But suddenly, I felt like the whole Mos Burger menu opened up to me.

Now, not all of their burgers are swappable. Look for that brown dot to make sure your selection is. However, a good number of them are. I decided on a classic cheeseburger. After all, what better way to judge a burger joint than by a staple?

The price was a little off-putting at first. Plus, I'd have to pay extra for a burger necessity--fries. However, I quickly realized that there was a Mos Burger app and on the app there were coupons! The app is a bit clunky, but it's straightforward and easy to use.

With my coupon, the burger dropped down to 250 yen and I got a large fries for 270 yen. It wasn't that pricey when I thought about it. 

Like I thought, the burger was really tiny. The soy patty looked pretty standard (and probably not as appealing as the beef because of how pale it looks). Their "salsa" topping also weirded me out a bit before I tasted it.

Once I bit in, though, I was a Mos Burger convert. I've never gotten something so delicious and fresh tasting at McDonald's before. The fries, though thick, were fluffy and complimented the burger perfectly.

I don't think I was really even aware of my surroundings while I was eating. It was as though I ascended to another plane of existence because of the flavor. I awoke from my stupor to find that I had finished my burger. The only disappointment here was that I didn't order a second one.

I was so excited to see this "soy" sticker on my burger. For a country that loves soybeans, it's interesting that more places don't offer soy alternatives! But good on Mos Burger for doing this. 

I may have missed out on almost four years of Mos Burger, but I'm definitely going to make up for it from now on. I'm a loyal Mos Burger customer now!