The regular burger lunch set

Kate Moss said that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. Well Ms. Moss, I've got two words for you: Bur. Ger. That flawless piece of ambrosia. It's probably the sandwich factor. Everything tastes better when you slap it between some bread. Beef. Chicken. Bean. Tofu. Each burger has its own charms, I've loved them all and they've loved me right back.

So where do you go when you're down and out in Shibuya with nothing but chain cafes as far as the eye can see? Why, J.S. Burgers Cafe of course! Journal Standard, known for their apparel shops, also run three varieties of cafe: standard, pancake and burger. After trying the pancake cafe a couple of weeks ago, I was eager to compare the burgers. 

Bag porn

Branding is everything

The cafe is on the ground floor of Shibuya PARCO with indoor and outdoor seating. Alanna and I turned up absolutely starving after trying and failing to get a table in the limited Funassyi Cafe. The theme of table problems continued as the waitress sat us first at someone else's table, then on a ledge-type seat that had us staring at the other diners, until finally we took the initiative.and commandeered a couple of well-placed counter seats.

We both ordered the regular lunch set, which came with a drink, fries and free-refill salad bar. The salad bar was amazing: lots of leafy vegetables, pulses and even soup. Free-refill anything is rare in Tokyo, though you might get it in places that serve bad coffee. No complaints over this salad bar though. As for the burger, it ticked all the burger requirements without being especially memorable. It tasted great and was a big enough size to fill our empty bellies. On its own it was good, as part of the lunch set it was excellent.

Just after the lunchtime rush

Tomorrowland

Dangerzone: stalker-tastic seats on the left

I can't tell you how often I've been stuck for somewhere good to eat in Shibuya. If I'm out for the day I don't want to end up eating at the same chains that are five minutes from house. I also don't want to have to pay for the privilege of sitting down. So I'll definitely be back at J.S. Burgers Cafe. It's not the best burger in Tokyo but it might be the best one in Shibuya. And the 980 yen price tag makes it without doubt my new favourite lunch set.