Bikkuri Donkey

I just came back from dinner at Bikkuri Donkii ("surprise donkey").   It's a hambaaguu joint.  Different to a hambaagaa joint.  hambaaguus are giant meat patties.  hambaagaas are hamburgers.  I currently have a craving for a giant cheeseburger with fries.  Under normal circumstances, I would veer far far away from burgers but it's interesting what you crave when you're in a different country.

Anyway, I ordered a Pineapple Curry Hambaaguu.  It was a 150g patty with curry sauce, a token bit of pineapple (from Malaysia apparently - in a can probably) and a yummy salad.  I figured that the "bikkuri" part is probably when customers find out it's donkey's meat they're eating.

Kidding.    I assume it's beef and/or chicken in the patty (mmmm, mystery meat) but patties being the creatures they are, I could've been eating anything.  My host sister had no idea things called donkeys existed so my joke about donkey meat was INCREDIBLY flat.  Flatter than Texas some might say.  Here's a picture of my meal.  I know part of it looks like poos, but it was yummy damnit!

I also ordered the "Mermaid Salad" which I'm guessing, since the Japanese love their seafood, was made from freshly caught Pacific Ocean mermaids. Oh, and there was some squid in there too.  Yummy goodness!

The restaurant itself was very Western-Cowboy kitsch.  Think Lone Star and Hog's Breath in one heinously smokey environment.  Some may call it a "family restaurant", but I certainly wouldn't want to expose myself, let alone little munchkins, to such a carcinogenic place.  I currently reek of smoke.  Possibly more so than when I went out clubbing last weekend.

On the hambaaguu-family-restaurant review front (of which I've been to 2), I would say Volk's/Volks'/Volks is probably better than Bikkuri Donkey.  Volk's/Volks'/Volks has an all-you-can-eat salad bar!  Whee!