I was familiar with Gyumaru – a Japanese hamburger joint – thanks to its branch in Ho Chi Minh City. The restaurant is originally from Saga prefecture and is a chain with several branches in Kyushu. I went to their Nagasaki restaurant to make a comparison. There were subtle differences with their overseas location.
The visit
The restaurant was located in a shopping mall. The plastic food models were in display.
It looked like a popular restaurant. There are many hamburger chains in Japan. Gyumary seems to offer a quality product.
I started with their creamy (and super hot) corn soup that comes with a pastry.
There were instructions on how to enjoy the soup… that I did not follow. But they show that this is a signature dish for the chain. It is also available in Ho Chi Minh City.
Of the various hamburger dishes, I had one with soft-boiled egg (this side is not available in Ho Chi Minh City). It was the 140-gram size (they also had a 180-gram version). It came with a plate of steamed rice. In Ho Chi Minh City you can choose between rice and bread and you also get a free salad.
The hamburger was soft and super juicy… actually the juice would come out by cutting it. It was remarkably similar to their hamburger in Ho Chi Minh City. They did not have any burger on the menu as in Vietnam.
The check
Total check 1,660 yen (15.4 USD), the hamburger set was 1,280 and the soup 380 yen. In Ho Chi Minh City a 150-gram hamburger was 172,000 VND or 7.4 USD (vs. 11.88 for the set in Japan). The set in Vietnam also came with a free soup (not the premium corn soup though) and salad. The set in Japan came with the soft-boiled egg. Clearly, the Vietnamese branch is really a bargain.
Where in Nagasaki:
1-55 Morimachi, 4F (shop 410) Mirai Cocowalk.
Website: gyumaru.net.