With Emperor Akihito abdicating the imperial throne and his successor taking his place on May 1, 2019, so begins a brand new era for Japan. In celebration of the Reiwa era, celebratory, nostalgic and limited-edition items are being released here, there and everywhere. The emperor’s abdication, which is the first of its kind in nearly 200 years, is also the reason for this year’s extra-long 10-day Golden Week.
The Oak Door, a high-end steakhouse and one of Grand Hyatt Tokyo’s signature restaurants, never misses a chance to create unique dishes surrounding holidays and special occasions. And we have to say, they’ve outdone themselves when it comes to thinking up a tasty and ingenious way to celebrate the new era and the extra-long vacation.
Following their 15th anniversary renewal burger in 2018, which boasted a 1.5kg patty, Chef de Cuisine Patrick Shimada has created a Golden Giant Burger. Because this meal is designed to be shared (we dare you to try and finish a whole one on your own), the TW team went along to grab a slice of this luxury burger.
Weighing approximately three kilograms, this burger is everything you could possibly want the American staple to be: a crispy base with a juicy middle. And, yes, it looks as good in real life as it does in the picture.
Working from the bottom up, the burger is composed of a freshly baked bun sprinkled with 24k gold powder, romaine lettuce, Japanese fruit tomatoes, 100% U.S. prime beef patty, topped with aged cheddar, wagyu beef steak, foie gras and shaved black truffle. As it is The Oak Door’s philosophy to use the freshest meat possible across their menus, the beef used varies with availability and, depending on which day you order the burger, the prefecture from which the beef comes will change.
Can you guess how much this monster costs?
The meal rounds up to ¥100,000 and includes triple-cooked fried potato wedges with a magnum-sized glass of champagne, or red or white wine.
Even after being sliced up, each individual’s portion was pretty ample. If you’re wondering how one can physically eat such a thing, we tried two techniques: either laying it on its side like a piece of cake and working our way up through every layer, or loading our forks with a bit of everything for the ultimate, flavorful bite.
If you don’t have a group of around eight to 10 people to accompany you on this endeavor, The Oak Door offers a regular-sized Golden “R” (R for Reiwa) Burger, containing all of the same ingredients, but suitable for a single stomach: all the oomph of the three kilo giant but in a more reasonable portion.
To ensure guests are served the freshest ingredients, reservations for the Golden Giant Burger are required a minimum of three days before the desired date. You can make a reservation here.
