Before brother traveled to Cagayan de Oro August of last year, he and his girlfriend had a chat about Mushroomburger, and that chat prompted brother to visit their branch in West Avenue. He bought and took home four kinds of burgers, which he shared with me and mom.
Just a little historical background - the company started as a small producer of mushrooms in mid 1970s, until they expanded and transferred farms in Tagaytay two years after. Selling their mushrooms direct to the public (as well as making delivers to establishments), one Swiss Executive chef told them that mushrooms were much expensive from where he came from and asked them, "Why not make burgers out of mushrooms?" That question became their idea to create Mushroom Burger, and on November 1980, they sold their first burger. The rest, as they say, is history, and today, they not only offer mushroom burgers of different kinds, they now have rice meals and noodles, still incorporating mushrooms to most of their foods.
Quite interesting to know that they have been in the market for so long, yet it was pretty much the first time I heard about them. Anyway, some burgers brother took home were:
Mushroom Sandwich. Generous serving of oyster mushrooms topped with a slice of tomato and drizzled with mayonnaise. This was my first time to eat a sandwich with 100% mushroom (no meat), and it really made me go wow. I just couldn't believe that mushrooms alone (well, add tomatoes and cucumbers if you want to, of course) could make a good sandwich filling! Dieters, this is such a treat!
Mushroom Sandwich. Generous serving of oyster mushrooms topped with a slice of tomato and drizzled with mayonnaise. This was my first time to eat a sandwich with 100% mushroom (no meat), and it really made me go wow. I just couldn't believe that mushrooms alone (well, add tomatoes and cucumbers if you want to, of course) could make a good sandwich filling! Dieters, this is such a treat!
Pinoy. The patty was made with chopped mushrooms mixed with longganisa. While it wasn't my favorite among the burgers, I have to commend them for wonderfully hiding the mushrooms.
Mushrooms and Beef. There were two patties... and right now I am having a major memory block as I cannot remember if the top patty was egg or pure mushroom patty and the bottom patty was pure beef or a mix of chopped mushrooms and beef, but taking cue from the name of the burger, it's mushrooms and beef. Hahahaha (I sound dorky, I know). Anyway, this was my favorite because I could get to taste the beef, which was something my mind was programmed to taste when the word "burger" comes up.
Mushroomburger King. Probably their version of the Big Mac or the Champ, we let mom eat this, so what I got to taste was something reheated (since mom never got to finish it all). The patties for sure were a mix of beef and mushrooms, and it tasted good, though I guess me eating it the morning after, it probably just made it an "okay" food. I asked mom about what she could say about it and she just said, "okay lang," something we always get whenever we ask her about any food. Well, my mom seriously isn't the one to be asked about how food tastes like, because 99% of the time, that would be her answer.
What I love about the Mushroomburger was that it's clearly the healthier option for burgers. They may have mixed mushrooms with beef (and longganisa), but the flavor wasn't compromised - it still felt as if eating 100% pure beef burger, though of course I wouldn't say it was the best thing ever, since I am a carnivore and I love my meat as meaty as can be. Still, these mushroomburgers are the perfect choice for dieters and for health buffs who wanted to satisfy their burger cravings. Best of all, the burgers weren't that expensive.
Currently, there are three Mushroomburger outlets: West Avenue (fronting Philam Homes), Katipunan, and their main branch in Tagaytay City. Reading a few blogs with articles about the Mushroomburger, they always recommend checking out their Tagaytay branch - probably because of the view. Well, with two branches here in Metro Manila, I guess it's okay to have the next best thing. :)
By the way, I also came up with my own Mushroom Burger, should you want to try it out, you can check the recipe HERE.
*** Jenn ***
*** Jenn ***
I come from a family who loves cooking and eating. I never had any formal training in cooking and that I taught myself how to cook based on the handed down recipes, but I could say that I can cook good food. In 2008, I started documenting my food trips for my