Address - See below the complete list Opening hours - From 11:00 to 21:00, closed on Sunday Map - No Telephone - See below the complete list Menu - In English and Japanese CC - Yes Picture - Yes

I have finally found a place where to eat high quality hamburgers. Burgers, it'is well known, are not high cuisine, but they do have a place in life. I believe in fast food, I swear I do. Sometimes MacDonald's is the ideal place to make a fuel stop: this doesn't qualify as a proper meal, but it does get rid of the pangs of hunger.

Kua'aina however is different, and is only a distant relative of the places where we usually cruise for burgers, mainly because it uses high quality ingredients, but also for some interesting choices available in its menu. I have concluded that, in spite of the speed with which food comes, this is actually not fast food, but real, excellent food: I cannot think of higher praise.

First of all, its golden french fries are excellent, crispy and not at all oily or, if you prefer a single adjective, just perfect.

Second, you can have your sandwiches in one of three different kinds of bread, namely kaiser roll, multi-grain wheat or hearth rye.

Third, of the five burgers, 14 sandwiches and three salads (blue cheese dressing, my favorite, is available), many are both refreshing and healthy, like the tuna and avocado sandwich, or the avocado, bacon and cheese sandwich.

You can have extra cheese, bacon, avocado, or pineapple for from 100 to 200 yen. What's more, you can choose among six kinds of cheese, including Italian provolone and swiss cheese.

The final bill will be around 1000 yen apiece, but the place is definitely worth at least that much.

The Kamakura branch, which is the one I visit when I am on the Shonan coast, is very close to the beach and, together with T-Side (an excellent Indian restaurant about which you can read here) the most interesting source of Gaijin food in the area.

Kua'aina Aoyama Branch

Tokyo-to, Minato-ku, Minami Aoyama 5-10-21. Tel. 03-3407-8001

Kua'aina, Shibuya Branch

Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Shibuya 1-10-4. Tel. 03-3409-3200

Kua'aina, Kanda Branch

Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Kanda Surugadai 3-5. Tel. 03-3518-0050

Kua'aina, Gotanda Branch

Tokyo-to, Shinagawa-ku, Nishi Gotanda 1-26-7. Tel. 03-5437-3800

Kua'aina, Kamakura Branch

Kanagawa-ken, Kamakura-shi, Yuigahama 4-3-9. Tel. 0467-61-2400