For many years I have thought that American friends were delusional when they rhapsodised about their burgers.

After all I had eaten at McDonalds so I knew what an American burger was like.

However, at the urging of several friends I tried some real American burgers on a recent trip to San Francisco.

The burger places recommended were Jeffrey’s and In-n-out, both of which I valiantly tasted in my attempt to find a great hamburger.

At In-n-out I went for the ‘animal’ style cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate shake – as my friends had told me it was a very tasty burger. It was in fact a completely different kind of food to that perpetrated on me previously as a burger by other purveyors.

But then someone said that Jeffrey’s did an even better burger. So off I went (through the worst traffic on El Camino Real) to share a burger lunch with IdaRose.

Again I picked the cheeseburger, but this time added chilli cheese fries (a meal in themselves) and a chocolate shake. The burger was great, the chilli cheese fries amazing, and the shake was the best one I’ve ever had.

Now I know why my American buddies rave about their cheeseburgers. These real burgers are a tasty meal. They are nothing like the plastic shams that are perpetrated on the rest of the world.

Seriously if you find yourself in Menlo Park grab a Jeffrey’s burger and if you see an In-n-out drop in there too.

[Image source: me this is my burger plus chilli cheese fries at Jeffrey’s in Menlo Park CA]

*Note: Neither Jeffrey’s nor In-n-out have given me anything (yet) but I am amenable to free burgers when next I visit the US.