If only all fast food were this good

A date for your diary - Saturday 16 October is Worldwide Anti-McDonald's Day. Precisely the day, in fact, when you should bypass your local fast-food chain, wave two fingers at little Ronald and head for HAMBURGER UNION.

If hamburgers could talk they'd tell us how triple-cheesed off they are with all the bad press. From the never-ending McLibel case to the movie hit Supersize Me, burgers have become synonymous with cheaply churned out, high-fat "food" that leaves a nasty taste in the mouth and a stain on the conscience. A pity. Because a good burger, a proper burger, is one of life's little pleasures.

A few months back I sampled a Japanese Kobe Burger at The Beverly Hills Hotel in LA, and it was a truly great meal. Something to do, perhaps, with the fact that I had a perfect view of Catherine Zeta-Jones, in all her sleek Hollywood perfection, schmoozing some studio exec two tables away. But also because the beef, produced from cows fed with beer and treated to regular massage and acupuncture in their native Japan, was of sublime quality, the garnishes were crisp, fresh and grown-up tangy, and I knew it had been cooked to order in a kitchen that cared.

Having said all that, it came with a very grown-up bill. The burger was just a few cents shy of 40 bucks (£22). More than 10 times the price of your average churned-out chain fare. And it took around 25 minutes to get to the table. Not a problem if you're on holiday, more of an issue if you're on your lunch break.

In the real world, time and price matter, which is why fast food is such a success. Well, it can't be the taste. And this is where Hamburger Union, a new recruit to Soho's ever-expanding restaurant scene, comes in. It's a welcome addition, too, considering the lack of decent, affordable choices in the centre of town.

Unlike McDonald's it doesn't spend $2 billion a year promoting itself, so you probably won't have heard of it. The only bit of marketing I could find was at the top of the very short menu on a shelf as I walked in - "All our hamburgers are hand-made on the premises from meats which are naturally reared, grass-fed or free-range and cooked on a char-grill." So far, so right on.

The ordering system is simple and in some respects mimics the fast-food style we've come to know and loathe. You walk up to the counter and tell the person behind it what you want. I was relieved to see that they weren't wearing silly hats or nylon tabards and when they smiled it looked like they meant it. They gave me a ticket and I found myself a table (you wait on one of the stools nearby if you want take-out).

If it's a burger you are after, there are five choices. From the basic Union Burger (single £3.95, double £6.75) to the deluxe Monterey Jack and Bacon Cheeseburger (single £6, double £9.45). In between, there are three others, which are variations on the theme of added cheese or bacon. Nothing too fancy, which is a definite plus.

If a ground-meat patty doesn't appeal, the other carnivorous options are Free Range Chicken Sandwich, Chorizo Sausage Sandwich with poquillo pepper and rocket, and Fillet Steak Sandwich with mustard or horseradish.

If you are thoughtless enough to drag your vegetarian friends along to a hamburger restaurant they won't go hungry either. There are a few interesting meat-free options, such as grilled haloumi or field mushrooms.