Absolutely Fobulous

I’m quite adventurous when it comes to trying unique food (I’ve tried pig’s brains, BBQ rat, among others), but I’m a little hesitant about this durian pizza, found in Blue & Brown cafe in Shanghai. First of all, it sounds kind of gross to imagine cheese mixed with the sweet creamy flesh of the pungent “king of fruits.” Although maybe it’s more palatable if you see it as a dessert rather than a savory dish.

Shanghaiist reviewed it and described the experience as “scarfing Peeps dipped in balsamic vinegar.” Despite the not-so-stellar review, there are many that beg to differ; after all, the restaurant sells about 70 of these concoctions a day.

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Remember my cousin, the Kim Jong Un doppelgänger that we wrote about last month?  Well, a major Israeli fast food chain, Burger Ranch, stumbled upon his hilarious pictures and the next thing you know, my cousin Howard is starring in a burger commercial.  The company didn’t seem to mind that my cousin doesn’t speak a lick of Korean, even though he has to yell defiantly into the camera in that language.

Burger Ranch is apparently a pretty huge chain in Israel, competing mainly with McDonald’s Israel.  In 2010, Burger Ranch took over all local branches of its other competitor, Burger King.

Watch the full-length commercial here (no subtitles though), and like his Facebook page here.

Wow, if this food city were real, I think I’d move there in a heartbeat. Swedish food lab Atelier created this mini society out of food. Check out these awesome photos.

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I love burgers and I love ramen, but never have I imagined combining them. Japanese burger chain, Lotteria, has joined forces with famous Japanese ramen restaurant, Menya Musashi, to create the unique ramen burger. Instead of your typical beef patty, this carb-overload menu item consists of seasoned ramen noodles that are grilled, topped with BBQ pork covered in sweet brown sauce, and placed between two buns spread with mayo. It comes with a side of fish broth to help wash down this fatty goodness, and the entire meal costs around $6.50.  Not enough? Pay an extra buck to get a second portion with more soup.

This special is available only from May 20 to mid-June. So if you’re in Japan, make sure to bring out your inner fatty and try it!

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(Thanks, Fred!)

Never thought I’d see 3D latte art. This coffee kitty was created by Kazuki Yamamoto, a 26-year-old from Osaka, Japan. He posts his latte art creations regularly on his twitter account and he’s apparently far from the only one to surface from Japan. Although we do have latte artists here in the US, the Japanese designers take it to another level with the 3D features and the intricate designs.

Check out more of his cool work!

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I was watching Bizarre Foods America featuring the local cuisine in Charleston, South Carolina and was totally shocked to see some of the dishes they featured: chicken feet, pigs ears, pork trotters…even pig snout!  Whoa whoa whoa…hold up.  What am I doing in San Francisco?  I should be living in the South!

For all foodie snobbery that San Francisco touts, nothing warmed my chicken-heart-loving heart as much as seeing this sweet old African-American granny stirring a big pot of chicken feet.  Then, Andrew Zimmern starts serving out slices of pig ears, a sausage-looking dish made of snout, and a stew of pig trotters.  You don’t even know how much I love pig ears.  They’re so crunchy — the texture is like no other.  These dishes have apparently been around for hundreds of years, dating back to the days of slavery.  Impoverished people would make do with leftover cuts of meat, and turn them into delicious soul food dishes.

I wonder how Southern-style chicken feet compares to my favorite dim sum claws?  Anyone tried it before?

Here are the highlights of the episode — chicken feet part starts at 3:50.

My buddy sent me a picture of this Korean product the other day—eggs laid by hens eating kimchi. At first I got excited thinking I could make myself some breakfast with a spicy kick of the Korean fermented cabbage. But looking closer at the packaging, it says “no kimchi flavor.” So what’s the point of buying these eggs? Apparently they contain Lactobacillus, a bacteria found in fermented foods and helps strengthen your immunity.

Although I’m bummed I can’t have kimchi-flavored eggs, I’m impressed at the hens that can tolerate the hot Korean goodness!

(Thanks, Richard!)

I was at the Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan last month when I stumbled upon some really cute candles at the gift shop. One of them caught my eye in particular because I’ve never seen a candle modeled after a cup of Nissin instant ramen. I even bought one for Suzie for 714 yen ($7.31) as a gift from Japan.  It would be awesome if the candle smelt like MSG goodness when ignited, but I don’t think Suzie wants to test it out — she says it looks too cool to burn!

Macarons seem to have taken over cupcakes and fro-yo as the trendy dessert. I am absolutely obsessed with this sweet meringue-based French confectionery. However, for a tiny bite-sized dessert like this, they’re generally quite pricey, typically costing a little over $2 for one piece. Today, I discovered that macarons are sold at the McCafes in France, and they have for some time now!

Unfortunately, I’ve never gotten the opportunity to visit France and try out these “McDonald’s macarons,” but according to this review, they aren’t as flavorful and delicate as the ones you find at high-end macaron stores. But for half the price of what you would normally pay for a macaron, I guess you can’t complain.

Until they decide to bring macarons to the US McCafes, I guess I’ll have to stick to ordering McFlurries and apple pies.