Absolutely Fobulous

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!)

Recently, this picture of Korean kids indulging in a french fry buffet went viral on the internet. The kids ordered $250 worth of fries at their local McDonald’s and piled the fried potatoes over a few tables.

Turns out, the idea of a potato party originated in Japan. Because of a deal in Japan that sold fries for a low 150¥ (or $1.60) from Oct. to Nov. last year, students started organizing potato parties. These gatherings are serious business: attendees will order crazy amounts of fries and are required to eat it all before they get to leave the table. Seems like one of the few occasions when eating your plate clean might be a very bad idea. Here are some of the pics that were tweeted around by Japanese kids:

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Fast food chains in Asia like to get creative when it comes to creating menu items, such as the Mega Mac. Pizza Hut in Singapore has introduced the Double Sensation as this month’s Christmas special. According to their ad, this pizza concoction consists of “two unique crusts, one stuffed with cheese sausage and another with 3-flavour cheese.”  And if that wasn’t enough, it’s “Topped with succulent smoked chicken and turkey ham and two tantalising sauces-Pepper Alfredo and Salsa.” Now that’s a lot of toppings.

The pies are around $21.75 for a regular-size 10″ and $27.49 for a large 13″. Unfortunately, they’re only available in Singapore. So if you’re in vacationing there this holiday season, be sure to try it out before the end of the month!

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(Thanks, David!)

I love me some fried chicken, but this takes it to a whole new level.  In Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, KFC opened its world’s largest restaurant.  The fast food chain invested about $3 million Euros into renovating a historic train station, which seats 300 people.  The building, which was part of the  Soviet Union’s first electrified railway system, had apparently become pretty shabby before KFC decided take over.

Check out the interiors below…who knew getting a 10-piece family bucket could be so classy!

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One thing I miss about the McDonald’s and Burger King in Singapore are the packets of chili sauce they include with your meal. As popular as Sriracha is over here in the U.S., I always wondered why packets of Sriracha sauce are not offered at American fast food chains. Well, it looks like I can now conveniently carry packets of Sriracha with me on my next trip to the golden arches.  Asian food company, Lee Kum Kee, now sells individual travel-sized Sriracha packets for $0.10 each! Pair these packets with a “sprayracha” and you’ll always be prepared to give your food that extra spicy kick!

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If you’ve eaten at McDonald’s outside the US, you’ll know that the American chain can be pretty creative with localizing its menu. This month, McDonald’s announced perhaps its most impressive effort to make sure everyone can eat its burgers.  Starting in India, Mcdee’s will launch 100 percent vegetarian restaurants.

“The issue in India is, a vegetarian is a strict vegetarian,” said Rajesh Kumar Maini, head of communications for McDonald’s in India. “There have been instances that I’ve seen where a person who’s vegetarian would not even sit with a person who’s eating non-vegetarian food.”

And so the restaurant is taking the strictest of vegetarians head on.  Apparently, the prime locations for Mickey D’s veggie venture are religious sites.  For example, the chain plans to open at Vaishno Devi, a famous Hindu cave shrine that attracts millions of pilgrims each year.  Nothing like digging into a juicy McAloo Tikki burger after a day of prayer.

In all seriousness, while I realize it’s all in the fast food chain’s plan to dominate every corner of the world, I gotta give the corporate giant credit for its creativity and market research…even if it means my favorite Aloo Tikki (spicy fried potato) has been transformed into a McDonald’s burger.

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Remember the man who ordered a burger with 1,050 bacon strips? Apparently that wasn’t enough for Mr. Sato because he came back for more. However, this time instead of bacon, he was feeling some cheese—1,000 slices of cheese. The burger weighed approximately 25 pounds and contained a hefty 45,661 Calories. 45,000 of those Calories were from the cheese alone!

Mr. Sato was surely ambitious but he could only get through 350 slices of cheese before calling it quits. I really hope he’s not lactose intolerant.

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(Thanks, Jamie!)

Can someone tell me what China can’t replicate? Because apparently cloning food is no challenge. Caliburger recently opened in Shanghai to bring the taste of the popular American fast food burger chain, In-N-Out, to the Chinese. What’s really sparked controversy is that Caliburger even went further to trademark In-N-Out’s burger names outside of the US.

Although many Chinese copies of products don’t have a reputation for high quality, the Caliburger actually has good reviews. People described the quality of the Caliburger to be up to par and the taste to be similar to an In-N-Out burger. The buns are locally baked, the vegetables are locally sourced and delivered daily, and the meat is freshly imported and never frozen. Impressive I must say.

However, Caliburger isn’t In-N-Out’s true twin unless they can copy In-N-Out’s “animal-style” menu!

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(Thanks, Thai!)

The next time you order food delivery, make sure to tip your delivery man well. He might be Conan O’Brien. In a recent episode, O’Brien decides to take up the job of a Chinese food delivery man in NYC. From Conan’s experience, we can see it’s no easy task to deliver hot lo mein and kung pao chicken to people. He was even turned down by a dissatisfied woman who refused to accept the food from him, claiming that he was not the delivery boy. Talk about a difficult customer!

It’s interesting to compare food delivery services in America versus Asia. In America, Chinese food is a popular delivery or take-out food. However, in Asia, they love American fast food delivery, such as  McDonald’s and KFC. What makes it even better is the 24-hour delivery service offered in Asia. I definitely miss being able to pick up the phone at 3 a.m. to order a  Mega Mac. Unfortunately, with the rising obesity rates in America, I’m not sure 24-hour fast food delivery is a good idea.

(Thanks, Danny!)

Japan has to have the coolest Burger King. I mean, I know they installed those luxurious sound booths, but I think this giant burger definitely takes the cake. BK Japan has announced that they will be selling a 22 cm (or 8.6 inch) burger that will come in two flavors — avocado and cheese nacho. It’s conceptually like pizza where you cut the mega burger up into slices to serve. Apparently, this pizza-size burger costs $21.50 each and will only be available from Dec. 8 to 25. I think I’m going to try one when I’m back in Japan!

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