Japan McDonald's マクドナルド BBQ Pork burger (バーベキューポークバーガー) review

Japanese name: バーベキューポークバーガー

English Translation: BBQ Pork Burger

For those who have been in Japan would know just how expensive beef is. Japan's McDonalds has come up with BBQ pork to minimize the use of beef. Their solution was Pork. BBQ Pork.

close up of burger

what's inside the burger (based on my tastebuds)

• lettuce
• ketchup
• pickle slices
• slice of melted cheese
• pork sausage patty (the one they put in their breakfast sandwiches!!!!)

I am quite impressed... when I ate this burger I didn't miss beef.  I really liked that they chose the breakfast sandwich pork sausage patty making it extremely flavourful. The combination was quite good.

I haven't seen this burger outside of Japan yet... so it might be a regional Japanese limited edition... if you get the chance, I would recommend you try this out :).

Score: 8.5/10
Website: http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/quality/basic_information/menu_info.php?mid=7080

McDonald's マクドナルド - LOCO MOCO (ロコモコバーガー) burger review

Loco Moco burger (ロコモコバーガー)... is heavily advertised everywhere! If you are in Tokyo, it is hard not to see it. It is no hidden fact that the Japanese are obsessed with anything Hawaiian, so it makes sense that McDonald's would create a Loco Moco Burger (ロコモコバーガー) in Japan!

meal combo

Of course, as a blogger, why would I miss the chance to try this limited edition burger? The first things which attracted me to the burger was 1. the poster (who can resist the Hawaiian beaches?) 2. 2 burger patties, 1 slice of cheese and an egg... enough said... take my money! (:P)

this is one messy burger x.x

After doing some quick research (e.g. Google) I discovered that Loco Moco is a traditional Hawaiian dish which consists of white rice, topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy. (source: wikipedia). That explains the egg and the brown gravy contained in this hamburger.

impressions:

• very filling
• sauce had a spicy element (but it wasn't spicy...)
• gravy was not flavourful enough (a bit bland)
• the gravy and the mayonnaise complimented each other very well
• the burger was well stacked (everything was put together in a perfect ratio and amount)
• the slice of cheese did not play a big role
• quite messy... the sauce kept dripping

If you are planning to try this burger, prepare to get your hands messy... the gravy is very runny making it challenging to eat this burger without getting your hands and clothes dirty. I really liked this burger... but I think it needs a slight improvement: I wish the sauce was more spicy and flavourful and that the cheese had a stronger presence. Other than that... I really liked this burger!

score: 8/10

website: http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/quality/basic_information/menu_info.php?mid=7000

McDonald' s Japan combos review

my take out McDonald's meal (notice it is all written in English :P)

Sorry for being MIA for the past few weeks... looking for a new place to move to has taken a toll on my health and I ended up getting a Cold... . For those who have noticed, I do update my Facebook quite often (because they require less energy and less time than full reviews like this one...) please follow/like me on Facebook! :)

...

So, I just got back from a lovely experience in none other than, McDonald's! (Talk about trying to run away from America for a while *evil laughter).

While ordering, I noticed something quite different with their side menu choices... 

As you can see from the chart, there are 3 sections: 1. burger 2. Side Menu 3. Drink

You are probably asking me "what's so special?" Well... Take a look at the Side menu options... There are 4: 1. Fries; 2. Salad 3. Corn and 4. Chicken nuggets (5 pieces). YES you didn't read wrong... there is a Chicken Nuggets option with no extra charge!

welcome to my work table :P

Besides the side menu choices, I noticed that Japan McDonald's has healthier drink options, besides your usual softdrinks (coca cola) and your Asian soft drinks (Qoo and Fanta) You can also choose Cold Barley Tea, Lipton Tea and Vegetable juice!!

So there are no excuses when you are eating at McDonald's... you can still eat healthily... just make the right decisions!

chicken nuggets!

Since Chicken nuggets were less popular in Canada, I always opted for beef burgers... so I can't do a comparison between the 2. I'm just so impressed that Japan has Chicken Nuggets as a side order!!! :D

you can choose mustard or bbq sauce for your nuggets

I also noticed that the meat they use in their patties are different. Since beef is slightly more expensive, they usually have chicken or pork patties, and the more popular burger menu items are with teriyaki sauce.

on a side note: most McDonald's in Tokyo open 24 hours! (talk about being convenient :P)

Score: 10/10 (for healthy choices and a variety of menu options!)
Website: http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/menu/set/index.html

Hong Kong McCafe's Crayfish and Egg Mayo Ciabatta review

my meal... I shared it with someone

another McD review! I think I am spending a bit too much time at McD's...

price: +$16 HKD (when you make a purchase of an medium or large drink) approx. $2.00 HKD

close up of Ciabatta

impressions:

• a bit bland (needs more seasoning and salt)
• Ciabatta was very fresh (between waffle and pancake)
• fresh
• lots of lobster (bit chunks of lobster)
• needs more mayonaise

close up of the inside of the Ciabatta

This Ciabatta is much different from the other ones I have had previously... the texture was like a blend between a waffle and a pancake... it wasn't sweet though. I loved this sandwich (?), but it would be so much better if they put in more seasoning... or at least more mayo and salt. 

This is perfect if you are at McD's and want something nicer and sophisticated than your average burgers. Keep in mind that this is only available at the McCafe's.

It certainly seems much healthier too! (compared to their burgers)

source: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

I hope they improve their recipe by adding more mayo and seasoning (or some salt) to make it more flavourful, other than that, a nice Ciabatta.

Score: 7.5/10

Website: 

McDonald' s Earl Grey Latte review

large cup of Earl Grey Latte

Price: $32.50 HKD (approx. $4.25 USD)

McDonald's has been heavily advertising this Earl Grey Latte... so I decided to get this... because... as most of you know, I love drinking tea... and Earl Grey happens to be one of my favourite teas!

Impressions:

• Heavily brewed
• Slightly bitter taste
• Lots of lemon/citrus flavoured jelly's at the bottom

I didn't really enjoy drinking this... unlike their other drinks, this tea latte did not quench my thirst... it was too thick and they had overbrewed it... giving it a terrible bitter and "coarse" taste.

Their lemon/citrus jelly was supposed to enhance the tea flavour (because for all you English folks out there... you will know that adding lemon to Earl Grey is a MUST)... but unfortunately, the jelly was too sweet... it did not enhance the taste at all... making it a terrible combination...

Score: 6/10

Website: http://www.mcdonalds.com.hk/en/mccafe.html

McDonald' s Lychee tea review

McDonald's Iced Lychee Tea! $16 HKD

To all those who either know me or have read this blog for some time, you would know that I am a huge fan of teas and lychee... So isn't this drink perfect? For sure!

I wished they kept this Lychee Tea much longer... I only got to try it once :(.

Impressions:

• quenches 
• semi sweet
• light lychee taste (wished the Lychee flavour was stronger)
• price, quality and quantity is good

If they have this again, I would highly recommend this drink, it quenches your thirst and it tastes really good. I would suggest that they make the lychee flavour a bit more stronger... other than that, I loved this drink!

score: 8.5/10

website: http://www.mcdonalds.com.hk

McDonald's cheesy potato balls review

Cheesy Potato Balls $16 HKD

Firstly... Apologies!!! I am sorry... I was planning to upload this post at a much earlier date... But I got extremely sick last week... And all my scheduling got messed up... Hope you understand :(

Prior to ordering these... I was fascinated... My expectations based on their promotion material is that these are cheese balls with a potato shell... However... I was WRONG!!! Totally wrong... These are none other than hash brown balls and you need to manually put the cheese sauce on top. The problem is... While the hash brown/potato balls are extremely hot! The cheese sauce does not melt... At all! Frustration!

close up with the cheesy Potato Balls... see how the cheese does not melt at all

Impressions

• Very hot (be careful)
• cheddar cheese sauce
• Cheese sauce adds a nice touch
• they charged an extra $3 HKD ($0.40 USD) for the cheese sauce
• Cheese sauce is necessary to balance the flavour
• a bit pricey... ($16 HKD = $2.50 USD for only 5 "Cheesy" Potato Balls...)

I would suggest that they put the cheese into the balls... since they are called Cheesy Potato Balls... and not charge us extra for the cheese sauce...

I liked these cheesy potato balls... but I felt they were a bit too pricey... I also wished they would put the cheese into the potato balls or change the name.

Score: 6.5/10 

Website: http://www.mcdonalds.com.hk/

Hong Kong McDonald's has Potato Wedge fries too!! (Announcement)

World Cup Special #1

This is to all my HK readers!! 

I know a lot of you were asking me about Potato Wedges and were excited yet disappointed that HK didn't have them but guess what? (香港麥當勞 (麥記)都有 "脆薯皇" 啊！)

HK McDonald's has Potato Wedges too!!! WOOHOO!! (They are called "脆薯皇")

This is part of their Brazil World Cup Series campaign promotion... get them while you can~

read my review on these potato wedges here: http://simplemomentblog.blogspot.ca/2014/05/mcdonalds-potato-wedge-fries-review.html

World Cup Special #2

These are my impressions on the Canadian version (I hope they are just as good in HK)

• really well seasoned
• amazing dipping sauce
• very fresh
• slightly oily
• totally worth the price

score: 9.5/10

website: http://campaign.mcdonalds.com.hk/ch/promotions/worldcup/?utm_source=ch_home&utm_medium=corp_homepage&utm_campaign=WorldCup