America may be the home of McDonald's, but Japan is where its hamburgers go to spread their wings and take off into flights of fancy, combining flavors that no American would dare combing, stacking to unusually great heights, dousing themselves in ever-more obscure sauces, and, of course, all coming with a side of genuine smiles and service.
If you've ever wondered what bun-less burgers at McDonald's look like, YouTube user rocketnews24 ordered a bunch of burgers sans buns at McDonald's in Japan to show you the piles of meat, condiments, and toppings in all their...glory.
"In my mind, there is no doubt... at this moment, Blacows in Tokyo indeed makes the best burger on the planet," says C. B. Cebulski of Eataku. What's so special about this place? As Cebulski explains in his post, the restaurant is owned by a butcher and they only use Japanese Black Wagyu beef, hence the name Bla(ck)cows. A chalkboard at the restaurant's entrance lists info for the cuts of beef they're using that day: the beef's origin, the number of the cow the cut is from, and the beef's grade. Inside you get a full view of a full-time butcher cutting meat in the section of the kitchen dubbed the Patty Factory. This is some hardcore burger-making.
After leaving the Japanese market in 2009, Wendy's reopened in Japan yesterday with its first location in Omotesando, an upscale shopping district in Tokyo, and has plans to eventually open 700 locations in Japan, reports Businessweek. With the grand opening comes a new line of Japan Premium items, most prominently a foie gras-topped burger called the Foie Gras Rossini for ¥1280 (about $16.50).
Next month Burger King Japan is releasing new Pizza-Size Burgers [PDF], extra-wide burgers that are 22 cm (8.7 in) in diameter. The burgers feature four patties and standard Whopper toppings, but in two variations: Fresh Avocado, with avocado; and Cheese Nacho, with tortilla chips, cheese sauce, and jalapeño. Whopper toppings cover the whole burger, with half also topped with Fresh Avocado or Cheese Nacho. (It's like a half plain, half avocado or cheese/tortilla chip/jalapeño pizza. Or something.)
McDonald's latest new burger in Japan is the KBQ, one or two beef patties topped with "sweet & spicy" bulgogi, cheese, lettuce, and spicy gochujang on a sesame seed bun.
Burger King in Japan is holding a two-week promotion from November 1 to 15 where customers who order a Whopper set meal can order as many extra Whoppers as they can eat within a 30-minute period, reports GaijinPot. You can read more about the "B"iking promotion in Burger King's press release (PDF in Japanese).
Japanese scientist Mitsuyuki Ikeda of the Environmental Assessment Center in Okayama has developed a way to make artificial meat from bacteria-rich sewage mud (not straight-up poop, but there's poop in the mud) by using protein extracted from the mud. Ikeda also adds soy protein for flavor and red food coloring for...well, color. The resulting "meat" is 63% protein, 25% carbohydrates, 3% lipids, and 9% minerals. "The artificial steak, according to initial tests, even tastes like beef," says the video. (I wonder who those initial taste testers were.) But even if it tastes right, there are a few barriers to this artificial meat catching on with the public: It currently costs 10 to 20 times more than regular meat, and...oh yeah, the poop thing.
McDonald's in Japan has recently re-released the Mega Teriyaki Burger, a Big Mac-esque burger first released in 2007 whose patties are seasoned with teriyaki sauce. But the patties aren't regular beef patties; they're sausage patties, according to this review from The Adventures of Fatrick, who recommends that only teriyaki-lovers try this burger since "No other flavor manages to wriggle out of this doused mess." See more photos at gigazine.net.
From the people who brought you the Windows 7 Whopper and the BK Party Set comes the All Heavy Whopper and the Meat Monster Whopper. As part of their "Have It Your Way" promotion*, Burger King in Japan recently unveiled the All Heavy topped with one and a half times the amount of toppings of a regular Whopper for the price of a regular Whopper, ¥420 ($4.96), and the more excessive Meat Monster topped with two slices of cheese, three strips of bacon, an extra 3.3-ounce beef patty, and a Tendergrill Chicken patty for ¥820 ($9.70).
