Fast Food Inc.

McDonald’s Burger Syok and McFlurry Mangga

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McDonalds Burger Syok

No, this is not a sponsored post. I’m not here to tell you about Lat or ask you to go eat Burger Syok. I’m not even going to mention the promotional period. I’ve always felt that paid or invited food reviews are inherently dishonest so all the cafes and restaurants I’ve reviewed are done at my own expense with no invitations. I don’t even eat McDonald’s that much nowadays although I used to enjoy writing about their new products (mostly due to a lack of content ideas haha).

McDonalds Syok

This entire thing came about when my better half told me to get her the new Hello Kitty toy from McDonald’s. It comes with their Happy Meal and I dropped by after work to get her one. Since I was already there, I thought I’ll order a meal to eat and I saw the multitude promotional materials for I Love Burger Syok Ayam. The front of McDonald’s was covered with Lat cartoons.

Burger Syok Ayam

I’m one of those unpatriotic Malaysians who has no interest whatsoever with Lat cartoons. I never related to them. I went to New Zealand to do high school at 15 but even before then, in Chinese majority Sibu, no one read or even knew about Lat. I always thought it was a low quality local wannabe cartoonist when I was younger. I’ve not read anything to suggest otherwise or bothered to change my opinion since.

Burger Syok

Burger Syok is RM 11.95 on its own. Since I had a drink, fries and another burger from the Happy Meal, I didn’t bother getting the set. It tastes surprisingly good! I was fully prepared to dislike it since I’m into healthy eating lately. However, the spicy Thousand Island sauce combined with the fatty chicken thigh (with skin) drew me in. It’s not worth a special trip to get but if you’re in the area, you could do a lot worse for dinner.

McFlurry Mangga

There was also another related promotion going on called Mangga Mangga. Mangga is the local Malay word for mango and it features two different executions – Sundae Mangga (RM 3.95) and McFlurry Mangga (RM 4.95). I went for the latter and it came in a horrible radioactive orange sludge. It tastes like bad artificial mango. I don’t know why someone would go through the trouble of making this when we have perfectly good fresh mangos, and worse, we know what fresh mango tastes like. Avoid like the plague.

McDonalds Me

I like the sound of the Burger Syok though. It’s a burger exclusive to Malaysia and made for local tastes. That sounds pretty awesome. Furthermore, it’s made with a skin-on piece of chicken thigh! Skin on! Shit like that would never fly in another civilised country. Only heathens eat chicken skin, especially soggy ones like this. The fact that this burger is rocking a slimy chicken skin kinda appeals to me. It tastes decent too and I would eat it again, just not anytime soon. I was mostly here for the Hello Kitty toy though.

CaliBurger, Sunway Pyramid

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CaliBurger

CaliBurger is Southern California burger chain that just recently opened in Sunway Pyramid. I say “just recently” but I honestly don’t know when they started. I’ve been to a weird US-based chain called Miami Grill at the same mall with my better half and told her it was co-owned by Pitbull (the singer). It wasn’t really good and I fully expect CaliBurger to be mediocre too but I thought I’ll check out the burgers.

CaliBurger Malaysia

I thought CaliBurger fits in nicely as a “higher end fast food” chain. The pricing is slightly lower than Wendy’s. I like Wendy’s (their chilli is awesome) but the price for a burger set is about 2-3 times what McDonalds or Burger King offers. CaliBurger seems to be positioned below Wendy’s and above Maccas and BK. It filters out the huge families and students, who will naturally gravitate more towards the cheaper options which can make it a better dining option.

Chipotle BBQ Chicken Sandwich (RM 14.90)

Chipotle BBQ Chicken Sandwich

I actually wanted a beef burger but CaliBurger ran out of beef. I went with the chicken option instead, fully prepared to dislike it. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the chicken is actually real chicken breast. It’s not reconstituted and reformulated chicken like other fast food places but a real slice of chicken breast. That’s pretty awesome.

Cali Milkshake (RM 9.96)

Cali Milkshake

CaliBurger has a lot of milkshake options and I went with the Bubblegum. No, they don’t have spiked milkshakes with alcohol in Malaysia. The flavoring came out of a bottle which was disappointing. I don’t know why I even tried to hope that a flavor called “Bubblegum” would be natural. It was still pretty bomb ass though. The milkshake is creamier than most, reminded me of the dairy (small shop) opposite my homestay in Christchurch, NZ.

CaliBurger Sunway

I’m actually moving to the Subang area so I might pop over more often in the future. I was on my way back from meeting my lawyer and wanted to grab something to eat so I came to CaliBurger. I really like the fries from Wendy’s since they’re natural (not reformed) and comes with skin on but Wendy’s pricing is a little iffy – I could (nearly) eat fast casual like TGIF or Chilli’s instead. CaliBurger seems to have a more reasonable price point with decent enough food.

McDonald’s Japan Spring 2016 Menu: Camembert Teritama Burger & Hokkaido Namaeboshu “Names Wanted” Burger

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McDonalds Japan

I was attracted by the posters advertising the new limited edition Camembert Teritama Burger which is a pork patty topped with an egg and served in a teriyaki-like sauce. You can also opt to have Ume plum powder with your fries, which is very Japanese (and it’s only available in the Land of the Rising Sun). I read about a new nameless burger made with Hokkaido potatoes and bacon that I was keen to check out too.

Japan McDonalds

I have been bugging my better half to make space in our stomach for a meal at McDonald’s Japan. I like visiting McDonald’s in other countries coz they’re so much more awesome than our own. I started my passion when I was studying in Australia, and since then I’ve eaten at the Golden Arches at many countries, from Germany to Sri Lanka to Korea to Thailand.

McDonalds Japan Spring 2016

They have an English menu in McDonald’s Japan but it only lists the regular menu items. I wanted the special and limited edition sets so I had to order by pointing and guessing what each option was. Unfortunately, this means that I missed out on the Sakura Cherry McFizz. It was there in bright pink but I thought it meant Large so I didn’t order it. It was just a 30 yen (RM 1.50) upgrade. The Ume plum powder for the fries was also 30 yen for a sachet.

Camembert Teritama Burger Spring 2016 Set (690 yen or RM 30)
カマンベールてりたま

Camembert Teritama Burger Japan

This is the new 2016 Camembert Teritama Burger! It’s made with a pork patty with teriyaki sauce, egg, lettuce, and delicious gooey Camembert cheese inside a sesame seed bun. I was quite impressed with the use of Camembert cheese but it was the juiciness of the pork patty coupled with the sweet teriyaki sauce that sealed the deal.

Camembert Teritama Burger

It tasted so good with the locally made Camembert and egg.

Teriyaki McBurger (310 yen or RM 14)
てりやきマックバーガー

Teriyaki McBurger

My better half went for a Teriyaki McBurger. It was decent enough but I thought it was rather unimaginative given the wide range of other options out there which you can only get in Japan. Haha. To be fair, this pork patty is local so in a way, it’s a Japan only burger too.

Names Wanted “Namaeboshu” Burger (390 yen or RM 18)
名前募集バーガー

Names Wanted Burger

Namaeboshu literally means “Names Wanted”. This is the new item which hasn’t been given a name yet. McDonald’s Japan is asking for people to name it for a chance to win a year’s worth of this burger! It contains a delicious top, middle and bottom bun with a beef patty, onion relish, Cheddar cheese, awesome bacon slices and a generous scoop of beautifully buttery mashed potatoes from Hokkaido. It was a symphony of perfection!

McDonalds Nameless Burger

This burger very aptly comes in an special unmarked box.

Namaeboshu Burger

The onion sauce has a hint of burnt soy sauce and the hot potatoes topping it is soooo buttery it’s sinful! I got it a la carte for JPY 390. The beef is local and the Cheddar cheese is from Hokkaido as well. The bun is the best thing about this burger though, it’s a very rich and buttery brioche dough. It’s a lot better than the regular sesame ones. Get into my belly!

Hokkaido Potatoes

I really enjoyed this Hokkaido Names Wanted Burger. It represents everything right about McD in Japan – they have frequent limited edition items. This is true of other Japan fast food chains as well since Lotteria came out with a Shinkansen meal for JPY 1,000 in Hokkaido only which has a pork rib burger in the soon-to-be-launched H5 bullet train box. Plus, the Namaeboshu a.k.a. Giyu Innovation Burger (北のいいとこ牛(ぎゅ)っとバーガー) is made with local Hokkaido ingredients.

McD Japan

I dragged my dear for a 40-minute round trip walk in the -9 degree Celsius snow to visit the nearest McDonald’s in Sapporo and I didn’t regret it. 9/10, will eat again!

The new KFC Masak Merah Rice Wrap!

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KFC Masak Merah

I really love Mission style burritos – a large flour tortilla wrap with rice and a protein inside. I usually can’t finish it in one sitting so it’s good to have as a “backup” meal later in the day too. KFC has been selling wraps for a long time and it’s becoming more and more popular since it’s a wholesome and satisfying meal.

KFC Wrap

I tried the new KFC Masak Merah Rice Wrap the other day – it’s packaged in a convenient casing, you can just tear off the middle part and have a place for your hand to hold the Masak Merah Rice Wrap. I love it! This makes it easy to eat for busy people, you can even eat it and use your other hand use the mouse to read an article during lunch or work.

The new Masak Merah Rice Wrap is filled with Zinger strips, Colonel Rice, Vegetables (cucumber, onions and tomatoes) all packed into a warmly toasted tortilla wrap.

Open Wrap

The KFC Masak Merah Rice Wrap is quite spicy, and that’s a really good thing. I like the pedas factor of the masak merah sauce – it really whets my appetite. The flavor is really there, this wrap makes me think of ayam masak merah. I think it’s awesome for people who are craving for some local food – it’s a taste that reminds me of home and the wonderful Malaysian food scene.

New Masak Merah Wrap

There are a lot of nice Zinger crispy chicken fillet strips and flavored rice inside the new Masak Merah Rice Wrap – it’s basically a giant burrito for the Jumbo version! The serving size is very generous – you might think you won’t get full from this but there’s actually rice inside so it’s very filling and I’ll bet you’ll confirm kenyang!

KFC Masak Merah Wrap

My better half had the new KFC Masak Merah Rice Wrap for lunch and couldn’t finish it!

Handy KFC Wrap

I had it together with the Combo so I also had a drink and regular fries and it really got me so full that I nearly fell asleep in the afternoon. Food coma. Haha.

Masak Merah Wrap

Yup, the new Masak Merah Rice Wrap is available in Jumbo size which is absolute value for money. The Jumbo version features a 10.5 inch tortilla! The a la carte version goes for RM 6.90 while the Combo served with regular fries and soft drink goes for RM 8.90. It’s available at all KFC outlets for a limited time!

Eating KFC Ayam Masak Merah Wrap

Visit the KFC Masak Merah Rice Wrap page for more information.

KFC Zinger Double Down Burger

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kfc zinger double down

It’s a burger…with meat patties for buns! In fact, there are no buns in this wonderfully crafted burger. The KFC Zinger Double Down Burger has two pieces of Zinger chicken patties to substitute the bun.

ALL MEAT. ALL MAN. It’s perfection!

eating double down burger

I’ve read about this bun-less burger on a US snack site a while ago and was very intrigued. I wanted to try it. My exact words were:

I AM EAGER TO EAT THIS! 😀

double down

It was unfortunately unavailable in Malaysia…until now!

kfc double down tasting session

I was lucky enough to be one of the first to eat this deliciously crafted “burger” at an exclusive tasting session for KFC Malaysia Facebook fans at KFC in Pavilion, KL on the 22nd of September. I nicked two photos from that page (the ones without the watermark). Heh.

double down malaysia

There was a cordoned off area and I can practically feel the envy of the others as the Double Down burger was served to our tables. We had this a good 4 days ahead of the public release.

double down tasting session

The tasting session started out with some fun and games – I joined the first one, it was a slow number where I had to face-off with another volunteer. I didn’t think I did so well coz the song was very slow but KFC was kind enough to award both of us with prizes.

gangnam style

Throughout the tasting session, there were fun spirited competitions like this – here’s one of Shah doing it Gangnam style. Heh.

balloon competition

Rachel was also called (actually we volunteered her haha) on stage for a balloon blowing competition. She gave me the bright yellow balloon and I passed it to a kid as I was walking back. Made his day, by the look of his face. 🙂

kfc double down burger

Anyway, back to the burger, it’s aptly tag-lined All Meat, All Man. It’s targeted towards the male demographic and I can really see the appeal of the KFC Zinger Double Down Burger. Heck, I’ve been waiting for it to come to our shores after seeing it on the website. This has gotta be the best burger bun substitute I’ve ever come across.

dd burger

Forgive my enthusiasm, I have been following the progress of this since it’s introduction in the US and I have been hoping to taste this beautiful burger. It’s targeted towards men, the amount of calories and huge portion means that the male demographic would be the primary consumer. I’m a guy, I don’t care how much calories it has, I want meat and I want it now! 🙂

double down burger

The KFC Zinger Double Down Burger has two pieces of Zinger fillet (as the “buns”) and sandwiched between it is a crispy chicken strip, sliced cheese, mayo and cheese sauce. It’s packed with chicken meat!

zinger double down

I loved it! It’s very satisfying to *bite* into a burger made with Zinger fillets – it’s delicious and I pronounce myself SATISFIED. Heh! I was full the entire day! It’ll be perfect for people with big appetites and those who don’t eat carbs. I was surprised at the pricing too – it’s only RM 8.40 a la carte and RM 10.50 if you want a regular drink to go with it. The combo set with wedges or fries and a large drink is just RM 12.50.

kfc double down malaysia

I really liked the idea of the KFC Zinger Double Down Burger. The tender, breaded Zinger fillets are juicy and biting into a pure chicken burger is an awesome experience you just have to try for yourself. It not only has novelty value, it’s sinfully delicious and filling!

kfc double down

The KFC Zinger Double Down Burger is available now! This is a limited time offer and you don’t want to miss this unique and sinfully delicious burger! Check out https://www.facebook.com/KFCMalaysia and www.kfc.com.my for more details. It’s an epic burger worthy of a trip to your nearest KFC.

You know you want to try it! 😀

Two unique burgers from the Philippines

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1. Hash Brown Burger

hash brown burger

This is a breakfast menu item from the fast food franchise giant Jollibee. Jollibee is all around the Philippines, you can literally see one at every street corner in Manila. I had this at the airport just before flying Cebu Pacific Air to Boracay.

jollibee hash brown burger

The Hash Brown Burger is made with a 100% pure beef patty and a slice of cheese sandwiched between two golden hash browns.

jollibee

It cost 88 pesos (RM 6.50) at the airport, I’m sure it costs less outside but it’s well worth it.

manila jollibee

I love how the crispy hash browns substitute the traditional burger – it’s crunchy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside, which makes the hash browns a much better bun!

burger bun substitute

It’s delicious stuff! I wish they had it here but I reckon you can make your own using hash browns and removing the patty from a regular burger. 🙂

2. Chinese pao burger with pork sausage

chowking

This comes from Chowking, a large fast food franchise specializing in Chinese food in the Philippines. The interesting bit is that they use a Chinese style pao instead of the usual burger buns.

unique burger pao

It’s even stamped with a “Ck” for Chowking on top. It looks like a typical burger bun but it’s actually a Chinese pau – the taste and chewy texture is spot on! 🙂

chowking pao burger

I find that it absorbs the sauces of the ingredients well, but doesn’t over-saturate it – it’s a perfect burger bun substitute!

burger lap cheong

I had the one with the Chinese pork sausage (lap cheong) inside for 39 pesos (RM 3) inclusive of chicharap (prawn crackers) and a drink right outside Intramuros.

chow pao

It’s ironically called Chowking’s Chow Pao – which means something totally different if you pronounce it the wrong way. Heh.

Only in Germany – beer and bubble tea at McDonald’s!

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beer mcdonalds

I just came back from the Golden Arches in Dresden with where I had a beer for 1.99 Euros (about RM 8). I just wanted to go for the heck of it, Germany is the only place where you can grab a beer at McDonald’s. Heh.

mcdonalds germany

There’s also a bubble tea craze going on right now in Dresden. They’re selling it at McCafe for 2.69 Euros. Nigel had it and he commented that the bubbles isn’t the sago pearls usually found in bubble tea in Asia.

mcdonalds dresden

I tried it and sure enough, the “bubble tea” has been localized to an extent where there is no milk and and the pearls are made of something which pops in your mouth – it’s a sphere filled with liquid instead of being semi-solid.

mcrib

The popular McRib (where aficionados in the US have been known to drive hundreds of miles for) was alright but I was too full from dinner to fully enjoy it. It’s a flavorful pork sandwich slathered with BBQ sauce.

nigel

However, that’s not the point. The point is drinking beer at a McDonald’s. Heh. It comes in a 330 ml plastic cup and conforms to the German beer brewing purity law but to be honest it was nothing special.

mcdonalds beer germany

…but hey, I drank beer sold at a McDonald’s outlet! 😀

Posted: 12:06 am Dresden time (GMT +2)

KFC O.R. Chicken Chop with mushroom gravy

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kfc

I passed by the newly relocated KFC at KLCC with Jeanie a few days ago. I haven’t eaten for 24 hours prior to this (we were down with a bug) and was quite keen to get started. I noticed they have a new promotion going on – the KFC O.R. Chicken Chop with mushroom gravy.

chicken chop
The latest version!

I remember having KFC’s O.R. Chicken Chop back in 2006 so I was keen to check out the new and improved version. We both ordered it and this seems to be a whole different incarnation. The platter of the good stuff came with a chicken chop, some potato wedges, sweet corn kernels and mushroom sauce served on the side.

kfc chicken chop plate
This is KFC’s ’06 varient – you can tell by the smaller photo – that was the standard size in my blog back then. 🙂

Chicken chop is a uniquely Malaysian dish – created by Hainanese cooks back when the British ruled the lands. However, it has become a standard feature in a lot of places now. KFC’s variant is slightly better – it’s also de-boned so you can eat the entire drumstick (chicken chop is always made with a drumstick) but it’s battered and fried in the tradition of KFC’s Original Recipe.

kfc or chicken chop

The KFC O.R. Chicken Chop (circa 2011) is very crispy on the outside and retains the tender chicken juices on the inside. The have also improved on the mushroom sauce this time around. I like how it’s served on the side so you can decide how much you want on your chicken chop.

me

However, the best part about the KFC O.R. Chicken Chop is the addition of sweet corn kernels. I love sweet corn and this provides a whole new dimension to the dish – there’s a sweet component when you shovel some of the corn into your mouth and it goes very well with the chicken chop – a very nice touch!

chicken chop promo

The KFC O.R. Chicken Chop with mushroom gravy combo retails for RM 9.90 with all of the above and a drink of Mountain Dew. It was so good we finished everything except for the potato wedges (my stomach has shrunk during the 24 hours without food).

kfc chicken chop

The KFC O.R. Chicken Chop with mushroom gravy is a wonderful option when you pass by a KFC outlet the next time. It’s quite different from their 2006 incarnation and I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…

manager

…it’s great comfort food! 🙂

Pizza Hut Fish King Pizza

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pizza hut king fish pizza launch

Do you see what I see?

pizza hut king fish pizza official launch

Seafood lovers rejoice! Pizza Hut officially launched the Fish King Pizza on the 5th of May. Six of us descended to their Kota Damansara outlet to get a first taste of their latest offering on the very same day.

pizza hut king fish pizza aud

This is Aud attempting to emulate the guy in the ad. Pretty accurate pose. smirk

pizza hut king fish pizza

The Pizza Hut Fish King Pizza (RM 32.90 a la carte for a Regular sized pizza) comes with 8 breaded and deep fried Alaskan Pollock Fish Fingers on every slice. The fish fingers are tender and juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside – just like what a good fish and chip shop would produce!

pizza hut king fish pizza lemon

I love the presentation too – there are wedges of lemon neatly arranged smack dab in the middle of the pizza for you to squeeze on the fish sticks. The fish sticks are made from specially imported Alaskan Pollock which is a type of cod.

fish

Spot the Alaskan Pollock!

(Don’t waste too much time on it – there is none coz that photo was taken in Sabah, not Alaska, but here’s a photo I nicked from Wikipedia)

alaskan pollock

It dubbed the “largest remaining source of palatable fish in the world” (don’t play play) and looks like this – you can read more about the Alaska Pollock here.

It tastes better with lemon!

pizza hut king fish pizza slice

The Fish King Pizza is topped with crab sticks, Mozzarella cheese, roasted capsicums, yellow onions and juicy pineapples, all on a cool lime mayo sauce base. I love the sprinkling of fresh parsley on top of the pizza.

pizza hut king fish pizza eat

Biting into the pizza is simply orgasmic…the initial crunch of the hot fish fingers and the citrus tang of the lemon before the creamy sauce kicks in, with a medley of seafood delights competing for attention on your taste buds. The pineapple in the pizza gives it a sweet aftertaste too. Perfect for our hot Malaysian weather!

pizza hut king fish pizza food

We were given a lot of food, more than we can actually eat, thanks to the hospitality of Winston Lee and Nor Aziani Azizan of Pizza Hut!

pizza hut king fish pizza snap shots

To add to the aquatic theme, we were given a Pizza Hut Fish King Pizza disposable underwater camera which is (stating the obvious) waterproof.

pizza hut king fish pizza real fake

Which one is the real pizza? *feels very tall standing beside Aud*

pizza hut

There are two contests going on – one from Pizza Hut where you stand to win RM 40,000 in cash and prizes by just taking a photo with the Fish King Pizza. Detailed mechanics here.

The other one is for Nuffnang bloggers where you write a blog post titled “Big Fish Moment with Pizza Hut” and share your Fish King Pizza experience for a shot at RM 2,000 in cold, hard cash for the 5 best entries. Join the contest now!

pizza hut king fish pizza us

Hail to the (Fish) King (Pizza), baby!

pizza hut king fish pizza serve

Tonight, we feast! =D

Lotteria Shrimp and Bulgogi Burger

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lotteria order

Lotteria is one of the largest fast food chains in Korea. It’s an offshoot of the Lotte Korean conglomerate. I was there a couple of months ago for a business trip and decided to sample the local cuisine junk food.

lotteria

They had this 30th anniversary promotional burger going on – it’s a half-and-half of shrimp and bulgogi beef. I have been a HUGE fan of bulgogi after going to Korea – done right, it’s the delicious! I’ve been to a proper bulgogi place as well as the McDonald’s bulgogi burger *drool* and I love it to bits!

lotteria promo

Naturally, I went for this one, half bulgogi and half shrimp in a sub, you can’t really ask for more!

lotteria burger

We had it to go coz it was really late at night and all of us were pretty tired.

lotteria bulgogi shrimp burger

I know why Lotteria is doing so well in Korea (kinda rhymes right?) though. Their burgers are orgasmic! Imagine half of a shrimp burger and half of a bulgogi burger in a single sub – it’s an XXL sized portion of belly patting goodness in a single bun.

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