You’re not seeing things. This is a real hamburger. It’s Lotteria’s new promotion.
In a way, it makes sense. Many Koreans I know have trouble going through a meal without rice. And how much rice is in your average burger and fries combo meal?
So why not replace the bun with some pressed sticky rice? Add some vegetables to make it seem healthy, and you have the new Rice-Vegetable Burger.
Lotteria is introducing this concept on two of their burgers, the bulgogi and the kimchi burgers. I stopped by and got the bulgogi one the other day.
I wondered if there was some type of post-modern industrial technique to make the rice stick together like bread. I don’t think rice has the powerful glutens bread does.
As I suspected, there was not special magic technique. The rice “bun” was just pressed rice. It promptly disintegrated after my first bite, and Lotteria didn’t supply a fork to finish what was quickly becoming bulgogi burger bibimbap.
I’ve said it before. Korean fast food corporations sometimes hit the mark with their strange ideas. But we have to go through some rice-vegetable burgers along the way.
How did the rice taste? Did it have any flovor?
No taste. Starchy.
Glad I read your post. I’ve been thinking of trying one, but actually wondered the same thing about the “bun.”
Totally off-topic: how’s your lawsuit going? Haven’t seen an update since Anyang on Fire.
We’re in the “just waiting” mode. We’re just waiting for the asset freezing to take effect, which should be soon. We’re waiting for a court date.
Just waiting.
Lotteria might do better to try baking their rice to draw out some of the moisture in it, like the Japanese MOS burger chain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mos_Burger). I think there’s a similar thing in Singapore, but I’m not sure how they get their rice to stay in bun-shape…