McDonald’s Japan World Cup Menu

The soccer World Cup in Brazil will start this week and McDonald’s Japan has celebrated this great event by releasing some World Cup menu items. McDonald’s Japan is offering several burgers based on nations expected to do well at the World Cup. The nations represented are Brazil, Germany, Spain, France and Japan.

In total, McDonald’s Japan will release 14 new World Cup themed menu items starting from May 27.

Tonkatsu McBurger McDonald’s Japan

McDonald’s Japan earlier this month introduced its latest creation called the Tonkatsu McBurger. It went on sale from May 7 and features Tonkatsu (deep fried pork cutlet) which is a popular meal here in Japan. They have used a blend of both fine and coarse breadcrumbs to coat the pork cutlet giving it a crispier coating. The pork used is rosu (ロース) or pork loin, which is soft and juicy. It comes with shredded cabbage, which is the traditional accompaniment to a Tonkatsu meal in Japan. The burger is also topped with mustard and McDonald’s own special sweet Tonkatsu sauce, which contains grated onion, carrot, tomato and apple. All of this goodness is contained within bran buns.

McDonald’s Japan Avocado Burger

McDonald’s Japan is offering a new limited edition avocado burger that is surprisingly good. The burgers come in three varieties: Beef, Chicken and Ebi (Shrimp). All the burgers feature large chunks of avocado and Italian style ciabatta bread. The beef version contains a spicy wasabi soy mayonnaise sauce, while the chicken and shrimp contain a Cobb salad style sauce.

The burgers went on sale April 17th and cost around 399 yen (USD$3.90) each. They will be available through late May.

McDonald’s Japan American Vintage 1980s Funky BBQ

McDonald’s Japan earlier this year released their new menu series called ‘American Vintage’. The first in the series was the 1950s American Diner, followed by 1970s Soul Food. The last in the American Vintage series is the 1980s themed Funky BBQ. McDonald’s Japan has chosen a BBQ variety from the US with a special smoked flavour from birch and cloves, and made with a blend of 10 different spices and herbs. The 1980s Funky BBQ went on sale at McDonald’s restaurants across Japan on February 18th and will remain on the menu until early March.

McDonald’s Japan American Vintage 1970s Soul Food

McDonald’s Japan recently released their new menu series called ‘American Vintage’. The first in the series was the 1950s American Diner, which went on sale across Japan on January 7th. The next to feature in the series is 1970s Soul Food with the Hot & Groovy Burgers. It features the Hot & Groovy Beef and Hot & Groovy Chicken. The burgers are topped with a special Hot & Groovy salsa sauce. The burgers went on sale at the end of January and will remain on the menu until mid-February.

Hot & Groovy Beef 

The Hot & Groovy Beef Burger features two beef patties, two types of cheese (cheddar & white cheddar), shredded lettuce, spicy salsa sauce, jalapeno sauce and buns topped with grinded corn. They were going for a Tex-Mex flavour when designing this burger.

Hot & Groovy Beef

Hot & Groovy Chicken 

The Hot & Groovy Chicken Burger features a crispy chicken patty, cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, spicy salsa sauce, jalapeno sauce and buns topped with grinded corn. This one is also meant to have a Tex-Mex flavour.

Hot & Groovy Chicken

The Taste Test 

Japan Australia headed to our local McDonald’s to check out the Hot & Groovy Beef. Unfortunately, we didn’t bump into the Groovy one Austin Powers, but did get our hands on the burger. The Hot & Groovy sauce is nice and spicy and is a good combination with the two beef patties and cheese. We really liked the two types of cheese which gave the burger a strong taste. The buns were soft and fluffy and a little more fancy than the regular McDonald’s buns. The only let down was the jalapeno sauce, which was kind of like a creamy wasabi mayo. It didn’t fit the theme or match the taste of this burger and left us with a funny after-taste. It should have been left out in our humble opinion.

There you have it! If you are in Japan and want to try something Hot & Groovy, give the Hot & Groovy Burgers a try.

Hot & Groovy Beef all boxed up

Hot & Groovy Beef opened up

Hot & Groovy Beef close up

McDonald’s Japan Website

1970s Hot & Groovy Burgers

McDonald’s Japan ‘American Vintage’ 1950s American Diner

McDonald’s Japan recently released their new menu series called ‘American Vintage’. The first in the series is the 1950s American Diner, which went on sale across Japan on January 7th. It features three new menu items, which are the Diner Double Beef, Diner Honey Mustard, and Classic Fries with Cheese. Japan Australia being a burger lover and very curious ventured out to our local McDonald’s to check it out.

Diner Double Beef 

The Diner Double Beef looks very interesting and is served with Chicago-style steak sauce and mashed potatoes. It also includes cheese, onions and an egg. The Chicago-style steak sauce includes roughly grounded black pepper, roasted garlic, and is sweetened with apple juice & raisins as well as flavoured with wine. It was created to resemble a typical meal at a 1950s American Diner, or with that image in mind.

Diner Double Beef

Diner Honey Mustard 

The Diner Honey Mustard comes with a crunchy chicken breast, honey and North American mustard sauce, grilled bacon, cheddar cheese and lettuce. It was created with a harmony of flavours in mind.

Diner Honey Mustard

Classic Fries with Cheese 

Classic Fries with Cheese is your standard McDonald’s French Fries topped with a cheese sauce and bacon flavoured topping. It was created with a typical American Stand or Stadium Snack in mind.

Classic Fries with Cheese

The Taste Test 

What did we think?

The Diner Double Beef was pretty good. We liked the double beef patty and egg which made this burger very filling. The Chicago style steak sauce was tasty with strong bold flavours and very peppery. The real winner for us was the silky smooth mashed potato sauce at the bottom, which reminded us of a creamy mayonnaise.

The American Vintage 1950s American Diner Double Beef

The Diner Double Beef  Out of the Box

The Diner Double Beef Under the Skin

The Diner Honey Mustard lived up to its name and had a nice balance of flavours. The sweet honey combined well with the stronger spicier mustard sauce. This wasn't quite as filling as the Double Beef but was the better tasting burger in our opinion.

American Vintage 1950s American Diner Honey Mustard

The Diner Honey Mustard Out of the Box

The Diner Honey Mustard Up Close and Personal

The Classic Fries with Cheese was a real disappointment. The cheese had that fake processed cheese taste and the bacon flavoured topping didn't taste like bacon at all. You also have to assemble this yourself as you can see in the pictures below. Just stick to the regular fries which are great tasting on their own.

Classic Fries with Cheese Ready to be Assembled

Step 1 Regular Fries in the Box

Step 2 Add the Cheese Sauce

Step 3 Add the Bacon Flavor Topping

Classic Fries with Cheese Fully Assembled

McDonald’s Japan Website

McDonald’s Japan ‘American Vintage’ Series

McDonald’s Japan this week launched the first of their new menu series called American Vintage. The series features three campaigns that represent a different decade of American culture designed to create a feeling of nostalgia. It is a trip back in time through the 1950s, 70s and 80s. McDonald’s Japan has created this menu to sum up American culture, and classic American food from the past.

The first in the series is the 1950s American Diner, which went on sale across Japan on January 7th. It features the Diner Double Beef with Chicago-style steak sauce and mashed potatoes, as well as the Diner Honey Mustard with honey, mustard, bacon, cheddar cheese and lettuce. They have also jazzed up their standard fries with Classic Fries with Cheese, served with a sprinkle of bacon flavoured topping.

Diner Double Beef

Diner Honey Mustard

Classic Fries with Cheese

Next is the 1970s Soul Food, which will be available from the end of January to mid-February. It will feature the Hot & Groovy Beef and Hot & Groovy Chicken. The burgers are both topped with a Hot & Groovy salsa sauce. I guess the 70s was a Hot & Groovy time! Maybe they could get Austin Powers to promote these.

Last is the 1980s Pop Culture, which will be available from mid-February to early March. It will feature the American BBQ Beef and American BBQ Chicken.

McDonald's Japan 'American Vintage' Future Series Poster

McDonald’s have created some wonderful old time posters for the American Vintage campaign.

McDonald's Japan 'American Vintage' 1950s Burger Poster

McDonald's Japan 'American Vintage' 1950s Classic Fries with Cheese Poster

As always, they will be limited edition, so hurry in while you still can.

McDonald’s Japan Website

McDonald's Japan Winter Menu

McDonalds Japan has put on a tasty selection of winter menu items to get us through the colder months in Japan. The menu items feature cheese, which is always popular in winter. Back in the summer Japan Australia wrote about some new summer items to the McDonald's menu, now its winter's turn and you can read all about them below.

White Cheddar Series 

The White Cheddar Series includes the Quarter Pounder and Chicken Fileo. The burgers have replaced the usual cheese with white cheddar cheese. The White Cheddar Quarter Pounder features extra rich white cheddar cheese, grilled bacon, mustard and is topped with a roasted onion sauce. It went on sale December 11th. The White Cheddar Chicken Fileo features the new crispy chicken breast as well as two slices of the extra rich white cheddar cheese, sliced onions, two pieces of bacon and mustard. It went on sale December 15th.

White Cheddar Quarter Pounder

White Cheddar Chicken Fileo

Cheese Potato Dip 

The Cheese Potato Dip is a snack consisting of shredded mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese, mixed with potato. The mixture is shaped into balls that are deep fried to a golden brown. The Cheese Potato Dip is served with an Arrabbiata dipping sauce, which adds a boost to the flavour. Arrabbiata is an Italian spicy sauce made from garlic, tomatoes, and red chili peppers. The Cheese Potato Dip costs 150 yen (USD$1.50) for five pieces and went on sale December 11th.

Cheese Potato Dip

The Taste Test

Japan Australia wandered down to our local McDonald's to see what all the fuss was about. We ordered a White Cheddar Quarter Pounder set with a side of Cheese Potato Dip. The White Cheddar Quarter Pounder was really tasty and we would definitely order this again from the menu. We are already fans of the classic Quarter Pounder, but this took it to a higher level with a great full flavour cheese and roasted onion sauce. In fact, the roasted onion sauce kind of reminded us of a chutney from back home. The Cheese Potato Dip has a great texture with a crisp crunchy outside and soft fluffy cheesy inside. The actual flavour was quite bland on its own and it really did need the extra boast of the Arrabbiata sauce which was full of flavour.

White Cheddar Quarter Pounder Set

The White Cheddar Quarter Pounder ready to be opened up

A look at the White Cheddar Quarter Pounder

Cheese Potato Dip with Arrabbiata Sauce

Crispy & Cheesy Cheese Potato Dip

There you go! If you are in Japan this winter and want to give something new a try, check these out.

McDonald's Japan Website

White Cheddar Series

Gratin Croquette Burger at McDonald’s Japan

The Gratin Croquette Burger or Gurakoro (グラコロ) in Japanese is a winter tradition at McDonald’s in Japan. The popular seasonal burger is always a tell time sign that winter and the colder months are approaching in Japan. It is now back on the menu, so Japan Australia went to check it out!

What is the Gratin Croquette Burger? A gratin is a Western inspired dish in Japan that is like a pasta bake with creamy white sauce and a crispy topping. The Gratin Croquette Burger features a shrimp and macaroni creamy gratin inside a fried croquette, which is then sandwiched between two soft fluffy buns. It is served on a bed of shredded cabbage and topped with croquette sauce.

Gratin Croquette Burger

This winter the Gratin Croquette Burger comes in two forms; The traditional Gratin Croquette described above, and a new Demi Cheese Gratin Croquette. The Demi Cheese Gratin Croquette Burger features the addition of creamy cheddar cheese and a beef packed demi glaze sauce.

Demi Cheese Gratin Croquette Burger

The Gratin Croquette is available for 330 yen ($USD3.30) for just the burger or 620 yen ($USD6.20) for a M-size set. The Demi Cheese Gratin Croquette is available for 360 yen ($USD3.60) for just the burger or 650 yen ($USD6.50) for a M-size set.

How does it taste? It is very different from your usual burger with no beef patty to speak of but still very tasty with a soft fluffy bun and creamy oozy gratin inside a fried crispy croquette. We finished this burger off in no time and it was really good!

The Gratin Croquette Burger at McDonald's Japan

The Gratin Croquette Burger with M-size-set

McDonald’s Japan Website

Tsukimi Burger 2013

The Tsukimi Burger at McDonald’s Japan is an autumn favourite of mine and I always look forward to it making its annual appearance on the menu. Autumn in Japan, which is September – November is the time to enjoy delicious autumn food, cooler weather and koyo ~ the colourful autumn leaves. The Tsukimi Burger is only available for a limited time during autumn in Japan and made its appearance back on the menu in 2013 on August 23rd.

Quarter Pounder Jewelry Premium Burgers

McDonald’s Japan revealed this week that it will offer a special series of premium burgers called “Quarter Pounder Jewelry Burgers” for a limited time in July. Each burger will be priced at 1000 yen (USD$10.00) and will be sold at all outlets across Japan for just one day. The first burger was available today (July 6th) with the next on July 13th followed by July 20th.

You may remember that McDonald’s Japan only just recently launched the Premium Quarter Pounder Burgers with the Quarter Pounder BLT and Quarter Pounder Habanero Tomato.

The first Jewelry Premium Burger went on sale today (July 6th) and was the Golden Ring Burger featuring thick-cut smokey bacon, pineapple, beef patty, Monterey Jack cheese and fruity barbecue sauce.

The Golden Ring Quarter Pounder Burger

Next on the list is the Black Diamond Burger on July 13th, featuring a black truffle sauce, Emmental cheese, and grilled mushrooms and onions.

The last will be the Ruby Spark Burger on July 20th, featuring chorizo, avocado and pepper jack cheese.

The burgers cost 1000 yen (USD$10.00) with no French fries or soft drink, which can be added for an extra 200 yen (USD$2.00).

You will need to hurry as these have been very popular and the Golden Ring Burger was sold out around lunch time at a lot of outlets around Japan.

Japan Australia was intrigued by these new burgers, so headed out today to track down the Golden Ring Quarter Pounder Burger.

The Golden Ring Quarter Pounder Burger

The Golden Ring Burger is served up in a special jewelry box container and bag with ribbon. We felt like we had just made a purchase at Tiffany’s or something! It certainly is a luxurious start to a meal and made us feel very special. It was only available today and was sold out quite quickly so we had a little difficultly tracking one down, but managed to do it after a few stops.

The burger comes in a special jewelry bag with ribbon

Jewelry box container with the burger inside

Tip: You better hurry in on July 13th if you want to try the Black Diamond Burger.

The Golden Ring Burger features thick-cut smokey bacon, a slice of grilled pineapple, a decent size beef patty, Monterey Jack cheese and a fruity barbecue sauce with more than 10 different spices. These are all contained with a crunchy bun topped with poppy seeds.

How does it taste?

We were very happy with the taste and it was one of the best burgers we’ve had this year anywhere. The first thing we noticed was the thick cut smokey bacon, followed by the sweet pineapple which compliments the fruity barbecue sauce perfectly, and keeps the beef patty nice and moist. We also really liked the bun that was soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Some people will say that 1000 yen is too expensive for a burger. Yes, it probably is, but when you factor in the whole experience it was very worthwhile in my book. Already looking forward to the Black Diamond Burger next week.

Featuring thick-cut bacon, pineapple and fruity barbecue sauce

A medium size set will cost 1200 yen (USD$12.00)

McDonald’s Japan Website