I finally tried Burger King Japan’s most recent all-black, all-the-time burger offering, and OMG please don’t look now, but I wolfed it down in record time. It looks pretty weird (especially the BLACK CHEESE) but the taste was I-think-I’d-better-have-another-in-the-interest-of-science good.
Bun, cheese and sauce are all flavored with bamboo charcoal and squid ink – two things I’d normally avoid like the plague – but like the sinister orange powder in Cheetos and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, somehow they make this weird-looking food utterly addictive. At first I couldn’t figure out what mystery ingredient was giving the meat an extra kick, but it turns out to be laced with lots of black pepper, which I secretly love.
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The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon!
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Only In Japan 
I think you meant addictive when you wrote additive. Just sayin’.
I don’t know if I’m brave enough for this one. I had squid ink spaghetti once and still have nightmares.
Yes, ARG I meant addictive! (><) Some mornings, Typos R Us! Thank you SO MUCH for telling me so I could fix it! And I'm with you on the squid ink spaghetti – if I'd caught a whiff of anything remotely squid-like about this burger, you'd have seen a picture with one bite taken out of it before it hit the bin. +_+
That would be Feodor Chaliapin, one of the great musical personalities ever. Easily found on YouTube!
Yes! I found him, and indeed, he is worthy of having a robust sauce named after him!
Everybody back home keeps asking me if I’ve tried it (I have to remind them that no, there are no Burger Kings in the middle of the Pacific), but I have to ask myself whether squid ink would fall under “seafood.” It is a byproduct of a sea creature, and when I put it like that it sounds even more gross.
Good on you, Jonelle! I’ll defer further questions I receive to you. 😀
Actually, I was worried it would taste fishy too, but I couldn’t detect even a whiff of seafood when I ate it. (I am not a huge fish fan either.) The charcoal flavor is much more pronounced, and I have to say, it was really delicious. If you have a chance on your next shore leave, I do recommend it (and I don’t say that about everything I encounter, as you well know!)
I’ve been wondering about this burger since my BF tried it and published a photo of it. She wasn’t particularly intrigued by it, anyway… 😉
I read an article this week that said a lot of Westerners are put off by black food because they connect it with food that’s spoiled! I guess I liked the black burger better than your friend did – wish you had a chance to try it, so you could give your opinion!
I don’t eat any meat! If there was a version with fish in it, maybe I would try it… But then again, I don’t even eat wheat products, so I guess it would be a bit difficult. I guess I’ll just trust you on this 😉