Paint It Black with Burger King Japan's Kuro Burger!!

It is fall in Japan.  The leaves are slowly changing color.  The nights are getting longer and cooler.  Also, this is the time in which Burger King Japan unleashes their kuro (黒 black) burger onto the masses.  This is the second year in which this style of burger has been offered to the masses.  Last year's burger looked like this.
 
 It was called the "kuro ninja".  It showcased a ham-like bacon with grill marks on it, a crisp hash brown patty, and a beef patty.  It was a unique burger to say the least. 

This year, Burger King Japan decided to release two new black burgers onto the market.  The Kuro Pearl is  your regular sized cheeseburger that Burger King offers, while, the Kuro Diamond is the black version of the Whopper. 

The burger's bun is made with bamboo charcoal, while, the black cheese is made with black pepper and squid ink.  The sauce is also black.   The sauce is a garlicky onion mix.

Recently, these kuro burgers have been appearing in the Western media like Britain's The Independent and The Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2763334/Even-cheese-black-Would-eat-Burger-King-s-Kuro-creation-squid-ink-bamboo-charcoal.html).  Also, they are various videos on YouTube showcasing the burger.

Dining Dojo decided to try out the burger to see if the burger could live up to its to hype.  So, I went to my local Burger King that is near my house (BTW...the only in Nagoya).  When I arrived at the Burger King, I noticed their big sign advertising the kuro burger. 

 There were a number of patrons at the Burger King.  Most people were eating from the regular menu, while, a select few foreigners were trying the black burger.  I found that rather intriguing.  Maybe, they also wanted to decide what was the hype with this burger.

I ordered the Kuro Diamond, the Whopper version of a black burger.  Now, Burger King is offering the burger for 680 yen with a free Coke Zero.  If you wanted to have a fries on the side, they would cost you an extra 280 yen.  Then, I took my seat and then waited for my burger to arrive.

 The Kuro Diamond arrived at my table.  I took some pictures of the meal for Dining Dojo.  Then, I sank my teeth into the burger.  The burger tasted exactly like a Whopper with some pepper garlicky sauce thrown in the mix.  You can hardly notice the taste of the bamboo charcoal and squid ink that they used to make the burger black.  To me, it tasted exactly like a Whopper. 

Visually speaking, it is somewhat disturbing and maybe off putting for those people who like a classic hamburger or cheeseburger with the sesame bun.  However with this burger, do not let the look of the burger to fool you.  It is a decent burger that was built for a marketing campaign. 

These burgers are nothing special in my opinion.  I wish that the Burger King Japan would bring back the Kuro Ninja.  At least, that burger was unique in its look and taste.  The new Kuro Pearl and Kuro Diamond offerings are just a cheeseburger and a Whopper cheeseburger with a black paint job.

Venture Up Kissa Mountain For An Unique Dining Experience! (updated)

Are you looking for an interesting eating experience to your friends and your family when you go back home?  Looking for a place that does not skimp out on its portions?  Then, you should climb up to Kissa Mountain in Nagoya.  Kissa Mountain stands out from the rest of the cafes and coffee shops that you find throughout Nagoya.

Kissa Mountain has been a favorite restaurant for the university students who live and go to school in the Yagoto neighborhood due to its "mountain" sized portions of spaghetti and rice pilaf dishes.  In addition to the large portions of food, diners are treated to some bizarre combinations.  This place is infamously known for "sweet tasting" pasta which are plates of spaghetti topped with different kinds of fruits, whipping cream, and even chocolate sauce.  Fear not, they also serve a multitude of different flavor combinations from savory to spicy.  The average pasta or rice pilaf dish costs around ¥700 to ¥900.
               

                                                  The Maestro!

                                      Mexican Rice Pilaf

                                            Spaghetti Carbonara

                                    Chocolate and Banana Spaghetti

If you happen to visit Kissa Mountain on one of Nagoya's hot and humid summer days, you may want to try one of the tower sized shaved iced dishes.  Shaved ice comes in many different flavors ranging from fruit flavors to even a hot spicy mango flavor.  Shaved ice ranges in price from ¥300 to ¥700.  Other desserts include ice cream, parfaits, and cakes.  Even Nagoya's famous kogura toast (小倉トースト), toast topped butter and red bean paste, gets the Kissa Mountain treatment.  To drink, Kissa Mountain offers a variety of different beverages ranging from coffee, soft drinks, and even cocktails.  For all of you soda and squash fans out there, this café offers many different flavors including squid ink and turmeric flavors

                                             The Mayan Pyramid

                                             Kogura Toast!

                                               Nagoya Cider!

Kissa Mountain is located about 8 minutes from Yagoto Nisseki station.  The address is 愛知県 名古屋市 昭和区 滝川町 47-86 (Aichi-ken Nagoya-shi Showa-ku Takikawa-cho 47-48).  They are open from 08:00 to 22:00.  Their website is http://kissamountain.blog61.fc2.com/