Does this burger really taste like a Japanese rice bowl?
On 16 July, Lotteria launched a wild, limited-time menu item to mark Doyo no Ushi no Hi, Japan’s Midsummer Day of the Ox, on 17 July. People traditionally eat eel or “unagi” on this day for stamina to help combat the hottest period of summer, and Lotteria has taken that tradition to the next level by releasing a burger that contains more than just unagi — it contains unadon.
For those who are new to the dish, unadon, or “eel rice bowl“, is essentially a bowl of rice with a seasoned grilled eel topping. According to Lotteria, their new “Unadon Burger” contains grilled eel, a 100-percent domestically sourced rice patty, and shredded omelet as the main ingredients, all sandwiched between fluffy, chewy buns.
▼ On the bottom right you can see the official name of the menu item in English: “Teriyaki Eel Rice Bowl Burger“
With the chain describing it as a burger that truly recreates “unadon”, we couldn’t resist trying it to see if it really lives up to this claim. So we dashed out to our closest branch of Lotteria, which is actually a Zetteria, and purchased one for 990 yen (US$6.67).
In our eagerness, we arrived early in the morning, so even the staff behind the counter seemed surprised when we requested the Unadon Burger during breakfast hours. However, after taking a seat, our Unadon Burger was ready in less than 10 minutes, and when we unwrapped it for a first look, we could see the eel was so large it looked to be spilling out from the buns.
Lifting the top bun for a closer inspection, we saw there was no sense of stinginess, with mayonnaise and a gooey, sticky teriyaki sauce generously dolloped on top of the well-seasoned eel.
Beneath it all was a rice burger patty acting as the bed of rice in this unusual rice bowl, giving us two layers of carbs on the bottom.
Taking a bite, we silently applauded the rice patty addition, as it worked beautifully to soak up the sauce in each mouthful and spread it throughout the palate in a way that was much more satisfying than a bun on its own. We couldn’t deny that the eel was less than a typical beef patty, but in a way that makes it perfect for a hot summer’s day.
Each component has been carefully designed to create a harmonious balance between ingredients, and if you’re a newcomer to eel, you’ll be happy to know that the sauce takes centre stage, covering a lot of the eel’s flavour in a way that’s evocative of an eel rice bowl. In that sense, the new menu item really does deliver the taste of unadon in burger form, but it’s only being made in limited numbers so you’ll want to get in quick to try it while stocks are available.
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