On 20 July, McDonald’s Japan released their third and final luxury Quarter Pounder Jewelry Series burger, the Quarter Pounder Ruby Spark. Like the Black Diamond and Gold Ring that came before it, the Ruby Spark sold for the exorbitant amount of 1,000 yen (US$10).

The Ruby Spark’s special premium ingredient was a few slices of chorizo developed specifically for this sandwich. As customers started devouring the one-day-only sandwich and took to the net to voice their opinions, public sentiment was unusually divided straight down the middle with a balance of comments declaring it “perfect” and “not good enough.”

Curious at how polarizing one burger can be, we sent a reporter to check one out.

■ Very quaint

After opening the package, our reporter immediately caught sight of the fluffy white buns dusted with flour. “This seemed more like the bread from a small village bakery in the Alps than luxury bread,” she thought.

Still, it held up very well in the taste department. It was surprisingly fluffy but had a grainy flavor, making it taste purer than a typical McDonald’s bun.

■ Chorizo packs a punch

Utilizing a specially created chorizo sausage, the Ruby Spark seemed like a step back after the thick bacon and pineapple of the Gold Ring and the truffle-filled sauce of the Black Diamond. The slices had a bright red color, but overall they were nowhere as impressive looking.

However, what the Ruby Spark lacks in appearance it makes up for in flavor volume. Taking her first bite, our reporter was immediately zapped by an intense saltiness that seemed to fire straight up to her brain. As intense as it was, the burger could go well with a pint of beer.

■ Avocado to the rescue

The chorizo was like a rampaging beast of saltiness that couldn’t be eaten on its own. The one thing saving our reporter’s taste buds was the avocado sauce spread on the bottom bun. When taking a bite, she was first hit with the salty blast of the chorizo, but it was mercifully mellowed by the avocado. It was kind of like the opposite of those liquid bombs in Die Hard 3.

■ There were other toppings… we think

In addition to the sausage, the Ruby Spark had a beef patty, grilled onion and jalapeno pepper jack cheese. We’re just taking their word for it though because beyond the royal rumble of saltiness going on, it was almost impossible to taste anything else.

■ Now we know

Different from the Black Diamond and Gold Ring, the Ruby Spark had split people’s opinions drastically from “no good” to “spicy and delicious.” Now having tried one, our reporter thinks she knows why. Diners who appreciate a subtle taste to their food will probably not enjoy the sledgehammer seasoning of the Ruby Spark and rate it poorly. On the other hand, those who enjoy the forceful flavors that fast food and other restaurants often offer would probably get a nice kick out of this. Nevertheless, since this Quarter Pounder was only available for one day, those who shelled out the cash to try one can at least say they did so, whether they liked it or not.

Original Report by Megumi Sawai
Images: RocketNews24


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