For those times when you want two burgers’ worth of meat and zero burgers’ worth of bread.
Wendy’s keeps a pretty low profile in Japan. While rivals McDonald’s and Burger King make headlines with their Pikachu desserts and vividly colored red and black burgers, Wendy’s doesn’t do too much to stand out, even after merging its Japanese locations with the preexisting First Kitchen hamburger chain earlier this year.
But Wendy’s has our full attention right now, thanks to its bombastically named Wild Rock…menu item? Handheld meal? Intensive meat deliver system?
We’re not really sure how to classify the Wild Rock, since while it has beef patties, it lacks a bun, or any kind of bread, making us unsure if it technically qualifies as a burger, or even a sandwich, for that matter.
In forgoing a bun, the 650-yen (US$5.90) Wild Rock has more room for meat, sporting Wendy’s signature all-beef square patties on both the top and bottom. Between those meaty boundaries are lettuce and tomato…
…as well as a fried egg and strip of bacon.
We sent Mr. Sato, one of our intrepid Japanese-language correspondents, to his local Wendy’s First Kitchen at 10 a.m. for a taste test. While that might seem like a little early in the day to be chowing down on such a meaty thing, since the Wild Rock contains two burgers’ worth of meat, we figured getting an early start would give him plenty of time to digest his meal during the rest of the day.
Mr. Sato reported that the Wild Rock was thoroughly tasty, but Wendy’s First Kitchen doesn’t recommend its new item only for its flavor alone. The chain is also touting the Wild Rock as a low-carb choice, trumpeting its mere 4.6-gram carbohydrate count.
While the numbers don’t lie, we’re skeptical about calling the Wild Rock “healthy.” Nevertheless, Mr. Sato is a true believer. Not only did he say the Wild Rock was a surprisingly light (though still filling) meal, he even went so far as to say “I think the Wild Rock would probably be great for people who’re on a diet.”
But before you toss out all your non-fat yogurt and fresh fruit and head out the door to pick up a Wild Rock of your own, bear in mind that Mr. Sato is the same man who once tried to eat a burger with 1,000 slices of cheese on it, so it’s probably best to take his dietary advice with a grain of salt/fistful of salty bacon.
Photos ©SoraNews24
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