The Hawaiian menu returns once more, this time with a surprisingly delicious new item.

Summer has well and truly arrived, and if this were a normal year, we here at SoraNews24 would be busy showing off our summer bods down at the local beach. Sadly, with international travel restricted and many encouraged to stay home this summer, looks like we’ll just have to find another way to show off our impressive forms.

For those still dreaming of tropical beaches and glistening waters, you need look no further than your local McDonald’s, as their new “Enjoy the taste of Hawaii at home!” campaign is offering eight new items inspired by Hawaii.

This certainly isn’t the first time McDonald’s has gone international with its burgers, and it isn’t the first time they’re recreated Hawaii within their stores either, but how does the menu shape up this year? We sent Japanese language reporter and gourmet expert P.K. Sanjun to find out.

▼ You can hear the warm ocean breeze just looking at this picture.

First up, the three burgers. The Cheese Loco Moco burger has been a regular on the Hawaiian menu for a while now and consists of a thick, beefy patty on a bed of lettuce, with cheddar cheese and an egg on top. But P.K. felt that what really makes the burger delicious is the barbecue sauce. It’s sweet and tangy and made with ten different spices. In fact, he’d be happy with just the sauce alone over some rice.

▼ Cheese Loco Moco — 420 yen (US$3.96)

Next up is the Garlic Shrimp burger, a Hawaiian take on the popular Shrimp Fillet burger. While the shrimp was delicious and crispy, P.K. thought it was probably the least impressive of the Hawaiian burgers. The name “Garlic” made P.K. think it would be a pretty majestic burger, but it really didn’t leave much impact at all. It’s not that it’s a bad burger, but it’s not something that’ll make you think, “I gotta go to McDonald’s and have one of these!”

▼ Garlic Shrimp — 420 yen

Both the Garlic Shrimp and the Cheese Loco Moco were returning players in the Hawaiian burger arena, but now it was time for some new competitors, the first of which was the Hawaiian Spicy BBQ burger. The Hawaiian Spicy BBQ has a thick patty, with a hash brown and a jalapeño cheese sauce. As the name suggests, it’s quite a spicy burger, and combined with the crispness of the hash browns, P.K quite enjoyed it.

▼ Hawaiian Spicy BBQ — 420 yen

While the burgers were pretty good, there was no stand-out champion in this year’s McDonald’s Hawaiian campaign. Or so P.K. thought, but it turns out this year’s heavy hitter was not a burger at all. It was in fact…

…a pancake.

▼ Macadamia and Caramel Hawaiian pancake — 290 yen (US$2.74)

“Huh?” you might be saying. “Why would I go all the way to McDonald’s, a chain that is known for burgers, to eat a pancake?”

But the Macadamia and Caramel Hawaiian pancake may be the very thing to change your mind: a McGriddle smothered in delicious, sweet sweet sauce. Actually, P.K. reckons that it’s so sweet, you would instantly be able to run half a marathon with just a single bite.

In fact, P.K. would even go as far as to say that this is the sweetest dessert in McDonald’s history. The caramel sauce paired with the McGriddle is the dream combination of ultimate sweetness. If there’s anything negative to say about it, it’s that as much as you may like to, you probably can’t eat this every day. However, it’s so delicious that after you’ve finished, you’ll want to eat it all over again — it’s that delicious.

So there you have it, readers! According to our resident culinary connoisseur P.K. Sanjun, the surprising champion of the new McDonald’s Hawaiian menu is the Macadamia Caramel pancakes. They’re so delicious, they may have you crying tears of joy.

Photos: ©SoraNews24
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