Feast your eyes on some of the mouthwatering dishes and cuddly merch USJ has to offer.
We hope you enjoyed our coverage of the many attractions at Universal Studios Japan’s newest section Super Nintendo World. Now it’s time to take a look at some more of what the new area has to offer, starting with the food, which for us is always the main attraction, and Kinopio’s Cafe was our first stop, where they let us in to sample two of their main dishes.
Don’t let the small facade fool you. The interior is actually a sprawling cafeteria serving up specially designed Mario-themed meals and desserts.
Today, however, Chef Kinopio recommended the Mario’s Bacon Burger and Luigi’s Green Curry Chicken Sandwich, each served with a Block Tiramisu and Super Star Lemon Squash drink.
In keeping with his everyday man plumber aesthetic, Mario’s Bacon Burger is a no-nonsense affair: a beef patty topped with cheese, bacon, and mushrooms. It’s everything a growing-shrinking-and-growing-again hero needs and comes with a side of fries and cup of vinegared red veggies.
The taste was equally solid and it was a fair size overall but with a really hearty slice of bacon. My only complaint was that the sides were a little light.
Also, in keeping with his desire to distance himself from his brother as much as possible, Luigi’s Green Curry Chicken Sandwich is a more exotic blend of curry and lettuce on a lean chicken breast. His dish comes with green vinegared veggies and fries.
The curry was really mild and thankfully didn’t overpower the taste of the chicken and other toppings. Actually the balance was so good I might’ve preferred it to the Mario burger. It’s a close call though.
For dessert we had a delectable tiramisu fashioned into a question block with yellow cookie sides and assorted chocolate power-ups. I got a super mushroom and P.K. had an invincibility star.
The drink was certainly tasty with little gummy bits in the bottom, but the real treat was the drink bar itself which had a little window peeking into how their ice is made by little Toads and penguins.
And there’s still a whole menu of things to try at this cafe. I was really curious about the Super Mushroom Pizza Bowl as the idea of cramming a bunch of pizza into a bowl is criminally underused.
With our bellies full, we headed over to the 1-Up Factory gift shop, lined with anything and everything one could possibly pattern after Mario and friends.
Most characters were represented in some form of snack. You can buy bob-ombs full of crackers…
…as well as crackers based on Thwomp the dropping rock enemy, and spicy salami that promises to have you breathing fire like Bowser.
You can even experience Yoshi’s arguably cannibalistic tendency to eat its own eggs, only in the form of Japanese manju cakes.
I personally went with the little chocolate crunch snacks that came in a tin shaped like a green pipe. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
And did someone say plush toys? I think we got you covered.
But why just have a plushie when you can be the plushie?
It seemed like most of the park-goers went with Mario and Luigi hats to show their Nintendo pride, but the 1-UP Factory hardly stops there when it comes to headgear.
Image: TM & Universal Studios © Nintendo
However, a true Mario fan wouldn’t be satisfied with just a cap. No, they need to walk the walk and talk the talk, and maybe even punch the punch with some cartoonish white gloves.
And of course, like with other sections of USJ, there are certain souvenirs that always pop up, like a reusable 1-Up mushroom drink container and invincibility star popcorn case, as well as a question block pass case.
That all is still just a fraction of what’s for sale at Super Nintendo World so be sure to bring lots of dough when you visit after the Grand Opening finally happens on 18 March. Also, be sure to check out our next article to find out how that opening went down!
Photos © SoraNews24
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