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» New Mint Chocolate Burger is a crime against choc mint lovers【Taste Test】

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New Mint Chocolate Burger is a crime against choc mint lovers【Taste Test】

Oona McGee Oct 27, 2022
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The addition of Oreos doesn’t make it any better.

Some food trends have come and gone over the years, but one that remains firmly on the scene is the craze for all things mint chocolate.

It’s an obsession that’s strong in Japan, but it appears to be even stronger over in South Korea, where they’ve had the joy of trying choc-mint sauce with fried chicken at KFC.

Our South Korea-based reporter Soon Pyon’s thought he’d tasted it all when he tried the combination of choc mint and chicken (pictured above) but little did he know how wrong he was. Because now, at South Korean burger chain Himnanda, they have a new offering on the menu.

▼ Say hello to the Mint Choco Burger, priced at 7,800 won (US$5.44)

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A post shared by 힘난다버거 (@himnanda.official)

Himnanda Burger has been developing a loyal fan base in South Korea since it began in 2015, opening up a number of new locations so that more people can enjoy their stylish ’50s American diner aesthetic and menu of around 17 burgers, many of which cater to local tastes.

As for whether or not the Mint Choco Burger appeals to local tastes, this was something Soon Pyon’s was keen to investigate with his taste buds, so he purchased it as part of a set for 10,800 won.

The burger is actually a collaboration with YoriYongd, a popular Korean foodie YouTuber, and it contains a 100-percent beef patty with cheese, a “sweet and refreshing” special mint chocolate sauce, and crunchy mint Oreo cookies.

Soon Pyon’s actually thought this sounded like a better combination than mint sauce and fried chicken, so he had relatively high expectations when he lifted the lid on his burger container.

▼ However, upon laying eyes on it for the first time, the burger looked kind of…normal?

The promotional posters showed mint chocolate oozing out of the burger, but there was no sign of the mint-green sauce here.

▼ Maybe it was hiding underneath the bun?

Well, there was a bit of sauce hidden in here, but it wasn’t oozing out the sides like Soon Pyon’s had hoped it would be.

Instead, a mound of melted Oreos appeared to have taken over everything, melding with the onions and penetrating the buns with a thick black stain.

Did this mean it would taste mostly of Oreos? That didn’t sound too bad, actually — the addition of sweetness and crunch might make for a delicious combination. In any case, Soon Pyon’s decided to hold back on judging the burger by its appearance, instead taking a big bite.

His taste buds were eager to explore the flavours of this new burger, but after the first mouthful, Soon Pyon’s felt a familiar sense of disappointment set in.

Everything around him turned to a drab black and white, matching the lacklustre flavour profile in his mouth.

Somewhere on this planet, there may be people who would deem this mint chocolate burger to be delicious. But Soon Pyon’s can say one thing with certainty. He is not one of those people.

In fact, Soon Pyon’s reckons he doesn’t know anyone who would like this burger. It tasted mostly of Oreos, he could hardly taste any mint, and it wasn’t a good match for the meat in the burger.

Still, he vowed to eat the entire burger, hoping it might pick up in the centre, and things looked hopeful when he came across a good dollop of mint sauce.

However, the sauce was simply sweet and hardly minty, which was a big let-down for our choc-mint loving reporter. By the end of the meal, Soon Pyon’s felt deflated and was almost tempted to ask for his money back, because if they’d just done a little more work to improve the sauce and the balance of flavours, this could’ve been a good burger.

As it stands, though, the burger is a bland, disappointing mess that delivers a whole lot of chocolate with hardly any mint, and the only saving grace was that Soon Pyon’s had a different burger on hand to clear the experience away from his taste buds.

▼ Now this was more like it.

Checking online reviews of the Mint Choco Burger revealed Soon Pyon’s wasn’t alone in his disappointment, as the overall reception was mostly negative, with many saying the team behind the concept overdid the marketing, raising expectations that ultimately led to disappointment.

Himnanda Burger is a chain that’s fantastic at making regular hamburgers, so perhaps they should just stick to that lane for now. And we’ll stick to enjoying chicken nugget ice cream and choc mint beer…separately, of course!

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