[Edaily Reporter Han Jeon-jin ] I’ll try anything and report back to you. I’m interested in not only new products but also products making a comeback. I avoid simple reviews. I’ll also explain why they’re popular and why they were launched. I’ll try everything from gum to steaks at high-end restaurants. If there’s something to eat, I’ll go anywhere. These are “self-funded” reviews where I use my own salary. <EDITOR’s Note>

It’s supposed to be a bibimbap burger, but I couldn’t see any rice. All I could see between the buns were lettuce, an egg, and a thick patty. Since I had expected a bun made of rice—like the rice burgers I’d had at Lotteria—I wondered if I’d received the wrong order. When I lifted the bun, I found a reddish rice patty hidden beneath the beef patty. Nobland International Inc.’s “Real Bibimbap Burger” wasn’t a burger wrapped in rice, but a burger filled with bibimbap. To see if it lived up to its name, I ate it all the way through.

SHINSEGAE FOOD(031440)The “Real Bibimbap Burger,” launched by No Brand Burger, is a limited-time menu item commemorating Shinsegae Co.,Ltd.’s “SSG Day” discount event. It features a fried bibimbap patty topped with a charcoal-grilled beef patty, a fried egg, onions, and lettuce. It also features a rice brioche bun made with rice flour and a seaweed pesto sauce. The price is 5,900 won for the burger alone, and 7,900 won for a set that includes fries and a soft drink. I ordered the set at a nearby Nobland International Inc. location.

The burger I received had quite a substantial stack of fillings. Lettuce and onions sat on top, with a fried egg, rice patty, and beef patty stacked in that order beneath them. However, the rice patty—which had glowed red in the poster—was almost completely hidden by its batter coating in the actual burger. The kimchi pesto wasn’t as generous as it appeared in the photo, and the egg wasn’t a runny, soft-boiled one. Despite its name, its appearance was closer to a familiar hamburger.

My curiosity was satisfied with the very first bite. The rich, hearty flavor of the meat blended with the sticky texture of the rice patty and the nutty taste of the egg, strangely reminding me of gochujang bibimbap. Although the ingredients were layered separately, the more I chewed, the more it felt as if they were mixing together in my mouth. In particular, the chewy texture of the rice filled the space between the meat and the bun. It was a familiar yet distinct flavor, as if a spoonful of rice had been added to the usual combination of meat and vegetables found in a hamburger.

When I examined the rice patty on its own, I could see grains of rice and pieces of seasoned vegetables through the cracks. The outside was covered in a crispy batter, while the inside was moist and compact. Eaten on its own, it tasted almost like a savory pancake—as if rice mixed with gochujang had been fried. While the rice grains weren’t distinct enough to be felt one by one, the more I chewed, the more I could tell it was rice. Contrary to what the red color suggested, the spiciness was mild, leaving behind a subtle aroma of gochujang.

The seaweed pesto had less of a presence than I expected. It wasn’t until I noticed the black bits on the wrapper that I even remembered it contained seaweed. On the other hand, the bun made with rice flour did its job well. On the outside, it looked no different from regular bread, but when chewed, it had the distinctive nutty flavor of rice bread. While the combination of the bun and rice could have been heavy, the egg, lettuce, and onion added texture in between, and the salty, sweet, and gochujang flavors were all well-balanced without any one overpowering the others.

The portion size was decent for the price. With the fries and drink included, it definitely felt like a full meal. It could be an interesting option for those who feel they haven’t really eaten unless they’ve had rice. However, if you’re expecting a burger where the meat’s flavor takes center stage, opinions may vary. The defining characteristics of this product are the stickiness and richness that the rice adds. In terms of taste, I could understand why it was given that name.

Since Lotteria first introduced the Rice Burger in 1999, the concept has revolved around the simple idea of replacing the bun with rice. The “Jeonju Bibimbap Rice Burger,” which Lotteria reintroduced in 2023, also features bibimbap in place of the bun. Nobland International Inc., on the other hand, places the same bibimbap where the patty would normally go and has set the price at 5,900 won. In other words, the rice is designed to blend with the other ingredients inside the burger rather than simply being displayed in its raw form.

The next challenge for limited-edition menu items is turning curiosity into repeat purchases. SHINSEGAE FOOD states that while these are products sold during promotional periods, they will consider adding them to the regular menu if the response is positive. Lotteria’s Jeonju Bibimbap Rice Burger also started as a limited-time offering to gauge interest and was added to the regular menu following customer requests. While you might not choose the “Real Bibimbap Burger” every time, it’s a flavor that will come to mind on days when you’re torn between rice and a hamburger.