We check out this year’s new “Ultra” Gratin Croquette Burger from McDonald’s Japan

How special are these burgers that they’re calling “ultra?” We try them to find out!

Ever since its release in 1993, the Gratin Croquette Burger, or “Gurakoro” as it’s affectionately called for short, has been a popular offering from McDonald’s Japan each winter season. And not to disappoint fans, the Gurakoro is back again for a limited time this year, but this time, the burger has been given an upgrade.

This year McDonald’s Japan gave their Gurakoro its first makeover in 23 years and renamed it the “Cho Gurakoro” (Ultra Gratin Croquette Burger), with all new sauce and buns. The revamped Gurakoro is supposed to have an extra rich flavor and the buns also extra soft, so we naturally had to try it to find out how special this transformed, “ultra” version of the burger actually was.

They’ve come out with two Gurakoro items this winter, the regular Cho Gurakoro for 340 yen (US$2.88) and the  Cho Demi Cheese Gurakoro for 370 yen.

The Gurakoro Burger has always been loved for the crispy texture of the fried croquette combined with the smoothness of the creamy white-sauce filling inside, but will the newly transformed ultra burgers live up to their expectations and delight us with even more crispiness and creaminess than before? Our own Mr. Sato tried the burgers to give us his impression.

According to the product description, the reason why the new Gurakoro is being labeled as an “ultra” version of its former self is because the sauce accompanying the croquette has been made spicier with a more complex flavor, and they’re also using soft, steamed buns. The Demi Cheese version comes with the addition of a demi-glaze sauce full of beef flavor and a slice of cheddar cheese, which is supposed to give the burger an even richer taste than the regular Gurakoro. Will that prove to be the case here?

▼ This is what the burgers looked like opened up.

▼ And here’s a look at the inside of the fried croquette patty.

▼ Other members of the RocketNews24 Japanese team
also had a hearty go at the new ultra burgers.

Actually, Mr. Sato had expected the croquette itself to have been upgraded to create a more powerful version of the burger, but this apparently was not the case here, as it was mainly the sauce and buns that got a facelift.

After Mr. Sato and the other RocketNews24 staff tried the Ultra Grakoro Burgers, their impression was that this time, their expectations may have exceeded the product. The new burgers didn’t exactly wow the senses, and neither the crispiness of the croquette nor the creaminess of the filling quite captured the delight from the very first time our writers tasted the original Grakoro.

So all in all, while they didn’t think the new burgers were exceptional, they did feel the Ultra Grakoro Burgers were something you would expect from the fast food chain – not particularly bad, but typical McDonald’s fare. Perhaps their expectations were too high after the delicious pumpkin and chocolate french fries from October, but if you’re trying the new Gurakoro Burgers this winter, at least it probably won’t be a huge disappointment from what you’re used to having at McDonald’s.

Reference: McDonald’s Japan Gurakoro website
Images: ©RocketNews24

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