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This one's for the K-drama fans and fast food enthusiasts: A new Korean burger chain has landed in Singapore. Lotteria, known for its Korean-style burgers and snacks, has officially opened in Jewel Changi. The 60-seater is parked right next to the mall's iconic Rain Vortex in Basement 1, beside other F&B outlets like McDonald's, Hoshino Coffee and more. As for the menu, it's a snapshot of Lotteria's signature offerings, leaning heavily Korean – think bulgogi seasoning, kimchi and even Korean-style fried chicken. But you can also expect unique menu items, like a mozzarella tomato basil burger and even a Singapore-exclusive burger. Here's everything we tried and how it fared.
Shake Shake Fries ($5.20): 4/5
Thin, well-seasoned and straight-out-of-the-fryer crisp, these are dangerously snackable. The portion size isn't huge considering the $5.20 price tag, but the texture is on point. You can pick between three shaker seasonings: Mexican chilli, onion and cheese. Our favourite is the Mexican chilli powder, which is highly addictive and slightly spicy, while the others are on the milder side. Still, a strong start.
Long cheese stick ($2.80): 4/5
Still slightly juicy with an impressive cheese pull, even after it's cooled down a bit. Everything you want from a fried mozzarella stick. No further notes.
Kimchi bulgogi burger ($7.80 à la carte, $11.20 set): 3/5
This is the Singapore-exclusive burger we were all looking forward to. Out of all the stacks we tried, this has the most going on texturally, with additions of crunchy lettuce and actual kimchi giving it some bite. Flavour-wise, we taste gochujang more than kimchi (apart from the actual shreds of kimchi, of course), and the combination with the beef and carb-heavy bun harks back to bibimbap. The beef patty itself isn't exceptionl, but if you want something punchier, this burger is a reasonable pick.
Mozzarella tomato basil burger ($12.80 à la carte, $15.80 set): 2.5/5
Here's where things start to take a turn. Visually, this burger is the most interesting of the lot, and is meant to be one of Lotteria's most iconic offerings, selling 450,000 units in the first week of its launch in Korea. The first thing we notice is that cheese strings are baked onto the burger buns, though that doesn't contribute much taste-wise. Each stack comes with two patties – a regular beef patty and a breaded tomato-basil mozzarella patty, slathered with a house-made sauce reminiscent of pesto. Granted, it doesn't have the usual greasy feel of a fast-food burger, but the problem is that you can barely taste the beef. Safe to say, we don't quite understand the hype.
Ria's bulgogi burger ($7.20 à la carte, $10.50 set): 3.5/5
Ria's bulgogi burger wins the title of our favourite burger of the day. The parcel looks simple and unassuming, but has a surprising amount of flavour. That bulgogi sauce coating the patty is certainly on the sweeter side, but is pleasant and appetising nonetheless. Fresh lettuce gives it some crunch, while the white sauce which looks like mayonnaise, is thankfully pretty mild and not overpowering.
Ganjung chicken (from $9 for two pieces): 3.5/5
Lotteria's version of yangnyeom fried chicken sits comfortably above average. The outer crust has a good crunch, the meat is tender enough and that sticky, saucy seasoning clings on in all the right places. While touted as 'ganjung' or soy sauce chicken, the sauce has a reddish sheen and a slight kick of spice. A solid crowd-pleaser. At least we walk away knowing Lotteria can fry up a decent Korean-style fried chicken.
Cup bingsu ($5.90): 2/5
Dare we say it: This cup bingsu might be an abomination to bingsu everywhere. The shaved ice itself is unremarkable, capped with milk ice cream, red beans and... canned fruit. At $5.90, the price doesn't quite justify itself. What really adds insult to injury is the menu billing it as an "authentic K-style dessert", when the only thing authentic is a modest scoop of red bean and a faint smear of red bean paste in the centre. Skip this and spend your calories elsewhere.
Our overall rating of Lotteria: 3/5
Lotteria isn't here to dethrone your favourite burger joint, but it brings a distinctly Korean flair to fast food. Come for the unique burger flavours and fried chicken, maybe try a mozzarella tomato basil burger for the novelty, and stay for the Shake Shake fries. We can totally see ourselves grabbing a bag when the craving hits, especially if McDonald’s isn’t running its shaker fries at the time.
Lotteria Singapore is located at 78 Airport Blvd, Jewel, Singapore Changi Airport, #B1-248, Singapore 819666. Opening hours are 10am to 10pm daily.
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