Lawson "THE 500 yen bowl (croquette & grilled pork)
It's nice to have something like this once in a while, isn't it?

Lawson "THE 500

Yen

Bowl" Series

Have you heard of Lawson's "THE 500 Yen Bowl"? It is a series of bowls of rice topped with a combination of (mostly) brown side dishes that are generous in volume for a single coin (500 yen). At the time of writing (June 5, 2023), "THE 500 Yen Bowl (croquette & pork yakiniku)" was on sale. So I tried it! I'll check it out, along with the calories, etc!

THE 500 Yen Bowl

(cro

quette & pork yakiniku) A bowl of rice topped with croquette and pork yakiniku. Available at Lawson stores in the Kanto region, each serving has 794 calories and 118.6 grams of carbohydrates (including 112.3 grams of sugar). It's quite a gutsy bento!

Lawson "THE 500 yen bowl (croquette & grilled pork)
Backslap side dish is fried food/.

See. The huge croquette takes up more than half of the lunch box. It is about 1.5 cm thick.

Lawson "THE 500 yen bowl (croquette & grilled pork)

And the grilled pork meat is nestled in the middle of the croquette. To be honest, the meat was really "nestled" in the container, and there were only about two pieces of meat in the container (individual variations may be possible).

Lawson "THE 500 yen bowl (croquette & grilled pork)

The only vegetable that seemed to be a vegetable was a pickle (daikon radish) placed gently in the corner of the container. In other words, this is a bowl in which the croquette takes center stage.

Lawson "THE 500 yen bowl (croquette & grilled pork)

When you bite into the croquette, you will be filled with the salty and spicy flavor of the sauce soaked into the batter and the soft and fluffy sweetness of the potato. The strong sauce flavor makes you want white rice right away!

Lawson "THE 500 yen bowl (croquette & grilled pork)

The pork yakiniku is firm and chewy, and the richness of the fat intertwines with the dark flavor of the sweet and spicy sauce. It is a very punchy barbecued meat with a flavor that also makes you crave for white rice! The rice soaked in this sauce is also the best part of the dish.

Lawson "THE 500 yen bowl (croquette & grilled pork)

The crunchy pickles with a refreshing acidity provide a nice chopstick rest. The guilt fades along with the greasiness in your mouth... no way.

I was worried that I might get bored of the dish halfway through, but my fears were unfounded. Thanks to the strong flavoring of the brown side dishes, the rice went down a treat, and even with this volume of food, I ended up devouring it all. I was able to eat about 800 kcal in a blink of an eye...scary! Yum! I am full!

I'm so thankful for this filling meal for only 500 yen. I'm starving! I want to eat a lot of carbohydrates today! How about this on a day when you want to eat a lot of carbohydrates?