Fatman has long lamented the lack of lactose-loaded treats in Korea*, so we were happy to hear that Lotteria had made a new contribution to the field:  Behold the power of cheese balls!

lotteria cheese balls

Um . . . Lotteria? Where’s the rest of it? We don’t mean to be ungrateful, but these cheese balls are roughly the diameter of a 100 won coin. Ok, they’re slightly tastier than loose change, but considering this little set costs 2000 won, you think they’d at least be closer in size to the 500 won coin that each tiny little ball of fried industrial-grade mozzarella and batter cost? It’s like Lotteria mozzarella sticks, only with less actual cheese. They don’t even fill up the pathetic little paper tray.

lotteria cheese balls

Since they’re so small and pitiful, they don’t stay hot and gooey very long. They’re only about a bite-worth each, so if you misjudge the timing you’re likely to get a mouthful of very painfully hot cheese or rubbery, cold, awful cheese. Take your pick - or better yet, if you absolutely must go with some kind of fast food cheese offering, stick to the sticks.

*we’ve also lamented the lack of alliteration . . .