Taste Testing the new McDonald's Grand Angus Burger

Grand Angus Burger at Maccas
http://mcdonalds.com.au/



Sure you've all seen/heard the ads by now. There's no shortage of hype over the Angus burgers that have just been released in McDonalds' outlets around Australia. There are also other food blog reviews out there but I just can't resist putting my 2c in.

Contrary to popular belief, I'm not picky with food and I'm by no means a food snob. I love junk food as much as the next (normal) person. I have preferences, sure, but rarely do I outright hate on anything I eat. You'll find folk out there who 'never eat McDonalds' or 'never eat Subway' because it's too processed and chain-storey. Not me. I eat pretty much anything.





So when Maccas released these new burgers along with the awesome ad campaigns that contain tonnes of juicy close-ups, I was right on it. I had no doubt in my mind that I had to have this burger.

On one occasion, my efforts were foiled because the Angus burgers were sold out. Tough luck.

I persevered.

This time, I tried a different branch (are they called 'branches' if it's fast food? Or is that only for banks?)

Success! They weren't sold out here and I chose the Grand Angus. There's also the option of Mighty Angus and to make things easy for you... Grand has a salad and Mighty doesn't. But it has bacon instead. The other differences are unimportant :).


I went with Grand Angus because I like to see a bit of green in my meal. I normally choose Supreme over Meatlovers when it comes to pizza so the same sort of logic applies here.

They made my burger on the spot but thankfully, it didn't take too long because I was starving.

I found a nice, cosy, undisturbed corner of the food court and sat down. It's really nerve racking taking photos of a burger in the food court. Restaurant people tend to understand because they probably get it a lot but really... in a food court, you do feel like a bit of a douche.

Nonetheless, I did what I had to do.


Upon unveiling the burger, my heart sank a bit because it looked nowhere as tall and lovely as in the photos. This is to be expected I suppose. No matter... the taste test was to come.


On first bite, I knew I was going to be disappointed. After much thinking and self-convincing, I managed to fabricate some differences between this patty and a normal one. My friend described the texture as 'less processed'. I suppose that's an accurate way of putting it. It seems a bit more 'beefy' and less greasy. Or, this could be my imagination because I was desperate to think of something.

I guess I expected a more noticeable difference and didn't get it. It should be noted that I haven't had a normal beef patty burger from McDonald's in a long time so maybe my memory is incorrect?

The main problem was that the flavors were a bit bland. Perhaps my burger chef (love that term) under-sauced me? The bread didn't taste anything like sourdough. It was soft though. The salad wasn't fresh AT ALL. I liked the addition of the red onion but the rings were all bunched up in one corner of the burger and I couldn't be bothered to open up the whole thing and even the insides out.

The hard facts

When I ate the first portion, it tasted 'healthy', which would be a good thing if it WAS healthy but if you've read anything about the nutritional value... ho hum. It's quite hefty with the calories. By the end, the patty started tasting greasy.

I don't know.

I'm a huge fan of Maccas. I totally support them expanding their menu. I've had bad experiences with Hungry Jacks and KFC but I find McDonalds more reliable and consistent. This wasn't terrible to eat but it was just disappointing because I was expecting so much. I mean, their Crispy Chicken burgers are great. Why shouldn't the Angus be?

Still, I wouldn't discourage you from trying. It's not a huge amount of $ for one burger and if you're anything like me, you wouldn't want to die not knowing.