McDonalds Festive Burgers 2021 Review

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post. I tried the new two burgers that are out for the festive period at McDonalds and I thought that I would talk to you about them today. 

Blogger has decided to be weird so please ignore that this may not look like a normal blog post from this blog. 

 


Festive Stack

‘Two 100% British and Irish beef patties with a red onion relish, white cheese sauce, bacon, crispy onions, red onion, lettuce, cheddar cheese in a glazed brioche style bun‘.

I quite enjoyed the texture of this burger. The chewiness of the meat patties against the the crunchiness of the onion pieces was sublime. Once the crunchiness of the fried onions had stopped partying on my tongue, a smooth saucy wave hit my tongue which I absolutely adored. These three textural components for me made up most of the burger and made it a great eating experience.

The flavour of this burger only added to the excellent eating experience. When I took a bite of this burger, after the savouriness of the meat hit my tongue, a wave of rich and delicious red onion relish took over. I really enjoyed it. After the red onion calmed down, the cheese sauce hit my palette like a wave of creamy goodness which combines with the after taste of the onion relish ensured that the cheese sauce wasn’t too rich for my personal taste.

Festive Crispy Chicken

‘ A chicken breast fillet in a crispy coating, cranberry sauce, sage & onion mayo, bacon, red onion, lettuce, cheddar cheese in a glazed poppy and sesame seed bun’.

The texture of this burger was a unusual one for me. The poppy and sesame seed bun created crunch which was different as normally the sesame seeds on burger buns don’t usually provide any texture to the dish overall. After the crunch of the bun came the crunch of the patty itself and, for me; it was a bit too much. After the double crunch came the chew of the bacon which didn’t provide much except an aching jaw. All in all, personally it was just a bit too much.

The taste profile of this burger was fabulously festive. When I took my first bite I had a sea of savouriness flood my mouth, after this the sweet taste of classically festive Cranberry crashed my mouth. I quite like the mix of sweet and savoury so I loved them. Once this had dissipated, a creamy flavour coated my tongue. It was meant to be sage and onion Mayo but honestly it tasted more like savoury cream than stuffing to me but every palette is different.



Would I get them again? If I’m in McDonalds and want something festive then I would pick one up but I wouldn’t rush out to get them.

Have you tried these burgers from McDonalds? Let me know down below.

Thanks for reading!

Jamie x

Sandwiched By Food | Trinity Kitchen Supper Club

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I was invited to the Trinity Kitchen Supper Club by the amazing guys over at Trinity Leeds, and, I thought that today I would talk to you all about it.

Trinity Kitchen is a open plan food court in the heart of Leeds city centre, that offers a plethora of food from different cuisines and countries, such as Vietnam, America, Mexico, and many more Trinity Kitchen also offers the citizens of Leeds, brand new food vendors on an eight week rota, which ensures that they get to enjoy a selection of different food vendors throughout the year.

We (myself and Luke) tried out Pavs Dhaba. They serve authentic Indian veggie street food, including, pakoras, bhajis and much more. We decided to get a mixture of things and I loved them all. I have always had a thing for Pakoras, and these were no disappointment, Crunchy, warming and everything that you would need, whilst chatting to a friend with a drink, on the outskirts of Trinity Kitchen, whilst looking at the view of Leeds City Centre.

After Pava Dhaba, we... Well it was more myself, than Luke, wanted to try out Christopher Gowan's Steak Sandwiches. Whilst checking out the vendors before going to the Supper Club, I saw that they served a Bourbon Steak Sandwich and well, I love Steak, I love Bourbon and I love sandwiches, so I saw no downside to trying them out. The Steak was succulent, the onions were soft and sweet, the sauce was to die for and the bread on the outside was crisp, which gave a great texture contrast against the soft onions and the slightly soft Steak. I'd definitely recommend that you try one before they leave TK.

Next on the delicious food train, was the wonderful Wagyu Lookin' At? (get it, because what you looking at?). These guys use Yorkshire meat throughout the entirety of the menu, from Yorkshire Wagyu meat in their burgers, to, free range smoked Yorkshire Bacon on top of the burgers. I got to try one of these amazing beauties and I wanted more instantly. I have never tried Wagyu meat before, but I have heard great things, and these guys did not let me down at all! If you want a completely new take on a great burger, then I definitely recommend checking these guys out!

Dapur Malaysia will make anyones day that little bit better, via their Malaysian street food. The team takes inspiration from their mother’s cooking and their time growing up in Malaysia. Myself and Luke, tried some of their amazing street food, including some spiced Cheesy things with a great sweet and spicy jam and some Malaysian Curry Bites that were to die for!

Last but by no least, were Slap and Pickle. Innuendos aside, Slap and Pickle create delicious burges, amazing hot dogs, great pickles and, even items such as, a good old Pickleback. I got to enjoy some amazing Vegan Chilli Cheese Fries. There is also a Vegan Chilli Cheese Dog for, those of you who are Vegan. I I loved the Vegan Chilli Cheese Fries, the fries were crisp, the spicy sauce coated every fry, the cheese added a  nice smooth melted texture to it. I also loved that, due to the cheese being vegan, this meant that I could eat all of this without any of the stomach pain with normal Cheese, so for anyone who can't digest dairy but wants a delicious Hot Dog/Fries then I'd check these amazing guys out.

Have you tried any of these? Let me know down below!

If you haven't tried them and want to know a little bit more about them then click here.

I hope that you have enjoyed this food based post and I hope that you come back next time for another blog post!

Have a great day!

Thanks for reading!
Jamie x

Having An American Dream In Asia | Bar Soba Leeds Spring Menu Review

Hey!

Welcome to another blog post! I was invited by the wonderful guys over at Bar Soba in Leeds to go and try a couple of their dishes from their new Spring menu. I obviously said yes, can I come now? So I thought that I would start your week off about talking to you about the wonderful establishment and their delicious dishes.

Long strips of Dark Brown Steak with White Sesame Seeds on topp with flecks of white, green and red. 

Myself and Luke started off weaving in and out of the commuters that were heading their way home via the city centre to make our way to Bar Soba. As it is a five minute walk from the heart of the city centre, it didnt take too long to find it. I placed Luke in front of the logo of the restaurant so I spent a good ten minutes trying to find it before stupidly realising that we were there all along.

We made our way up the stairs and sat in a wonderful little corner which had an amazing aztec design running on the wall that we were sat in front of. The manager (who I sadly couldn't remember the name of for my life) came and talked to us about the background of Bar Soba which is all about how Asia can influence anywhere in the world such as France (which they show via their Duck Confit inspired Curry), Thai (via their Thai fries) and even Yorkshire (via showing honest Asian dishes with a spin on them to the residents of Leeds.)

Black intricate designs with silver beams across it on a white background

An intricate Aztec design shaped as a diamond with a design of a white man at the side of it on a blue background.

White rectangular windows with beams across to make smakker windows in a row.

Dark blue seats in a row with tan long rectangular tables with various coloured accents on the walls with a white bar at the end. 

A rectangular blue poster with a woman with red lips on the front of it with white font saying Happy Hour and details about the offer on a tan background. 

White windows with darker beams to create smaller windows in a row with a dark beam, a silver glass circular chandelier and a pale orange lamp/

We then ordered two drinks, we also ordered some water just because it was weirdly warm to say that it is March. I ordered a Jangshi Zombie which contained Appleton's White Rum, Don Pappa Rum, Myers Dark Rum, Pineapple Juice, Papaya Juice, homemade Kaffir Lime leaf syrup, Lime and a Goslings 151 (Overproof Rum) float. Although the drink contains a lot of rum, you can't really taste all of the rum in the drink. You can tell that it has some alcohol in it but it doesn't instantly make you think that you're drinking a lot of Rum due to the fruit juices and syrup. I love the Kaffir Lime Leaf syrup as it adds a deep citrus hint to the drink. This drink instantly transports me to a night on a tropical island. Sadly you can only drink up to two of these.

A Zombie Cocktail consisting on Red and Pink liquid layers with white bubbles and half a purply black Passion Fruit in a clear tall glass and black straws on a black and slightly bright backgtound. 

A close up containing a clear glass, pink liquid, half a black Passionfruit and a black straw with white bubbles on a white background.

Luke ordered a Pineapple and Basilito. I had a sip of it and loved it but I love anything that has Pineapple in it. I'll link Luke's post at the bottom in case you want to read more about what he had. 

We had a look throughout the menu and instantly wanted everything. I was thinking of having items such as the Balinese Chicken Sate, Vegetable Gyoza Dumplings and Thai Red Duck Curry but we ended up ordering a plethora of interesting dishes.

A White rectangular menu with bold Red writing that says Street Food with chinese accents with Soba in a corner on a tan background. 

The small plates came and we decided to have the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls with a Spicy Ketchup and Mayo Dip and Crispy Shredded Shanghai Pork Geisha Buns with Apple and Spring Onion/.

The Cheeseburger Spring Rolls were definitely different but delicious at the same time. I would never put America and Asian food together but it works so well. The deep meat flavour mixed with slight sweetness from the pastry is so good. The dip was amazing as it had a slight Kimchi sort of feel to it. I can imagine people that have never tried Pan Asian food before loving this dish and I can definitely imagine myself going back to have a good cocktail or two with these and some good friends to chat with. I also tried the Geisha Buns. The dough of the bun was so soft and the filling was absolutely to die for. As I have said, Luke has more details on these.

Tan Spring Rolls with green leafy decoration with a white small circular bowl with white and red sauce on a black rectangular board on a white background.

Red sauce next to White Mayo in a white circular bown on a black board on a white background.

White Bao Buns with White Strips of Apple and White Circles of Spring Onion with Dark Brown Meat in a tan Bamboo steamer on a bright background.

We then ordered Teriyaki Beef Noodles and Buttermilk Fried Chicken Katsu Bun.

The Teriyaki Beef Noodles consisted of Seared Bavette Steak, Wok fried Hokkien Noodles, Asian Vegetables and a spiced Teriyaki sauce. I loved the Steak being thinnly sliced as I dont think having something that needs to be sliced up by your own knife and fork works so well with noodles. I think that it also added some texture against the soft noodles. I loved the addition of tender vegetables as it meant that you got a bit of crunch and a punch of freshness. I think that the sauce worked really well against the meat. The sauce does have a bit of heat so if you're not a massive fan of heat then this might not be for you. You might prefer something like the Katsu Bun but this is an amazing dish and the amount that you get is more than enough to fill any greedy person up including myself! I tried a tiny bit of Luke's dish as I was dying to try the Thai Fries! They were crispy with a warm edge. So good. The bun was so gorgeous it can't be summed up in words and this is coming from someone who is picky with their Chicken Burgers/Buns. If you want to find out more about what a Katsu Curry Bun includes then go and check Luke's post out when it goes up.

Long strips of Dark Brown Steak with White Sesame Seeds on topp with flecks of white, green and red. 

Strips of Dark Brown Steak with Flecks of Green Vegetables, White Spring Onion and White Noodles underneath in a black wide oval bowl on a white background.

Fried Yellow Fries with tiny speckles of Red in a black circular bowl on a light background.

We drank up and decided that it was time to say thank you to the wonderful staff that looked after us and waddle our way down the stairs and out of the building. I know that it doesn't sound like a lot of food but Bar Soba ensure that you're filled up with their portions so if someone had pushed me down the stairs I would have probably rolled.

Have you been to Bar Soba? Have you ever tried Pan Asian food? Let me know down below! 

Thanks again to the wonderful staff at Bar Soba who invited us to come along and try their food and thanks again for taking such good care of myself and Luke. I hope that you have enjoyed this post and the wonderful photos that I took. I hope that you come back next time for another post.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x