McDonald's: Angus Big Tasty burger, Drummoyne (7 July 2013)

237 Victoria Road, Drummoyne NSW 2047

http://mcdonalds.com.au

Tasty sauce brings it home

Yes, I do eat McDonald's from time to time. Mostly the occasional hash brown on a road trip or during a lazy weekend grocery shop. 30 cent cone ice creams are popular with the family at the drive-thru or a Big Mac and fries when I'm too drunk to care. Let's move on. It seems every few months McDonald's introduces a new range of burgers and the latest is their Big Tasty range. I tried the Angus Big Tasty which is pretty much a Quarter Pounder with the addition of tomato and lettuce and a new tasty sauce on a different style bun. There's a version with bacon but I opted without. I like the bun better than the normal one although I suspect it's the same sugary formula. Out of all the limited edition burgers I've tried this one seems to work the best on taste and combination of flavours for me. The char-grill inspired tasty sauce sets this burger apart from the rest of the menu like the special sauce does for the Big Mac. If you hate McDonald's and think it's the most evil company in the world then you'll obviously not be trying it. If you like or love McDonald's then I'd love to hear what you think of it if you get to try it. The Big Mac has always been my guilty pleasure but if this was a permanent menu item I'd probably consider this one as well because it has all the ingredients I look for in a burger.

The newly advertised Wedges ($2.95) on the other hand were very disappointing and I'll be avoiding them in the future. Pale in colour and bland in taste they are a far cry from the ones you'd find in any pub cooked to order with much more crisp and flavour in the coating. The pack is small and the wedges are too. The mayo was OK but the sweet chilli sauce looked very processed and artificial with a Ghostbuster gel consistency. The Fruit Bag ($1.65) is possibly the healthiest single thing on the menu and designed for convenience but the packaging won't be good for the environment. For the price you'd be wiser to buy an apple from a fruit shop but if you haven't prepared and packed one in advance this might be a healthy snack on the go for the kids. I'm a bit concerned about seeing Antioxidants (302, 300) and Mineral Salt (170) on the ingredients but I assume it's to stop the apple slices from going off and hopefully is harmless.

Other McDonald's burger reviews:
• Angus Big Tasty burger (7 July 2013)
• The New York Classic burger (7 Apr 2013)
• The Great Aussie Brekkie (12 Jan 2013)
• The Serious Lamb Burger (20 Aug 2012)
• Double Cheeseburger (10 Jan 2012)

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: I liked the size and combination of ingredients of the Angus Big Tasty, Convenient and available everywhere

CONS: Wedges were pale in colour, small and fairly tasteless compared to ones you'd get in a pub

MUST TRY: Not eating McDonald's too often

VERDICT: If the Angus Big Tasty was a permanent menu item I think it would be one of my preferred options besides the Big Mac at McDonald's

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Angus Big Tasty ($7.15)
WORTH TRYING for McDonald's fans :-)

Larger rustic cuts of lettuce than the usual

Combination of ingredients works well for me. The sauce makes it all come together.

Don't expect it to look like this

Wedges ($2.95) — pale in colour and bland in taste makes them a fail for me. Head to a pub for the real deal.

Sweet Chilli sauce seems very artificial

Fruit Bag ($1.65) — slices of apple, washed and ready to eat. 

Apple slices contains Antioxidants (302, 300) and Mineral Salt (170) — buying an apple will be cheaper

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Helm Bar: Cocktail tasting blogger event, Darling Harbour (24 Mar 2012)

Aquarium Wharf, Wheat Road, Darling Harbour NSW 2000

http://helmbar.com.au

Cocktails & Bloggers Ahoy!

Thanks to George Redmond from Wasamedia for inviting me along to a cocktail making and tasting blogger event at Helm Bar which is located in a prime location for attracting tourists around Darling Harbour. I learnt three things on the day — firstly, my PR contact George was actually a woman — secondly, it’s interesting taking photos of people taking photos — and finally, Helm Bar had an interesting repertoire of cocktails that were different from just the usual classics. Also I reckon Terry Durack would have had a chuckle seeing so many FABs (Female Asian Bloggers) today — the term he mentions in his Jamie's Italian review. From the description I thought it was going to be partly a cocktail making class where we actually got to make the cocktails ourselves but this task was left in the good hands of our competent bartender Matt so it was more a tasting class. The Espresso Martini ($17) was justified at around 11 am due to containing coffee — which was also supported by Smirnoff Vodka, Tuaca and Kahlua. Nice balance of flavours for those missing their caffeine hit and needing the hair of the dog. The Senorita Margarita ($16) was very limey for me and unfortunately the sampler didn't have a salted rim although I've never been a fan of margaritas so I didn't mind. I'm not a bit fan of cocktails with tequila or salt for that matter except the taste of olives in a martini. I'm suspecting margaritas are an acquired taste for me.

For those not adverse to a bit of heat the Sexy Saint ($18) with St Germain liquor shaken vigorously with a mix of chilli, lemon juice & honey set my taste buds alive. I didn't mind the chilli although I'm not sure if I could have finished a whole one. The Ginny Hendricks ($18) sounded like my kind of cocktail with Hendricks gin & Aperol, muddled with cucumber, lime juice & sugar syrup, strained & topped with ruby red grapefruit juice. It had refreshing flavours although I think I needed more than a little taste test to fully appreciate the overall balance of flavours in the cocktail. The Oriental Sweet Tart ($17) had potential with Plymouth Gin, lychee & pear liqueur but I found the orgeat syrup overpowered the cocktail just a bit too much with the almond flavour for my liking. The final Mystery Cocktail prepared was not yet on the menu as they're still wanting to find a name for it. Mixed with Disaronno, Citrus Vodka, lime and passionfruit it looked pretty good served in a tall glass. I was thinking 'Pash Me Now' or perhaps even 'Pash Me After' once you've had one.

After the sampling of cocktails it was time for lunch with platters of assorted food coming out in plentiful supply — I'm sure everyone was full to the rafters with the generosity. My favourites were the tasty duck pancakes, crispy tempura prawns even though a little oily and the carved steak platter which I didn't think needed the scattering of fries over it as part of the presentation, but loved its flavour and tenderness. The only thing missing to complete the lunch was a cocktail of choice, bottle of wine or even jug of soft drink to share on the table to help wash all the food down. With plenty of seating, covered alfresco views of Darling Harbour and weekly specials priced to please it seems Helm Bar is geared to attract the hungry and thirsty tourist or even after work city local looking for a place to catch up with friends. It's probably a bit off the beaten track for me but if I'm in the area again I might be tempted to explore more of the cocktail menu.

Other visits to Helm Bar:

• 24 Mar 2012 - Cocktail tasting blogger event

• 16 Apr 2010 - Drinks

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Water views, Interesting cocktail menu, Plenty of seating, Bistro menu seems reasonably priced

CONS: Only small tastings today but a cocktail is best fully appreciated drinking as a whole from the correct serving glass, Drinking before 12 noon might be frowned upon by some

MUST TRY: Espresso martini for the caffeine addict, Ginny Hendricks for the gin lover, Visit on Tuesday for $7 cocktails all day

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Meet Matt the bartender

Espresso Martini: A good old serving of the daily grind with Smirnoff Vodka, Tuaca and Kahlua ($17)

Senorita Margarita: Jose Cuervo Traditional & St Germain Elderflower Liqueur shaken with lemons, limes & a dash of agave nectar served straight up or on the rocks with salt ($16)

Sexy Saint: St Germain liquor shaken vigorously with a mix of chilli, lemon juice & honey ($18)

Ginny Hendricks: Hendricks gin & Aperol, muddled with cucumber, lime juice & sugar syrup, strained & topped with ruby red grapefruit juice ($18)

Oriental Sweet Tart: Plymouth Gin, lychee & pear liqueur with a balanced serving of lemon juice and orgeat syrup, shaken & served low ($17)

Name this cocktail — how about 'Pash Me Now' or 'Pash Me After'

Antipasto platter with Peking duck pancakes

Tempura Prawns w/ soy & wasabi mayonnaise

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Chicken Chimichanga w/ spiced avocado

Wedges w/Sweet Chilli and Sour Cream

Garlic bread

Fish of the Day (Salmon) w/Crushed Kipfler Potatoes, Fennel Olive and Chilli Salsa (Tasting Size)

Scotch Fillet w/ Cafe de Paris Butter (Sliced)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Sichuan Salt & Pepper Calamari w/ thai dipping sauce

WORTH TRYING :-)

Lunch time views

Time for cocktail sampling

Photographers in action

The lengths bloggers will go to get their shot

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Balcony seating

Weekly specials

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