Taste Test: McDonald’s Prosperity Burgers and more
It is that time of the year again, where we get ready to stuff our faces with yusheng (raw fish salad), bak kwa (dried barbecued pork), pineapple tarts and… McDonald’s Prosperity Burgers.
McD’s much awaited Chinese New Year offerings have many takers, those who wait patiently for their yearly fix of black pepper sauce-slathered beef and chicken burgers and curly fries. The limited-edition menu, available throughout the festive period, also features a hot Taro Pie and a sugary Orange McFizz drink.
The many loyal fans that crave for these seasonal items tempted HungryGoWhere to do a detailed taste test to bring you our verdict. This is what we ate, and why we liked it.
Peppery, saucy goodness in the chicken Prosperity Burger.
We are big fans of the chewy, curled potato snacks that are lightly coated with seasoning .
“These are, in our opinion, McDonald’s best seasonal offering. The best part is easily the full-bodied sauce, with just the right amount of peppery kick.”
Prosperity Burger with beef patty
These are, in our opinion, McDonald’s best seasonal offering. They may be ordered a la carte (single patty $5.40, double patty $7.25) or as part of a meal (with regular fries and Coca Cola, single patty $7.20, double patty $9.25; as a Prosperity Beef Feast with a single patty burger, regular fries, Orange McFizz and Taro Pie, $8.65)
The Prosperity Burger usually has a chicken version as well, however this year’s offering is only a beef version. The beef patty is succulent, with a full-flavoured black pepper sauce slathered on it, garnished with slivers of onions and then sandwiched in a mini-baguette-sized sesame toasted bun. The best part is easily the full-bodied sauce, with just the right amount of peppery kick. We found ourselves dipping even the fries in the sauce that oozed off the side of the burgers.
Our only wish? That the buns have a bit more hold and do not “disintegrate” so easily with the sauce-to-sandwich ratio. Size-wise, this is a substantial offering even with a single patty.
The fries: The popular Twister Fries (small, $3.20; large $3.40) were made available a week after McDonald’s launched the Prosperity menu. Better late than never, as we are big fans of the chewy, curled potato snacks that are lightly coated with seasoning and perfectly fried. They are also available at a $0.25 top up to any value meal. When we tried the burger earlier, we had to make do with regular fries that came as part of the meal, or at $1.95 per a-la-carte order of fries.
The drink: The Orange McFizz ($3.10) is a fruity, fizzy drink that when paired with the burger’s peppery-pungent sauce, is a welcome respite in between bites. This is also available with a 50-cent top-up to every value meal.
The pie: The Taro Pie is exactly like the Apple Pie, but with taro paste within. The taro paste is quite sweet but the taro flavour is rather muted. Stick to the burgers, we say. This retails at $1.45 a piece, or at a top-up of $1.20 with every value meal.
Value for money: The prices are in line with McDonald’s seasonal offerings, such as the McAloo Tiki ($3.40), the Samurai Burger (meal, $7.95) and the Ebi Burger (single patty, meal, $6.40).
