FIVE Guys Revisited - is it better value than KFC now? [@NLi10]

 There's a section of the fast-food-eating community that are still admamant that it's worth paying extra for FIVE GUYS over things like McDonalds and KFC and that it's comparable to Nando's and similar.  It usually costs £20 for a 'meal' (they don't do meals - no discounts for you!), and now FKC and McDonalds have snuck in luxury menus they can cost close to £20 too - so - which is the best value in 2026? 

First up we have a cup of chips.  This is not a sane choice, but it's what they go with.  I think it's because of the peanut oil or something - but it's a small portion.  Why is that...?

They tip the rest into your bag.  Now - this seems silly because these are the ones you'll want to eat first before they go cold.  They are protecting the burger for safety.

And what about the drink - they have a giant machine for that.

As ever - these seem to be malfunctioning.  One was off, and the working one put the flat tasting water everywhere.  I used the variations and options to try a Fanta Grape, non Sparkling.

This is me realising I just paid £4 for a cup of squash.  Luckily it's bottomless so I could have a 2nd drink and take it with me into the cinema - I chose a Coke, but it tasted very odd.  Not sure if it was grape residue or just that the machines proportions were thrown off by it being a sprinkler system.

Next up - the main event - a burger cooked your way with a choice of toppings.

They wrap them forcefully in foil to keep them hot, which means that they all look a bit like this.  Decently fresh ingredients, nice enough meat - but is this a £10 burger?

Overall this leaves me wondering why UK fast food places can't get the drinks right post sugar-tax.

Why pub burgers are so much better value and quality than burger place burgers.

And why chips always have to have a gimmick.

Overall I had a decent meal, I was full, and everything food based was decent enough.  I enjoyed the chips and the ability to have a decent amount of salad on the burger was nice.  The £16 KFC Naan Meal from last week was better value, but not really by much. That said - in KFC I can be full for £12 pretty easily.

Maybe I'm just not the teenage/student audience that these things are designed for (when I was 21 this place was still Birmingham's Hard Rock Cafe!) and I should be valuing the fact that I can eat it fast and get back to whatever the young people enjoy these days.  As it stands £20 would get you a slower, better meal at one of towns many many independent pubs, even if the ingredients aren't quite as flashy and the kitchen is probably more basic.

The Wagyu Burger (Burger King) By @Cinabar

I’d been seeing the adverts with Gordon Ramsey saying Burger King’s new Wagyu Burger is good enough for a high-class restaurant, so I felt I had to give it a try. The marketing also makes a big point of it being made with 100% British Wagyu beef, which surprised me. I’d assumed Wagyu was all imported.

The first thing that caught my attention when ordering was the price. A meal with the Wagyu Burger came to £13.50. I don’t normally mention prices much here, but as this is both fast food and Wagyu, it felt worth noting. For comparison, my usual Chicken Royale meal is £8.59. Paying more than a tenner for a Burger King still feels strange to me (though I’m sure this comment will look cheap in a few years). The burger’s ingredient list made it clear this was going to be a love letter to onions. Inside you’ll find caramelised onions, pink pickled onions, crispy onions, and even an onion mayo. Fortunately, I do like onions. There’s also rocket, which adds its distinctive bitter pepperiness, all served in a seeded brioche bun.

When my order arrived I was a little disappointed with the presentation. It didn’t get special packaging. My burger came in an Aberdeen Angus wrapper with “Wagyu” scrawled on it in wax crayon. Maybe my branch had run out of the proper ones, but for the most expensive burger on the menu I expected something a little more premium.

That said, once I unwrapped it, it looked impressive. The glossy brioche bun, the vivid pink onions, and the fresh green rocket all stood out nicely against a seriously thick beef patty.

The taste matched the appearance. The beef was juicy and packed with flavour, and the mix of onions gave it depth and sweetness that paired well with the creamy richness of the meat. It still had that smoky flame-grilled note that Burger King is known for, but elevated. Every bite was delicious.

Was it worth it? Honestly, yes, it was a very good burger. But I’ll admit I still have a soft spot for the Chicken Royale, and at a few pounds less it remains hard to beat. This Wagyu Burger is well worth a try if you love beef.

Nostalgia Overload – Bendy & Cheese (Wimpy Bar) By @Cinabar

I haven’t been to Shrewsbury for a day trip in years, so it was absolutely lovely to visit over the weekend. We’d planned to head home for dinner, but while wandering around the shops, a familiar red logo caught my eye. We walked over to double-check, and sure enough, it really was an actual Wimpy Bar. Oh my word. The one in my city closed in the 1990s, and I was heartbroken when it did. It was a favourite childhood treat spot.

As we got to the door, I was still only peeking in, curious to see if my childhood favourite was still on the menu. Then I heard the nostalgic 1980s music playing, and the sound of the Ghostbusters theme sealed the deal, we were going in. We sat in a cosy booth, and there it was on the first page of the menu: Bendy & Cheese. It’s a sausage, bent to fit in a bun and treated like a burger, and I had to order it just for the memories. I love that Wimpy still offers table service.

The food arrived quickly. We both had chips and a soft drink to make it a full meal. I opened the bun and grinned, the Bendy & Cheese looked exactly like I remembered.

 

One bite and I was overwhelmed with nostalgia. It had that classic frankfurter taste but was chunkier and firmer. The cheese, ketchup and tomato balanced it all perfectly. I couldn’t stop smiling while eating it. The chips were great too: crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.

The dessert menu was new to me, I can’t remember what I used to have as a kid. I went for churros, as that’s always a favourite. They arrived in a fab-looking glass, more like an ice cream sundae. There were churros, ice cream and chocolate sauce, a sweet and indulgent treat.

We left full and impressed with the speed of service and the quality of the food. This place will definitely become a regular haunt. I can’t wait to go back.

Steakhouse Angus Gourmet Meal (Burger King) By @Cinabar

On our way back from a road trip, we stopped at a service station to grab dinner. The options included a Burger King, and we both realised it had been years since we’d last visited one. So, we decided to treat ourselves to a burger.

As we browsed the menu, the new Steakhouse Angus Gourmet Burger caught our eye. It sounded delightful, so we each ordered the meal. Fortunately, our order was served quickly—just before a large dance troupe from a coach queued up!

The food arrived promptly and looked great. I started with the chips and was pleasantly surprised. Who knew Burger King chips were this good? They’re far superior to those from KFC and McDonald’s, with their crispy exterior and fluffy interior. I absolutely loved them.

The burger itself looked appealing when unwrapped. The tangy rocket lettuce and smoky cheese packed a flavourful punch, complementing the rich, beefy taste of the Angus patty. It was a satisfying meal—far more indulgent than one from McDonald’s.

This pit stop was just what we needed, and it reminded me how much I’ve been missing out by not visiting Burger King more often. I won’t let that much time pass before my next visit!

The Dirty Louisiana Burger (KFC) By @Cinabar

I first heard about this new KFC burger from an advert on facebook that made me laugh. It was a tongue in cheek pieces about “clean eating” (ice cube relish anyone?), and it is worth a google if you like that sort of thing.
I wasn’t sure if the new KFC Dirty Louisiana Burger would be available in the UK, adverts online can sometimes be specific to the USA, but our local branch of KFC had a big sign up advertising the new burger, so we decided to go in and give it the taste test. Now to say I had been sold on an advert becomes more significant when you hear that at the point of ordering I had no idea what I was actually ordering. Yes I knew it was a big burger, and if boiled spiralized chicken was considered “clean” then this was at the other end of the scale.

The burger came in a nicely themed box and was wrapped in paper inside that too. I opened up the box and found a burger with a large piece of chicken, two pieces of cheese, a hash brown, salad, gherkins, and most importantly lots of sauce, and different sauces at that. It soon dawned on me that the dirty part may well refer to the state of your hands after eating it! All of these goodies were packed into a toasted bun.

I found this to be a bit of a flavour sensation. As there was several different sauces it meant that every bite tasted different. There was rich barbecue sauce, a cheese based sauce and a cooler black pepper mayonnaise. The mix of textures was spot on too, with the gherkin slices holding their crispy texture, the salad and the soft hash brown. As I was eating I noted that my mouth was heating up a little and realised that somewhere mixed in was also some chilli heat, this burger really does have everything. As predicted my hands were dripping in spilled sauce and those little clean up wipes they give just didn’t seem big enough! This might be a bit of a novelty burger, but it certainly works, who would have thought having all the sauces could produce such a fantastic mix of flavours.
 The only problem is that The Dirty Louisiana Burger is only available for 4 weeks, so get in quick if you want to give it a try.

Not Dogs (Birmingham) By @Cinabar #sausageselfie #meatywithoutthemeat

I watched Dragons Den last weekend, and watched as two ladies delivered a pitch all about a new meat free Hot Dog called the Not Dogs. They had sold them on the road and at festivals etc and they had been so successful that they were setting up a new restaurant in Birmingham Bull Ring, which is when my ears perked up. I was due to be having lunch in Birmingham this week and this helped me decided on where we should eat.
I’m not actually vegetarian, but people are also eating less meat for health reasons. It is January, so I have friends that are trying to go vegan for the month, as well as cutting back on bad for you foods. Not Dogs hot dogs (!) have vegan options too.

So Not Dogs are all about their exclusive vegetarian sausage, and they dress this up on the menu with wonderful sounding toppings. I liked the sound of the selection, and all of the creations, and eventually decided on a Kickin' Katie Nacho Dog. I went to order at the till and the customer services was superb, friendly and nice, they lady that served me told me all about the food and the restaurant, and had total enthusiasm for the product. I had with my Not Dog hot dog, a latte (and was asked if I wanted regular or soya milk) and a side order of Waffle Fries.
We sat down and our food was brought over to us, my hot dog looked a little pale, and that was pretty much the only clue to it being meat free. It was generously topped with guacamole, nacho bits and some chillis (which weren’t too hot). The guacamole and hot dog went surprisingly well together and the flavours complemented each other well. It was a fun lunch, although I went for plastic cutlery as the amount of topping on the Not Dog scared the new jumper I was wearing. The Not Dog tasted meaty, and was satisfying to eat, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The fries were a nice addition, we had one portion to share between two. They were tasty, and nice and turned it into more of a meal.

I had a sneaky taste of the burger too, and that was outstanding. The burger was very close (except perhaps very slightly softer) to tasting like a juicy beef burger, and the Not Dog relish was delicious.
My only criticism of the place is that they seemed to have gone a little too minimalistic in style within the restaurant. Yes it is a fast food restaurant, but it still needed a few more tables and chairs. A little more theming would make it more of a place to go in an evening too, rather just somewhere nice to grab a quick lunch.
If you are just grabbing a quick lunch, and they do take out too, and you won’t be disappointed.

Nando's GLITTER Peri-Berry Burger (@NandosUK) By @Cinabar

I went to Nando's and they put glitter in my burger. I mean by design, the new Christmas special at Nando's, the Peri-Berry Burger, comes topped with a glittery berry sauce! Yes I know I am easily swayed by a bit of novelty, but this hits a new level - edible glitter on a savoury burger - my mind was blown! :-D
I chose to have mine with the (also new) supergrain salad, which was a very tasty and nicely textured side. Other than the fruit and visual appeal of glittery berry sauce on my food, the Peri-Berry Burger comes with two pieces of chicken (thigh and breast), cheese, baby-spinach, mayo and is served in a Portuguese bread roll.

There was a good dollop of sauce on my burger in all its glitter filled glory. The chicken is still cooked to taste, and I went for medium heat. The spinach is a little lost, but made me feel better having some greens on my plate! The side dish helped too, proving you don’t have to order chips!
The chicken was cooked as it always is in Nando's, till it is still moist and full of flavour and spices, and this was perfect. There was lots of chicken too, which meant this felt filling and meaty. The addition of the sweet and spicy sauce was a complete triumph. The taste of berries, including cranberry, complemented the flavours to perfection. Sweet, spicy and an absolutely lovely mix of flavours.
The novelty of a sparkly sauce might draw you in, but the berry flavour combination with the spicy chicken will be the reason you’ll want to order it again. There is so much more to this than its Christmas novelty, the glitter part is just for fun, the flavour sensation is what makes it!

A KFC Christmas Experience (by @NLi10) @KFC @KFC_UKI

It's hard to get into the Christmas spirit these days, it seems that barely any stores are doing anything special to get us excited.  Thankfully Kentucky Fried Chicken - KFC - have created a seasonal (pun intended) delicacy to excite our tastebuds and make the wait for Christmas Morning that little more bearable.

Here Father Christmas's brown sack has a lovingly designed white box packed with all the trimmings.

One box is said to be 1270 kCal. After my mishaps with these numbers previously I decided to double check this. 1270 is however the real total, and it doesn't suggest that this is for the large which I had, and it shows corn in the picture and I had beans. It also has 77% of the recommended salt for the day - presuming that you don't even open the provided sachets! Because I learnt a new word this week I can suggest that the act of consuming this will be Obesogenic, but it's Christmas and nothing says Christmas like over-eating. 

Our lady of unrestricted calories provides for us one large portion of fries (no added salt, never added salt) a lovely little chicken bone, a tub of smokey beans, and our main event - a second box with the signature burger in.

So far it looks like a fillet tower burger. This used to be my go to at KFC until they invented the twister wraps, and then the burritos which are just the wraps with more salad and more rice and some kick-ass sauces. Did I mention KFC is my favourite guilty pleasure fast food restaurant? 

Inside we see that Santa has indeed been, and that there is red cranberry sauce atop the chicken burger. This is less than on the posters, but more than FB friends had suggested. I hadn't expected that to make much of a difference to things really, but the sweetness of the jam and the saltiness of the American yellow slice create a nicely varied bite. Is it almost too indulgent? I guess so, it's by no stretch of the Food triangle a balanced meal, and it really is a bountiful haul of calories, even before you factor in a giant full fat Pepsi and fries. This said, it really is for me a treat, and not something I could feel too bad about eating as a one off. The main effect of the ensemble was to remind me that I do quite like the original recipie chicken - something I'd never usually order these days - and that the burger was a nice change.

I jokingly suggested to colleagues that I could happily eat one of these meals every day up to Christmas, and while this was clearly a joke (KFC don't deliver and I'd struggle to get to a restaurant after my 7th or 8th day) I really do think I'll have a second one before Christmas. 

Other than providing parallels to the gradual fattening of Christmas I'm not sure that adding berry jam to a burger is enough to be a truly festive meal, but as an interesting experience and a talking point this works fairly well.  Merry Christmas Colonel, hope your cholesterol allows you to make it to the next one. 

The Burger Priest - Wolverhampton Reviewed @TheBurgerPriest [By @Cinabar]

It was really nice to hear of a new burger bar opening in Wolverhampton. The city is going through a lot of changes at the minute, it is being heavily invested in and although this means there are plenty of works and potential going on, it also means there hasn’t been much new opening up recently. I think we are starting to see the beginning of the changes, there are plenty of things promised, like new department stores, but The Burger Priest is one of the first new restaurants to open in a while.
The Burger Priest is fast food burger bar, but it is still very smartly themed, mostly in a pseudo religious way. For example they don’t have opening times they have Worship Hours (11am-10pm), and many of the seats are styled on church pews. Its very smart inside and I liked the attention to detail on the theming. The openings times also mean if you are planning a theatre trip to Wolverhampton Grand it is perfect for a pre-theatre meal.
The menu is very comprehensive and we chose a Vatican Burger (with cheese and bacon) and a Classic American Dog. You have to order chips and sides separately, but I was over the moon to see sweet potato fries on the menu. As we were in a themed burger bar, it felt appropriate to have milk shakes, we ordered a Salted Caramel shake and a Mint Choc one too. Unlike most burger places The Burger Priest is licensed and has a number of beers available, and of course soft drinks too.

The drinks came over very quickly and we gave them a taste test, both were lovely and thick and made properly with ice cream. The mint one had chocolate chips in it and was very refreshing, the salted caramel was lovely and creamy and had caramel bits for texture.

The food came shortly afterwards, and were laid out on trays, with the fries, some burger relish and a little coleslaw on the side. I chose the regular sized portion of sweet potato fries and had more than I could eat, I tried folks, I really did! They were beautiful by the way, crisp on the outside and fluffy inside, so cooked perfectly. They are absolute heaven dipped in mayo, you should try it.
My burger was superb. The beef was very meaty and had a lovely smokey hint to it, like it had been barbecued. The juicy burger and crispy bacon worked like a dream. The brioche bap was a lovely addition too, with its light buttery flavour. The food here was good, seriously good. Like wise the hot dog had a slightly smokey flavour and was thick and juicy, a classic done really well.

We went the first Saturday they were open, and I lost track of the number of staff who asked if we were okay or needed anything else. I was impressed by how fast the food came too, given how busy they were. The staff are clearly very attentive and seemed to genuinely care that we were enjoying our food and wanted to know what we thought of the place. Well let me tell you the burgers and food here are fantastic, the church theme keeps it fun and the service was very quick and friendly so we can’t wait to go back and explore the menu further. It ticked all the boxes and I'm converted.
Two meals and two large shake came to £25.

By Cinabar

Indian Burrito Co @WrapChic (Birmingham Bull Ring) [By @Cinabar]

There seems to be quite a bit of choice of places to eat in Birmingham, with so many different types of food represented it is a tricky choice deciding what to eat. I was trying to find somewhere to get a quick lunch, and was having trouble trying to choose. On my wander through Birmingham I walked passed WrapChic the Indian Burrito Company, and took a couple of steps back to check what I thought I'd read; Indian Burrito? As I was staring a man on a bike placed a cocktail stick with spicy lamb in my hand without saying a word... and I was sold. Ok the bike did belong to WrapChic not just somebody cycling past at random, but the flavour hooked me completely. This was good stuff.

I decided to choose a Burrito and as I love spicy fish chose the Fish Malabari. The man making the burrito was friendly and chatty and asked me to choose what extra fillings I wanted, I went for brown rice, lettuce, beans, medium chilli sauce and a some cheese. I know cheese sounds odd with spicy fish, but it felt right for a burrito, and this is fusion cuisine.

The burrito was neatly and firmly wrapped for me and I took a seat to dig in. The tables are fairly basic, but this is supposed to be quick food. It was a flavour sensation. The filling was very generous, and the flavour combination of Indian and Mexican just fell into place. The fish was soft and moist and fragrantly spiced, the other ingredients changed the flavour as you hit them, from cool and crisp salad, soft beans to creamy cheese, this was an awesome burrito. The mix of flavours and textures was an absolute pleasure and I was licking my fingers by the end of it, literally, as the sauce had escaped a little.

Mexican Indian Fusion cuisine works, the fragrant spices, and ingredients jumbled together to give me the tastiest burrito I've ever eaten. When I finished the hearty portion the only thought I had was that whoever had the idea was a genius and that I couldn't wait to go back.

By Cinabar

New Beef Fillet Steak & Chargrilled Veg Pitta (@NandosUK) [By @Cinabar]

So I went to Nandos, a restaurant famed for its chicken, and had steak. I don't even mean a chicken steak, I mean a full on beef fillet steak, served in a pitta. Obviously my intention when I went into to Nandos was to have some of their chicken but there was a neat "New" label next to this dish and I found myself ordering it. It just seemed such an odd concept having a different meat in a chicken restaurant. I guess I felt like one of those people who go to Indian restaurants and order chicken and chips.
The steak is seasoned with the usual options of spice levels, so I opted for my usual Medium heat. It comes with chargrilled veggies served in a pitta, and I chose peri-peri chips and coleslaw to accompany it.
When it arrived it looked like quite a decent sized piece of meat, and there was plenty of veggies like chargrilled red peppers in the bread. These were actually in a base of tomato sauce that did make eating the Pitta a little bit more difficult, as it leaked some of the tomato while I was working my way through it and I ended up needing serviettes to keep my fingers clean.
Although I was ordered Medium heat (my usual) it did feel hotter than that, and had a stronger tingle and burn. Perhaps there was some extra heat mixed in with the veggies or maybe the chef was a little more heavy handed with the spice pot. I could still pick up on the meaty flavour of the beef though, and I have to say it did work nicely with the Nandos spices. The veggies added a nice mix of texture and the peppers and tomato taste worked well with the meat. The steak itself was soft and a good quality piece of meat, which meant it was easy to eat in the pitta bread. I recommend the coleslaw to cool the mouth if the heat is too hot for you too.
The New Beef Fillet Steak & Chargrilled Veg also has the option to be served in a Wrap instead of a Pitta and I think I might try this next time as I suspect it would hold the sauce better and avoid the sticky fingers I ended up with. I would happily go back to Nandos and order the beef again, it works well and is a nice addition to their menu. Nice to see the chicken experts doing something different.

By Cinabar

New KFC Zinger Ricebox (@KFC_UKI) [By @Cinabar]

Kentucky  Fried Chicken is a fast food chain famed for its chicken and chips combo. Various coated joints of chicken and burgers and wraps etc, but usually all served with chips. The new item on the menu is a step away from this, and instead combines rice with their coated chicken; and some salad too.
The Ricebox is summery, its lighter feeling and the added salad makes it appear healthier too. It does seem odd to launch it at this time of year, when the summer is ending and the weather is starting to make us think of comfort eating. I think it is nice lunch alternative and picked one up with Spectre, although he had his usual variety meal.
When I ordered the Ricebox I was asked if i'd like a side, and for a minute I though the lady serving meant chips, but there were different options, I chose some baked beans.
The packaging of the Ricebox is quite smart and reminiscent of american style take away boxes. In side the Ricebox was a large KFC coated chicken breast on a bed of tex mex rice, bean salsa and salad and a hefty does of mayo based sauce. Actually mine had far more sauce than the pretty but thin and neat drizzle on the menu board photo. Underneath all that sauce it was difficult to spot that the chicken was pre-sliced, which is just as well as eating a fully loaded chicken breast with a spork would have been a challenge!

I have to admit I found this to be an ideal lunch, the chicken was lovely and spicy, and the sauce was pleasingly cooling. The rice was really good and warmly spiced too, with the bean salsa adding a fab extra tang. The salad was cool and crunchy and added a nice layer of depth to the textures. I’ve discovered, bizarrely through writing at Foodstuff Finds, that I love variations of texture in my food and this totally nailed that. Every bite was different, be it the chicken or the salad or the rice. The Mexican spices left my mouth with a nice chilli buzz and I found myself scraping every last grain of rice up with my spork. Heaven! I hope this is here to stay to be honest, I’m a big fan of these new Riceboxes.
The KFC Ricebox is also available in Original flavour, if you don’t like too much spice, but also a vegetarian option with corn on the cob.

By Cinabar

New Limited Edition BBQ Smokehouse Burger (McDonalds) [By @Cinabar]

I saw from an email McDonalds sent that they had a new summer special burger, so we made an excuse to go at lunch time. The new burger is called the BBQ Smokehouse. To be honest with the weather the way it is, it is at least a dry way to experience the barbecue flavour this year! :-D

The burger consists of a beef patty, salad, onions, cheese, maple smoked bacon and a good dollop of barbecue sauce. When I opened up the card container, I smiled as the bread is also very pretty. It is served in ciabatta but it was soft, easy to eat, rather than a firm version. They can be quite hard if you have ciabatta in restaurants.
I was impressed by how much fresh salad ingredients there were, and that the burger seemed quite large too. As someone who loves different textures, the crisp salad and crunchy onions were a lovely touch in this, but the highlight was the sauce. The flavour was sweet and smoky, and made this feel a bit different. Spectre’s favourite part was the maple smoked bacon. I think he’d happily have bacon as an addition to any burger. I have to admit the ‘maple’ smoked nature of the bacon is hard to pick up, but as smoky bacon goes is works really well. It was an excellent addition to the flavour set. The burger itself was moist and had a good rich beef flavour, and the cheese was nice too, it tasted like a proper cheddar and not indiscriminate burger cheese you sometimes get.
If you like barbecue sauce and bacon I would recommend giving this a try. You will need to catch it while you can though, as it is Limited Edition, and as such only available until 1st September 15.

By Cinabar

KFC - New Toasted Burritos - Original [By @Cinabar]

I’ve seen the adverts about packing in more at lunch time with KFC Burritos and decided to play along. There is a KFC opposite where I work, so Spectre and I decided to treat ourselves on a lunch work break. I think the idea from the advertising campaign is that you can grab a Burrito and go, but I didn’t fancy lunch at my desk so we ate in. Spectre sneakily ordered himself a variety meal (with extra hot wings), not wanting to miss out on the opportunity to eat his favourite KFC lunch. Mister Adventure!
I stuck to the plan at least and ordered the Burrito meal, I went for the Original Recipe variety for a first try. The Zinger version did sound lovely, but I though the Original worked better as a starting point.

My Burrito came rapped in foil, and as part of the meal deal with chips and a sot drink. I carefully unwrapped it and realised that there was nowhere for the filling to fall out as it was neatly wrapped in the Burrito. I quick bite in revealed the goodies.

There was all sorts in with the chicken, rice, beans and a spicy tomato salsa. I loved the mix of flavours, and textures. I’ve discovered writing this blog that a mix of textures works really well for me. Soft Burrito, rice and the firm chicken meant I found this a pleasure to eat.
I liked that the chicken still had the distinctive KFC flavour, but that you could taste all the other ingredients too. The Burrito was surprising spicy in places, there must have been the odd bit of hot chilli in the salsa that gave a pleasing tingle. I can’t wait to go back and try the Zinger version.
I had a half an hour lunch break and my walk to and from KFC, the ordering and eating of this took up exactly the thirty minutes. I’m not sure this was packing more in as per the advert, but it was a really nice weekday treat.

By Cinabar

Burger, Fries and Diet Orange Coke - Review (@FiveGuysUK) [By @Cinabar]

The Five Guys in Birmingham is fairly new. It is my nearest branch of Five Guys but as I don’t go to Birmingham that often it is still pretty far away. I have seen it before but have to admit to wandering past, confused by its expensive sounding prices. I don’t mind spending £10+ on a burger and chips meal, but one thats served in a paper bag and foil wrapper just didn’t sound reasonable to me.
One of the people who works with my mum tried out this Five Guys and came back raving about quality of the food and the “crazy drinks machine” and I knew I had to try it out. She had me at crazy drinks machine if I’m honest. Apparently there are over one hundred drinks to choose from!

The restaurant is nicely themed, with plenty of fun quotes on the windows adding to the atmosphere. There were plenty of seats spread out on two levels, including several booths. We found a table even on a busy lunch time, but I think we may have been lucky as the place was packed just thirty minuted later. It isn’t waitress service, so I went over to the till to place our orders, which feels very fast food like despite the highish prices. I went for a burger and chips with a soft drink from the crazy dispenser. My mum went for a hot dog chips and soft drink. The lady at the till suggested we share a chips but I went for separate ones as I couldn’t judge the amount we’d get. The menu is very customisable at Five Guys, with a good selection of additional items at no extra cost. I liked that idea, but as it was a first try I stuck to the safe cheese, lettuce, tomato and ketchup for my taste test.

I was given a couple of paper cups and an order number and went round the corner to wait for my food. First thing I noticed was there was far more than Five Guys sorting out the food, there was a small army, and it was fun to watch them work as they were tightly working in unison. While I was waiting I decided to fill the drinks cups and see what all the fuss was about. There are two machines in the branch and as one was free I had a little time to play, I was testing options then pressing cancel before selecting just to see what I could get. I choose Diet Orange Coke, because I’ve never had it before but I know that I like Lime Coke. My mum went for a Raspberry Lemonade.

Once I’d sorted that out it wasn’t long before my order number was called and I was given a paper bag. This is probably the most disappointing part, nothing says non-premium like a brown paper bag. I headed back to the table and had a look at the goodies within. The hot dog and burger came wrapped in foil, and there was a chip mountain in the bag. There were two small cups of chips, but the extras in the bottom of the bag were very generous. We couldn’t finish them!

As I unwrapped my burger I munched on a chip and was taken aback. The chip was perfectly cooked, and pre-salted. The texture was almost crispy on the outside and wonderfully fluffy inside. They are cooked with the skins on which meant they had a full potato flavour too, and were very impressive.
The burger was up next and again, it was spot on. The beef was full flavoured and juicy. It is one of the nicest burgers I’ve eaten, I just wasn’t expecting such quality. The salad was crispy and the bread soft and fresh, it may look like fast food, but it certainly tastes better than a lot of restaurant burgers I’ve eaten! Now onto the Orange Coke, it was fab, I was smiling as I drank it. The sweet citrus tones were prefect with the base flavour. Of course next time I’m having something different, probably the Raspberry Coke. Frankly I’ve got a hundred combinations to work through, and I’m thinking of putting a spread sheet together… err, too far?
Anyway my mum loved her hot dog with ketchup, mustard and onions and said she was very impressed with the place. In conclusion the meal was worth every penny, and I seriously can’t wait to go back.

By Cinabar