I get a lot of stick on this blog every time I eat Maccas. Usually, I serve the chips with a home made steak tartare. Living a one minute walk away from the Acland St Maccas, it is far easier to walk there are back rather than deal with hot fat or oil (I refuse to use oven chips).
The last time I advocated Maccas chips the comment was “he’s obviously not a foodie”. Well, done for recognising it. Proudly, I’m not.
I do have secret food shames. Five years ago it was boxes of nine McNuggets with the strangely addictive mustard and curry sauces. Like I said, not a foodie. One day the girl behind the counter said:” Do you know you are the only person who orders that sauce combination?”
Hurrah! I’d become a regular. Everybody has to have a regular place to hide out, the downside being the lack of alcohol at Maccas.
I’ve also been a regular employer of staff from Maccas too. Faced with the hundreds of resumes from young graphic designers (with identikit portfolios produced under artificial conditions) having worked at Macccas showed a work ethic and being able to work within a process or system.
My system was that I was in charge and didn’t like rainbow coloured headlines. The process was designing loads of pages a day, flipping and photoshopping pictures rather than burgers. Delivering everything to a tight deadline, now preferably.
Nowadays, Maccas has become fancy. Salads and all sorts of stuff keep the mums there with their kids. Burgers are cooked fresh and delivered within a few minutes.
Last Saturday the Grand Angus appeared good perhaps because my palate and head was jarred by a big night. Monday I was back for a second opinion.
“Everybody wants Angus,” the guy behind the counter said. It took two minutes to deliver, and another one to take it home. And it came with decent enough tomato, cheese a hue of Richard Wilkins (orange), pickle slices and onion.
I think these last two are the secret of Maccas burgers. The pickle gives the flavour to the Big Mac. Here too it does, as does the additional onion, which is a bit much for my taste. The burger patttie is nice enough but too large.
Perhaps it would be nice to make one sized for normal people rather than the greedy and obese.
If I’m busy and hungry I may be back. But I prefer to support local businesses and if I have time will hit Danny’s on Barkly St. Or even better, Andrew’s in Albert Park.
Where do you stand on MacDonald’s
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I wouldn’t say it is a secret shame of mine. I love Big Macs and almost certainly will like this so called “Angus”. Problem is they aren’t particularly good value for money these days and one doesn’t really fill the hole. I prefer to stay clear of the chips, and the chicken nuggets taste great but not particularly cheap.
I don’t eat it a lot, but when I do, I enjoy it.
I have a weakness for their hash browns. I now have to alter my walking route to work so I don’t pass the conveniently placed Maccas when I’m starving for breakfast.
Where do I stand on Maccas? I’d rather eat my money than give a cent to them. So, anti.
Only when I’m desparate. I eat Maccas maybe 4 times a year. We used to eat it when I went to trade school cos it was one of the few cheap options at Barkly Gardens in Brunswick.
Maccas usually leave me feeling guilty and vaguely unsatisfied.
Well, technically a Maccas is a local business
Thanks for taking one for the team, Ed. Must admit, after your first tweet, I was a bit keen to try one. Glad you’ve had a rematch so I don’t have to.
(If a Maccas was close by, like Forager I’d find it difficult to resist the odd hash brown…)
Thanks for trying ‘The Angus’ for us all.
Yes like you I did eat the mustard/curry sauce but with the fries!
I will try this Angus & when I do I hope it is hot, fresh & delicious.
Thanks Ed
I’ll put my hand up to actually enjoying the angus last friday night.
the kids were giving me grief for “chips and a toy” – their code for the golden arches (that’s my excuse anyway). Perhaps a bit too much raw red onion for my taste, but it was fairly tasty.
I think it’s their effort to combat the grill’d, urban burger, et al that are stealing their business.
I’ll now hang my head in shame.
Not had maccas for ages and do not plan to have as long as I can. So are the fish nuggets really fish?
“…having worked at Maccas showed a work ethic and being able to work within a process or system.”
So true Ed. At 15 my parents decided I needed to learn the value of a hard earned dollar. First they sent me to a farm to pick beans for a dollar a kilo (!), when that proved too soul-destroying/back-breaking/cruel and unnecessary, they sent me off to the local Maccas.
It was a surprisingly good experience and like you, I’ve had a couple of employers mention that it helped my CV stand out.
I completely understand where Lisa’s coming from but I personally can’t bite the hand that gave me a leg up.
As for the Angus… I’ll think I’ll pass. When in Melb I like my burgers from Grill’d.
Cheers Ed!
-T.Y.
most people eat maccas at some stage don’t they ed?
only foodies deny it cause it just aint foodie but i reckon they sneak a junior burger when they’re tipsy.
and one last thing ed.
how long do you cook “home cooked beef tartare”?
whoops…… i misquoted you! can you remove beef and add steak please? i am terribly sorry for commenting twice on the one subject ed.
cheers
Ha, funny post! I’ve definitely eaten my share of their food, although recently it’s mostly when the nieces or nephews are visiting. I’m jealous though; we don’t have mustard curry sauce here! (I’ve had noticing what different McD’s carry all over the world when I’ve been traveling. Had a big Mac with fried egg once in Hong Kong.)
I used to enjoy their fries occasionally when they were cooked in the politically incorrect beef tallow (and worked there as a kid – where I developed a taste for fries dipped in caramel sundae sauce.. hey that’s salted caramel – just realised – I was so cool!) – but I don’t like the aftertaste of the oil now.
Still – lets’ start a burger debate? Danny’s in North Fitzroy thanks! Chips are far better than Andrews.
I’m not really into Maccas but I do have secret food shame…
Instant coffee with 2 sugars and soy milk, latina “fresh” ricotta and spinach ravioli cooked WAY past al dente and drowned in sauce and my biggest shame: toasted english muffins with canned spaghetti and melted tasty cheese.
Food shame is delicious!
I like their Quarter Pounder, although I need to add salt to it. All the salt nazi’s will scream at me now !
I like their fries too.
SJ, I used to think danny’s in nth fitzroy was pretty good, til we tried the new fish and chip shop in scotchmer street, not sure of the name…but their burgers were great and their chips were AWESOME, they are cooked in rice oil…you never feel revolting after eating them..they are non-greasy and delicious.
I am a fan of the angus. I went through a phase of of not eating maccas in my 20’s, but now in at 30 I am always really keen to try their new products and The Angus is no exception.
I devoured one after my indoor soccer grand final on Monday night, and I have to say it hit the spot. I was really impressed with the bun, onions and cheese.
I am looking forward to my next road trip so I will have a convenient excuse to grab one to scoff while driving. I also have a secret fetish for mcdonalds breakfast – bacon & gg mc muffin – but again only on road trips!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA (out loud).
Unfortunately I am jarred with the perceptions of a flappy Cheeseburger from when I was barely nine. Funnily enough, the last time I ate at the M.
I saw this last Friday when I used the loo at the QVM Maccas and decided that I was not brave enough…not as brave as you.
So, thanks…I didn’t have to eat this, but it is nice to know.
I think you have to grow up with Macca’s to understand the attraction. When I was a kid fast food meant chips and what they serve certainly aren’t chips – now if you want guilty pleasures try Lord of the Fries on Elizabeth. They do a version of Poutine which is proper chips, gravy and CHEESE! Those Canadians were really on to something with that.
Have a secret addiction for Maccas brekky when hungover, in particular the hash browns even though I know real ones are so much better. Cant stand the rest of their food, if I absolutely have to have fast food, ie road trip with nothing else available it will always be Hungry Jacks for me
Ah food shame. I feel another article coming on.
Bacon and Egg McMuffin and two hash browns thanks. As a former restaurateur I loved employing ex Maccas staff. Well trained and happy to work hard. Can you imagine any other business in the world run by 16 year olds which produces such a consistant product?
I’m happy to be a hypocrite though. They’re morally stuffed.
Is their Angus burger definitely 100% angus though? …..and would this neccessarily taste any different to Hereford or Brahman? is this marketing before taste or?…….
Also my favorite ever restaurant image was a VERY young couple with a child about 5 eating outside at the Moe KFC with a couple of cans of Jim Beam and Coke. They looked like the perfect happy family enjoying a restaurant meal in its true spirit. Sincerely.
Nola – food shame.
I once ate Whale sashimi and some deep fried blubber that had been smuggled in on the – Name revoved Japanese car company who also own whaling boats – starts with an “M” and finishes with an “i” – boat. It tasted WONDERFUL.
Also proud that my oldest son thought that the golden arches really were “M” for Moe until he was 10.
Have I really said “Moe” twice tonight?
The coffe is absolutely terrtible though
Michael, I usual end up at Maccas when on the road and all else seems crap and enjoy the Big Mac – but not too often.
Forager, that is funny! I like the hash browns too although as you may have guessed I have an iron will!
Lisa, fair enough. I won’t bring up Nestle. Hope you don’t drink San Pellegrino.
Esz, yes there is an element of guilt with a Maccas. And shame.
Kat, true although all the franchise fees and profits etc go into a great big American pot.
Injera/Bec, I’m glad you appreciate my suffering.
Greggles, definately a pitch at the Grill’d burger which is also a lot more $$$$$$$.
Penny, and I thought you were an adventurous eater.
TooYum, glad we are on the same page. I’m fairly practical about all this stuff and really don’t want to eat to many meaty burgers where ever they come from.
Damo, no worries. I reproofed it and changed it.
Kalyn, good to hear from you. My biggest disappointment was Maccas in Valencia. I thought I was buying calamari. Turned out to be plain old onion rings.
SJ, do they use tallow? I believe horse fat is pretty good too.
Hannah, I can see the muffin/spaghetti fetish but Latina????
Jacqueline, Rice oil. I must try them.
Mike, I think there is a big theme of people eating Maccas on road trips – it’s often the only consistent food on the road.
Jess, in my reviews of loos, Maccas are right up there. Good, consistent and clean. And nobody tries to chuck you out if you aren’t buying.
The Other Hannah, Lord of the Fries it is then.
Ange, the other theme other than road trips – hangovers. LOL!
Nola, is this some sort of competition?
Mr BAD, I think Maccas has a pretty big moral compass nowadays but I may revisit and read the pack properly. Where’s Ian Curtis?
Ian’s been dead since 1981. Check out Bad Leiutenat though, good post 80’s Macclesfield trash.
If you go to the toilet at Maccas not expecting to buy anything it’s called a “McShit”. If someone asks you and you tell them that you bought something or were going to buy something it’s called a “McShit with Lies”
Well, everyone has their fave item at maccas. Unfortunately for mine, it’s the hot fiery chicken burgers down in singapore that keeps me going. I guess what makes Maccas tick is that they are able to cater for the audience at every corner in the world.
I used to be like Ange – big breakfast (or whatever it’s called) when hungover in my hard partying days. I’m not a massive fan of burgers so whether it’s Maccas, Hungry Jacks/Burger King, KFC Tower burger or whatever i can give it a miss. Dangle a piece of chicken or steak in front of me though and i’m in. Ooops. That was a bit of digression…
Are teachers THE WORST restaraunt customers to serve? Do all waiters hate them?
Michael And what’s chicken nuggets slang for?
Cruxie Faye, So I put that on my list next time I’m in Singapore?
Jaded, Promise to dangle some chicken or steak soon.
Bad Leiutenant, I believe this is one of the great questions of the restaurant world together with…oh fuck, I don’t know.
the maccas work ethic is quite correct = it’s Clean don’t Lean, or so i’m told by an old maccas manager, i never worked there myself (thank g0d!), and McDonalds pickle is the work of a chef! for balance and palatiblity(sic) – to lighten up a fatty burger you must have acid, be it pickle, vinegar, or whatever. Raw onion does it for me too…
Thank God for Maccas at Airports. Cheap and fast and no lining up with a tray. Love their fries and otherwise once a year I will go the whole hog and afterwards think “I’m glad it ’s only once a year”. Secretly love the thickshakes (once a year) but do worry about what’s in it and why it tastes so good…
Teachers are generally great to serve. You can pick them a mile away by the way they dress and how they look uncomfortable in a Restaurant.
My theory is usually cemented at the end of the night with the teachers calculating…for hours… what they had for dinner.
JUST SPLIT THE BILL!!
Once you hear the clank of change in the bill folder you know it ’s either Teachers or Doctor’s.
No tip there then.
I have a cafe and when I need staff the kids who list maccas as part of their work experience nearly always get an interview.
They understand procedure. plus.
I have to admit to liking…okay- loving red roo[s]ter cheesy nuggets with bbq sauce. aaah that yellow oozing fakeness yum
Love that you get most comments about Maccas – no, I don’t go there after they were fined for having TOO MUCH sawdust in their burgers. I prefer my meat without ANY sawdust! Thankfully the butchers don’t have it on the floors now.
Like how you are doing it for us though !!! LOL – had a visiting lecturer who was bigger than me asked something about exercise physiology and he said he wasn’t sure of the answer – IN FACT he was in the control group and if he started exercising then 40 years of research would be down the toilet. So, thanks for devouring my share – somebody has to do it.
I don’t really think I’ll be rushing out for an Angus burger but I completely agree with your Maccas recruiting theory. Whenever I have to sift through hundreds of resumes I always scan for people who toughed it out at Maccas for more than a year and it works a charm.
Ed, yeah definitely, those spicy chicken burgers are something to try unless you are afraid of burning your tongue. Wait till I return home in oct, maccas down there may have something else that may be just as addicting.
I think everyone has a weakness for Maccas, they just dont admit it. Mine is the chicken nuggets. I just cant help it.
I tried it last week…it was pretty tasty actually. If they’d used a mandolin and sliced the Spanish onion a bit finer, and maybe a dash of tomato sauce it would have been fabulous !!!
Anybody tried the burgers from Mount road Fish and chippery in Ascot Vale? I think it’s across Dan Murphy’s. Good classic burger with the lot!
mmm burgers
This comment was originally posted on My Aching Head
mmm burgers
This comment was originally posted on My Aching Head
I’m going to get on my high horse and proclaim the burgers I make at home to be my top burger. I grind the meat (yes, with fat!), but it’s not snobby meat. I use kosher pickles. I use lettuce and other vegetables (when available) freshly picked from the garden. I make sure the meat is cooked how I like and I’m free to “smash” it should the mood strike. I don’t make the bread, I’m lazy.
But for bought burgers, I do like Grill’d but they’re far too big and you’re right, not enough fat but at least they’re not greasy. Plus they don’t ask how I want the meat cooked (fail).
Recently visited the US, where they are the king of burgers. Didn’t have a bad burger there. Turkey burgers are the up-and-coming thing too. You heard it here first.
This comment was originally posted on Tomato | The insiders guide to restaurants, food and drink in Melbourne.
It’s definitely gotta be the burgers at the Alley Cat Bar in North Hobart. I’m not a massive burger eater, but I’ll gulp down one of their tasty creations any day….
This comment was originally posted on Tomato | The insiders guide to restaurants, food and drink in Melbourne.
Firstly, does ‘Barbara’ do the PR for Lamaros? Sounds too much like an ad to me…
I think burgers will be passe soon enough, I want real meat and to know what I am eating not just parts of a 1000 “Anus” (I seriously laughed out loud seeing that photo!) cows.
I think Rockpool did mini -slider- versions of their burger for the Spring Carnival, I’d like the sound of those more than the bigger version so I don’t feel so guilty about not being able to stop eating the whole big one!
Need to try the Plan B one next time in Syd.
Thanks for taking a blow to the gut for the team Ed!
Jack
This comment was originally posted on Tomato | The insiders guide to restaurants, food and drink in Melbourne.
Finally some truth in advertising. We always suspected it was lips and…well…soft tissue. Just so long as it is genuine Angus soft tissue then I suppose they can get away with it.
Thanks for the laugh ED
Foo
This comment was originally posted on Tomato | The insiders guide to restaurants, food and drink in Melbourne.
BTW that’s not me talking up the Lamaro’s burger.
This comment was originally posted on Tomato | The insiders guide to restaurants, food and drink in Melbourne.
What I find remarkable is that the mainstream market has finally embraced the notion that one ‘breed’ of cattle is somehow more attractive than another, without presumably the understanding or knowledge of any discernable point of difference?
This is surely due to being fed a diet of foodie media regurgitating ‘catchphrases’ & ’buzzwords’ which imply an informed position but don’t have any real understanding at all of the complexities of beef production-Wagyu for instance anyone? What does that actually mean to the consumer?
To my understanding, Hereford beef are the most farmed beef cattle in this country with Angus a close second. I think latching onto a particular breed of cattle to verify then get leverage on its provenance is a cynical attempt to capture the zeitgeist of the times.
Ask yourself this, Macca’s buyers: What breed of cattle did the beef come from before their marketing department ‘Think-Tanks’ were influenced by the bloggers & their commenter’s informed you of? The honest answer is: you probably never thought about it at all, it was just meat & that’s my point.
Some shady people(advertising) have realized that by highlighting what is essentially the core ingredient of a ‘profit delivery device’ & latching onto the cause célèbre of the times have appeared to dodge, Matrix Style, bullets of scrutiny & somehow remodeled a fast food item into a seemingly artisinal offering.
Wake the Fuck Up Everyone!
A burger launch from these places can not ever be a reason to celebrate, no matter what the incentives, it is in fact a time to uncork that rare bottle, play you fave melancholic crooner, write your will, & leave one secure that you are about to leave a world that truly embraces the lowest common denominator
A Danny’s, Kermond’s or an Andrews’s burger is always the maddingly insufferable do gooding resuscitator in these things culinary
This comment was originally posted on Tomato | The insiders guide to restaurants, food and drink in Melbourne.