McDonald’s Forrest Lakes – Create Your Taste

I like McDonald’s. Actually that might be understating this lifelong affair. I’d go so far as to say there are things about Maccas that I love. Number one on that list being their cheeseburgers. I love them to bits. Any day of any week I could go a cheeseburger or two. I’d likely also go a small fries and jam some of those fries into the cheeseburgers. It’s the simple things in life. A McDonald’s cheeseburger is essentially the same in any of their restaurants around the world which is comforting to me. I know that not everyone enjoys fast food and each to their own I say. Personally, I eat at a wide range of establishments, from fine dining restaurants to pub meals and food trucks as well as fast food joints like McDonald’s. Variety is the spice of life! And while I know that I can’t eat cheeseburgers all day every day, they are a tasty treat or a speedy option if we are on the go.

That’s probably where Maccas fits into GG and my life these days. We get in and get out. It’s all very speedy and we stick with our favourites. Our horizons were to be expanded recently though, when I was sent an email to try out the new Create Your Taste offering at the McDonald’s in Forest Lakes. Sure Thornlie isn’t exactly close to home but I liked the idea of getting to create my own ‘ultimate’ burger. So last Saturday it was hi ho hi ho off to Maccas we shall go and GG and I road tripped it to Forest Lakes, the first store in WA to pilot this new offering. A fairly new store, opening in 2013, the first change we noticed was someone standing by the door to greet you as you arrive and talk you through the new Create Your Taste touch screen process.

I’m not going to lie, I thought it was pretty fun. You start with the bun you like – brioche bun, bakery bun or lettuce wrap then add on an Angus patty or two, sauces follow, then salad and a few other tasty extras. Once your burger is decided you can choose to set it up as a meal with a drink and fries. All very easy. And if you pay by card it all happens at the touch screen. You are given a numbered disk and you sit that on the designated mat at the table you choose and that’s how the staff know where to bring your burger. Easy peasy and table service at Maccas, it’s a nice change.

So we sat and patiently waited for our burgers which soon arrived. Served on a wooden paddle with the fries in a kicky silver fryer basket it is definitely a step up from the traditional McDonald’s offering. My burger choice was a brioche bun, ketchup, long sliced pickles, sliced tomato, whole leaf lettuce, natural cheddar, grilled pineapple, caramelised grilled onion.

Now in this photo you can’t spy the pineapple or caramelised onion hiding below the thick Angus patty, but I can assure you they were there. Pineapple had been considered a somewhat controversial choice, but I thought it worked beautifully and added a touch of sweetness to my ultimate burger.  Even GG conceded, when I gave him a bite, that the tropical kick from the pineapple was well played. The lettuce was fresh and crunchy, the tomato sweet and refreshing and the patty had a great beefy flavour. Now I hadn’t gotten too carried away with my choices but for a first go I thought I did pretty well and it was definitely filling.

Across the table GG had gotten a little more swept away with the moment and added on a slightly longer list of ingredients and as you can see it was pretty packed! A Brioche Bun, Guacamole, Chipotle Mayo, Long Sliced Pickles, Sliced Tomato, Beetroot, Whole Leaf Lettuce, Swiss Cheese, Extra Angus Patty, Rasher Bacon, Egg. But I could see as he tackled his burger that he had no regrets. He was a happy camper and similarly impressed with his ultimate burger stylings.

I really enjoyed my chance to give this a whirl and I’m sure with a few return visits I’ll further refine my burger crafting skills and I may eventually turn pro. These Create Your Taste systems will be rolling out across the state and I hear that it recently kicked off at the Ascot store too.

So Maccas is moving with the times and stepping it up, expanding their horizons and providing some innovative alternatives for those dining in. If you have an extra few minutes on a busy day, if you want something a little fancier when you take the kids along for a Happy Meal then now you have a solid option available.

Thanks to PPR and Forest Lakes McDonald’s for lunch – I’m loving it 🙂