McDonald's unveils bold new burger that's ‘even better than a Big Mac'
McDonald's fans in the UK, our time has finally come – we're getting something new and exciting before McDonald's US does.
Yes, it might be petty, but for too long we've had to watch as fast food fans across the pond enjoyed things that we could only dream of ordering like McGriddles and Frozen Coca-Cola.
And even though they still have breakfast bagels and we don't, us Brits can have the last laugh as McDonald's UK has just announced that a brand new menu item is coming – one that's not available in the States yet.
Known as The Big Arch, the beast of a burger has been hailed as having 'maximum McDonald's flavour' and is even bigger and wider in size than the iconic Big Mac, featuring not one but two Quarter Pounder beef patties.
It's already available in several countries including Canada, France and Portugal and will be joining the menu in the UK from June 18.
And what's even more exciting is that once it arrives it'll be here to stay as a permanent menu item.
The new menu item has its own exclusive sauce (Picture: McDonald's)
What's in the new McDonald's Big Arch burger?
The star of the show with this burger is the Big Arch sauce, which features McDonald's ketchup, mustard and pickle juice. There's also some pepper in there and a few other ingredients, though the others are being kept top secret.
The signature sauce is squeezed over the top and bottom halves of a new toasted sesame and poppy seed bun, which is then loaded with crispy onions on one side and slivered raw onions on the other, before shredded lettuce and pickles are added too.
A slice of white cheddar and a Quarter Pounder patty is placed on each half, with one side being topped with a third and final slice of cheese. This sandwiches nicely between the two beef patties as the box is closed and the two sides of the burger come together to create the Big Arch.
Thomas O'Neill, head of menu at McDonald's UK and Ireland claims the new burger is one of the 'biggest things [McDonald's] will launch in a generation'.
He said: 'The Big Arch is going to take us into the next level of great beef burgers.
'It's designed to do two things, it's designed to satisfy big McDonald's hunger like nothing else on our menu and it's also designed to taste amazing.
'A new iconic burger needs an equally iconic sauce. The sauce is brand new, it's designed to look and taste and feel like McDonald's. If you close your eyes and try this product, it couldn't be from anybody else but us.
'It's big, bold, and packed with serious deliciousness.'
Metro got an early first taste of the new burger at McDonald's HQ (Picture: Courtney Pochin)
What does the Big Arch taste like?
I headed down to McDonald's HQ in East Finchley for an exclusive first try of the Big Arch and it didn't disappoint. Dare I say it, I actually think it's better than a Big Mac. For me, the flavours are more interesting.
As Thomas said, the sauce is so quintessentially McDonald's in flavour. The combination of the slightly sweet ketchup, tangy pickle juice and punchy mustard is comfortingly familiar and yet somehow manages to taste new at the same time. I'm going to need them to bottle and sell this immediately, or at the very least let me order a pot of it to dunk my fries into.
The Quarter Pounder patties give the whole thing a very meaty flavour, which is stronger than what you'd get with standard McDonald's burgers, and there's a very satisfying crunch from the crispy onions that elevates the overall eating experience.
If I had to give it a rating out of 10, I'd give it a nine. I'm a big fan of it as far as McDonald's burgers go, but it doesn't get full marks as there's one big issue with it… it's incredibly messy.
She rated it a 9/10 (Picture: Courtney Pochin)
Getting it into the box was a challenge for staff and getting it out was just as difficult for me. Things took a turn for the worse when I tried to actually eat it as there's so much sauce inside, everything slips and slides about on the bun as you take a bite.
I fashioned a bib out of napkins, but still ended up with dollops of sauce, bits of lettuce and onions all over me. Eventually, I gave in and asked for a knife and fork. It felt completely and utterly wrong, but it did make a world of difference. Let it be known that this certainly isn't something you'll want to grab at the drive-thru and eat in your car in a hurry.
But even if you do end up wearing most of it, you certainly won't go hungry.
It's so big, I only managed to finish half of it. For times when you're feeling ravenous and a Big Mac or a Double Cheeseburger just won't cut it, the Big Arch definitely will.
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