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McDonald's gourmet burgers arrive in Melbourne

Gourmet burgers AND table service? Wendy Hargreaves puts Melbourne's new McDonald's offering to the test.

Wendy Hargreaves

Wendy Hargreaves' McDonald's creation: The Chipotle with guacamole burger with tortilla chips.
Wendy Hargreaves' McDonald's creation: The Chipotle with guacamole burger with tortilla chips.Wendy Hargreaves

Hold the pickles, onions and sesame seed buns. The home of the Big Mac is going hipster.

McDonald's in Melbourne's Craigieburn North is serving custom-built burgers on wooden chopping boards with a side of fries in natty little wire baskets, all delivered by McWaiters to your table.

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It's enough to send inner-city cafe owners scurrying for new crockery.

Your goodfood.com.au correspondent put the new-look Macca's to the test recently, visiting Victoria's latest addition to the world's biggest hamburger chain 35 kilometres north of the central business district.

But first, a disclaimer.

Every time I have eaten McDonald's (usually on the Hume Highway in a fit of ravenous despair), I end up feeling a little queasy. The fries are nearly always tasty, but the burgers leave me slightly bilious.

It takes me about six years to build up the mettle to try Macca's again, and I've just clicked over four years since my last road trip emergency.

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So when the Macca's PR machine gets in touch to invite me on a chauffeur-driven trip to Craigieburn North, I cheerfully relay my long post-McDonald's digestive history and give her an opportunity to back away slowly.

She doesn't.

And this charming young lady doesn't mind if I'm critical of the multinational burger giant. It's a clever play. How can I take a huffy stand against Macca's food if I don't try the latest offering?

So I take her challenge and walk through the shiny new doors at Craigieburn North. I'm immediately struck by the smell, or lack thereof. There's no trace of that instantly recognisable combo of fried food and industrial disinfectant. It's bright, clean and relaxed.

The "Create Your Taste" burger touchscreens stand near the entrance, which leads to a McCafe fit out that's more Malvern than Macca's. Two lonely cashiers tend a counter at the back for old-school transactions, but all eyes are on the touchscreens.

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Smiling waiters guide us through the 20 burger ingredients on offer. Want chipotle mayo on your brioche bun? No worries. Press here. Jalapenos? Done. Vegetarian? Just hold the Angus beef patty. Easy.

And in another clever twist, the carb-phobic can go "bunless" - an artfully balanced pile of protein and salad veggies with a McFlag skewering the lot in place.

I choose a "bakery bun" for my Angus beef patty, adding Swiss cheese, chipotle mayo, lettuce, tomato, sliced dill pickle, crispy bacon, caramelised onion and grilled pineapple. My companion goes for a simple brioche bun for her burger, with pickle. It's a fun process. The kids will love it.

We also order a green salad and bottled water (in a vain bid to counteract the irresistible "Fairy Floss Frozen Sprite Splash with Popping Candy" - a whole other story).

Six minutes later, we have our burgers, drinks and salads - all made-to-order. The salad veggies are fresh and crunchy, the bacon is light and crispy, the little ring of pineapple is slightly caramelised and the long slice of pickle is delicious. Great start.

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The burger patties look perfectly charred, hot off the grill, but once again I'm let down. The Angus beef has a strange, powdery texture that spoils the otherwise excellent ingredients. After a second bite, it leaves a slightly metallic taste at the back of the mouth and that familiar queasy feeling. I can't explain it, as McDonald's insists the burgers are 100 per cent beef.

The "bakery bun" is also a little disappointing, as it looks like artisan sourdough but it tastes like supermarket white bread.

I'm not a food snob. I'll try anything at least once.

Or twice.

So I give the Classic Cheeseburger a crack - one of the "gourmet burgers" offered on the touchscreen. It's a tasty combo, with mustard, pickle, bacon, parmesan and Swiss cheese, grilled onions and chunky tomato sauce on a compact brioche bun. It'd be perfect with a cold beer (why can't we be like Germany with licensed Macca's?), but once again, the patty leaves me disappointed.

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The new Chipotle with Guacamole burger also holds great promise, with thick slices of tomato, lettuce, red onion, Colby cheese and the surprisingly tasty crunch of tortilla strips. It'd be excellent without the beef patty.

So that's the secret. Next time I'll hold the patty and fill my bun with the super-fresh salad ingredients (plus crispy bacon, Swiss cheese and a few sneaky tortilla chips for extra crunch).

These build-your-own burgers start at $8.95 - just 55¢ cheaper than Melbourne's famous Huxtaburger (with its queue-worthy beef patty, mustard, mayo, tomato sauce, tomato, cheese, lettuce and pickles). This is a big price jump from Macca's regular fare, and the cost creeps up further with "premium toppings" like crispy bacon, tortillas, egg, grilled mushroom, guacamole and grilled pineapple. Add drinks, and the bill for two people heads towards $30.

The new "Create Your Taste" offer will be rolled out across Victoria in the next five months. The touchscreen kiosks can also be found in NSW at McDonald's outlets in Waitara, Castle Towers and Castle Hill.

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