We Had to Try at Least One Franchise

Going into our trip to Ireland my wife and I said we wanted to limit how many American franchises we visited while in the country. We were in a different place, it only made sense to stick to the restaurants that existed only over there. If we wanted a taste of the local culture we had to avoid falling back on places we knew. No Starbucks, no McDonald’s, no Ben and Jerry’s. And, for the most part we did stick to that… except for near the end of the trip where we made a conscious decision to, just once, break the rule because we wanted to experiment just a little.

We wanted to see if a franchise, in its Irish form, would provide a different experience from what we were used to. And in the downtown area we were staying in there was a Burger King. Considering BK is generally one of the better fast food burger joints (certainly better, in my opinion, than McDonald’s or Hardee’s), this seemed like a good baseline measure to take. No matter what, we figured, the food would be decent enough (for fast food) considering it was a chain we liked, and if we were lucky we’d get something really interesting and different.

As it turned out we were very lucky as Burger King in Ireland has some tasty creations that we really would love to see in the United States. It almost ruins us for the American version in general.

Gourmet King Angus Farmhouse Burger

We went for a very basic meal we could share: burger, fries, drink, and a bonus side. More than enough for two people. And while the basics of the meal itself weren’t shocking – soda is soda, especially if you can get the sugary version which, weirdly, is hard to find in Ireland, and BK fries are apparently the same everywhere – the burger we chose was something else. It was a burger good enough that we really don’t want to go back to just having a normal Whopper anymore.

Part of the “Gourmet King” link in Ireland, the Angus Farmhouse is a 100% Irish flame-grilled Angus Beef burger served with creamy mayonnaise, fresh arugula, pink pickled onions, streaky bacon and oak smoked cheddar, all on a soft brioche bun. The items that intrigued us there were the arugula (not just lettuce, like you’d get in the States), the pickled onions, and the smoked cheddar (and not just American cheese getting passed off as “cheddar” like we get in the States). This was an interesting mix of toppings that we had to try.

The overall burger was really very good. The Irish beef was tasty, although it’s hard to tell one type of fast food beef from another. The fresh greens were light and bright, while the pickled onions added a sweet and tasty tang. And the cheddar was, in fact, cheddar, which you’d expect since Ireland is very proud of its Irish cheddar (using it everywhere that us State-siders would, instead, use American cheese). The overall burger was really very good, tasty, hearty, and with just enough delicious flair. It was good enough that I don’t understand why BK doesn’t offer this burger everywhere.

Honestly, if we’d been in Ireland long I could have seen going back. There was also an Angus Caramelized Onion burger, with wholegrain mustard and caramelized onions (of course), which I wanted to try. I just didn’t have room on this first visit. But I had my eye on it, and maybe one day…

Chili Cheese Bites

Along with the main meal we chose one special side to share, and we settled on the Chili Cheese Bites. These are little fried orbs, crispy coated with smooth and spicy cheese inside. BK Ireland calls it a “unique taste of chilli with every bite”. And yeah, they were pretty good as well. They were, functionally, jalapeno poppers, just with a slightly harder cheese edge to them (owing to the Irish cheddar instead of cream cheese like we use in the States). They were sharp and tangy, without too much spice, and we both really liked them.

Now, notably, these chili cheese bites weren’t as strange to find on the BK menu as the Angus Burger was. We have a similar item here in the States, the Jalapeño Cheddar Bites, which are listed as “light and crispy bites filled with gooey cheddar cheese and spicy jalapeño pieces”. Maybe the peppers used are different, or Ireland could just refer to jalapeño as just “chillis”. I don’t know on that front. What I can say is that the Irish version was really good, and if the American version is anywhere near this good, I’ll have to get them again locally. They were tasty.

Final Thoughts

In general I was pleased with this experience at BK Ireland. While I did prefer going to local places and trying out Irish cuisine, it was interesting doing one meal at a place I was more familiar with. The food quality was solid, and the variations on things I knew made the experience better. One time was enough, but it was a good time, to be sure.