McDonald's launches fried chicken burger with salted egg yolk gravy in Singapore
SINGAPORE -- McDonald's new Singaporean menu items launched on Thursday to long lines but disappointed reviews.
The seasonal items are Singapore-themed: a fried chicken thigh burger with salted egg yolk dressing; salt and pepper crab-flavoured shaker powder for its fries; McFlurry sundae with gula melaka (palm sugar from Malaysia) in it; and a banana version of its usual apple pie dessert.
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The salted egg yolk burger, undoubtedly the crown jewel of the lot, drew lines at plenty of McDonald's outlets across the island. That's unsurprising, since the grainy, savoury gravy seems to be enjoying its time as the island's flavour of the month.
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Perhaps it was the anticipation -- we stood in line for over half an hour at a downtown outlet -- or that Singaporeans have high expectations of salted egg yolk right now, but we found the limp burger lacking any distinctive flavour that set it apart from McDonald's other beloved regular items.
People have been posting their reviews on Instagram post-lunch, and it appears that most felt the burger didn't live up to expectations. Some suggested that McDonald's add more of the golden gravy to amp up the flavour, while some said they wouldn't order it again.
Yingting Low, a social media manager with a dotcom, told Mashable her burger was soggy, and the taste of the salted egg yolk was unremarkable.
Lisa Cheong, a Singaporean based in New York, made special plans to get the burger before flying back. She said: "It tasted like any other chicken burger. The chicken (patty), although moist, was extremely limp and disappointing."
The other new items got significantly more love, however. Low noted that the banana pie tasted like goreng pisang, a local fried battered banana snack, on first bite, although she noted that there was a lingering artificial banana essence aftertaste that was less pleasant.
The salt and pepper crab powder also won rave reviews.
The price for a set which included the burger, fries and seasoning, the banana pie, and a drink cost S$9.10 ($6.74). McDonald's did not mention when it plans to stop offering the promotional items.
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Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
