McDonald’s serves up some pretty weird menu items in overseas markets. During a recent jaunt to Hong Kong, we tried out the company’s black-and-white heibai liangdao tongchi burgers. Read on for our taste test. (Plus tips on how to make your own!)
When working abroad, we always make it a habit to try at least one fast food product that isn’t available on the local menu. Sometimes, these products eventually make their way down under, so it’s an effective way to give our readers an advanced taste test in addition to advising takeaway-loving travellers.
We recently attended the Lenovo Tech World conference in China. On the way home, we swung by the McDonald’s at Hong Kong International Airport to sample two of Macca’s Asian staples: the “Black” and “White” burgers (AKA “heibai liangdao tongchi”).
Like the Black & White Cookie made famous on Seinfeld, the heibai liangdao tongchi promotes racial harmony in snack form. The black burger consists of mashed potatoes, black truffle sauce, bacon, lettuce and two beef patties, while the white version comes with mashed potatoes, pepper mushroom sauce, bacon and a fried chicken patty. But their main claim to fame are their black and white buns.
See also: 10 Fast Food Freaks Of Nature From Around The World
The name of the burger is apparently a play on a Chinese phrase for people with business connections to both government (white) and organised crime (referred to in China as “black society”). This allows them to eat meals comfortably with either group. Apparently, McDonald’s Chinese marketing team are pretty edgy.
Naturally, we ordered both versions which came in dinky colour-coded boxes.
As mentioned, the black burger packs in mashed potatoes, a pair of beef patties smothered in black truffle sauce, chopped lettuce and a rasher of bacon sandwiched between two buns blackened with squid ink. The white burger substitutes the truffle sauce for mushroom and comes with a fried “white” chicken patty.
Here’s what the finished result looks like. We particularly like how the black bun is topped with white sesame seeds while the white bun goes for black; a simple yet clever touch.
As you can see above and below, the burgers weren’t put together with much care or attention. It would seem Macca’s sloppy burger assembly is a worldwide problem. (They could have tucked the bacon into the bun at least. Tch, eh?)
But we’re not here to judge appearance today. Instead, it’s all about how they taste.
Personally, I wasn’t a particularly big fan of either. The buns had an odd, chewy texture that had the effect of making the unconventional bread colour rather off-putting. Also, the “black” truffle sauce on the dark burger appeared to just be a slightly thicker version of Big Mac sauce:
Of the two, I think the White/Chicken version was probably slightly better. It had a pleasantly sweet aftertaste that remained on the right side of subtle. The Black/Beef version, meanwhile, just tasted like a Big Mac with bacon and mash chucked in.
The next time I’m in Asia I’ll probably stick to my usual order of two cheeseburgers sans sauce. Either that, or give Burger King’s Kuro Black burger a try.
Incidentally, if you’re not planning a trip to Asia anytime soon but are still keen to try the black version yourself, this step-by-step guide explains how it’s done. [Warning: Involves manhandling slimy cephalopods.]
Comments
6 responses to “Taste Test: McDonald’s Black & White Burgers”
My brain can’t get past the idea that the black one just looks burnt instead of purposely black. Still, I’d be keen to try it.
A local brewery does burgers with black buns. I was a bit surprised because the menu just described it as ‘charcoal brioche’, though it did fit the name somewhat. Then I was a little disappointed because I was expecting a dark rye, but it was more likely a white bread dyed black. Overall they were pretty tasty burgers, and I imagine they’d be multitudes better than Maccas, after all it was a restaurant not fast food. I might give them another try sometime. Though a bar around the corner does amazing burgers at such low prices that it makes the new Maccas build your own burger concept a complete joke.
Where did you buy the black and white humberger?
Where did you buy the black and white humberger?
Where did you buy the black and white humberger?
Wow, you’re keen! It was at Hong Kong airport.