I ate Burger King’s new £11 burger loved by Gordon Ramsay — I had 1 big problem

You’ve got to admire Burger King’s bravado when it says its latest burger is “so good, it tastes like it could have been made by a world-class chef”.

That’s what the chain said when it announced the arrival of its new “premium” burger, made from Wagyu beef, which has just gone on sale across the UK for a meaty £11.

The burger was unveiled amid a blaze of publicity, billed as a first of its kind for quick service restaurants in the UK, and with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay giving his approval in an advertising campaign deploying the famed chef looking miffed that he hadn’t made it, BK proudly stating: “Not made by Gordon”.

After my experience taste testing the £11 Wagyu burger, I’d say the fact it was “not made by Gordon” ia blindingly obvious.

It all started promisingly enough as I walked into my local Burger King, greeted by mouthwatering images of large juicy Wagyu burgers beaming out from every digital screen.

A video on loop proudly describes how the 100% British Wagyu beef is flame-grilled to perfection, topped with sweet, caramelised onions, pink pickled onions, peppery rocket, crispy onions and a creamy layer of caramelised onion mayo, served in a soft, seeded brioche bun.

I placed my order, took my seat and was impressed at the stylish black box delivered to my table. Inside, was a delicately seeded bun, half-sheathed by greaseproof paper, and releasing a haze of beefy jus towards my quivering nostrils.

Now, I’d like to think I’m a bit of a Burger Queen myself — I’ve written extensively about them over the past 20 years. I rode the crest of the burger wave back in the 2010s – when it felt like every new restaurant that opened was a new spin on a burger joint, each one creating ever bigger, towering meaty concoctions that, at that time, customers could not get enough of.

I’ve had the good, the bad and the downright ugly of the burger world over that time, trust me.

So yeah, I know my onions. And there were plenty of them on this burger, which gave a sweet and sticky tang to it all which I enjoyed.

There was none of that browning limp lettuce you get on a regular burger, oh no it’s posh rocket all the way here. But it was not quite as bountiful as the publicity pictures would have you believe.

Same for the burger really — I was expecting a big juicy hunk of meat like the pictures show, but in reality it was not that much bigger (or better) than a Whopper. I know this, because I purchased a £6.39 Whopper alongside it as a comparison.

It did help me to taste the difference between the two, and there’s no doubting there’s a denser, richer flavour to the Wagyu burger, made from that fatty marbled beef that Wagyu is known for. But I’m not convinced it was twice as good as the Whopper and justifying twice the price.

Ultimately there was one big problem though: the burger was just so dry. If you’re splashing out on some premium Wagyu beef, you want it juicy, tender, medium-rare for your pleasure.

But obviously at a mass market burger chain you’re never going to get it served like that for food safety reasons — I get it. There’s none of that “how would you like your beef cooked?” business.

It’s flamegrilled to near extinction and then slapped on the bun for your pleasure. And on my bun, there wasn’t much in the way of that “creamy layer of caramelised onion mayo” that the PR picture would have you believe is oozing out. It was a thin scrape that barely moistened it at all.

Maybe this is the way Gordon Ramsay likes his Wagyu and his burgers but it’s not for me. And for £11 (or £14.50 for the meal deal with chips and a slushie that I went for) I feel like I’d rather spend the money at an independent restaurant if I wanted a “gourmet burger” experience.

The Wagyu is available nationwide in Burger King restaurants now, for a limited time only, or order on Deliveroo exclusively until September 22, after which it will then be available from September 23 on other delivery platforms.