DURHAM — As an intern fresh out of Durham College's journalism and mass media program, you could imagine my surprise when my editor gave me a chance to write a review on A&W's Beyond Meat burger and breakfast sandwich.
You mean I get an opportunity to do my two favourite things — eat and write? After seeing the commercials and the acclaim online, I was up for the task.
Beyond Meat is an L.A. company creating plant-based meat substitutes that many say are comparable to the real thing. Their products are available in places such as the U.S., Australia and the U.K. but are only available in Canada at select restaurants and specialty stores.
While I have no dietary restrictions, I have had my share of vegetarian and vegan meals. I was intrigued by the concept of a soy-less, meatless burger.
I ordered both the Beyond Meat burger and Beyond Meat sausage breakfast sandwich. Before I had a chance to try the food itself, I was first hit by the price.
For the burger alone, A&W charges $7.90 after taxes. For reference, a full Mama Burger combo (a single beef patty burger, fries and a drink) is $10.09 after taxes.
The breakfast sandwich wasn’t so gentle on the wallet either, costing $6.09 after tax, over a dollar more than any of the other breakfast sandwiches with sausage or bacon. This brought my order total to exactly $13.99.
I started with the breakfast sandwich and upon first bite, I had a hard time identifying the difference in the Beyond Meat sausage and the standard one. As I continued eating however, I could definitely tell there were noticeable taste and texture differences.
Comprised of a combination of pea protein, rice, mung bean and other ingredients, the texture is very similar to sausage, just slightly denser and less greasy. I also found the signature peppery sausage spice seemed to be more pungent than normal.
Otherwise, it was very much like any other breakfast sandwich and I definitely enjoyed it.
The burger is what really surprised me. A&W is my favourite fast-food place, so I expected it to be hard to top my personal favourite, the Teen Burger. But the Beyond Meat burger gave it a run for its money.
When I bit into it, I was positive it was a standard burger. It wasn’t until I tried the patty on its own that I could tell the difference. The “meat” was quite soft while the edges of the patty were a bit tough from the cooking process.
Much like the breakfast sandwich, other than a few textural and taste differences, I really enjoyed the burger and would recommend it.
I should inform prospective buyers while the patties are vegan, the sandwiches themselves are not. To make either truly vegan, the burger has to be made without mayo and the breakfast sandwich without egg and cheese.
Overall, I enjoyed both products with the exception of the cost. If you want to try these products, I’d recommend you get the most of your money and have yourself a combo to make the inflated cost worth it.
Both products have the hungry intern stamp of approval.
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