I’ve seen some unusually food combinations in my time, and I’m certainly no stranger to a sweet and salty combo - but every fibre of my being told me that the new doughnut burger available in Manchester was all sorts of wrong.
The new limited edition offering at Fat Hippo, based inside Great Northern Warehouse’s Lane 7, has been causing quite a stir for filling a pink iced treat with heaps of meat.
Made in collaboration with popular bakery brand Project D, this controversial meal seems to fit the bill for dinner and dessert, sandwiching Fat Hippo’s tasty fillings inside the bakery brands classic ‘Homer’ pink iced doughnut.
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Inspired by the cartoon legend himself Mr Homer Simpson - who has starred in almost 750 episodes of The Simpsons since he hit our screens in 1989 - it’s no wonder his favourite pink iced doughnut with the rainbow sprinkles has easily become one of the most recognisable sweet treats in history. But does it make for the perfect burger bun?
Naturally, out of sheer curiosity, I had to go and try it for myself, to see if this really was the best idea in the world… or the worst.
The ‘The Big Doh!’ is priced at £13.50 and with all Fat Hippo burgers, the sickeningly sweet burger comes with a free side of fries, which have been upgraded with chilli and lime seasoning.
The stack itself features Fat Hippo’s signature brined, double-fried, boneless, buttermilk chicken seasoned with chilli and lime, smoked bacon, blueberry jello and herby cream cheese.
The fries are also available on their own for £4.50, or for £2 as an upgrade with any other burger.
Served on a metal school-dinner style tray, the burger certainly looks the part. It’s bright enough to give you an instant migraine, stacked high with bacon and a generous amount of fried chicken, with the skinny fries served in a bucket on the side.
Cream cheese oozed out of the edges, alongside blueberry jello - an extremely odd combination until you remember peanut butter and jam is a thing.
It quickly becomes apparent that this is very much a knife and fork burger, unless you aren’t afraid of getting your hands dirty. Thankfully, I had two sets of wooden cutlery to tackle it with, because the first fork buckled under the pressure of the first mouthful - something I feared might happen to me, too.
Putting the first mouthful of chilli chicken, crisp bacon, jam, cream cheese and doughnut into my mouth, it’s safe to say I was conflicted. The sickeningly sweet icing felt criminal against the backdrop of crunchy meaty flavours, and much like an I’m a Celeb bushtucker trial, my brain was telling me not to put it in my mouth - but fuelled by a spirit of inquiry, I couldn’t help but keep eating.
Every part of me wanted to hate it and tell you it’s a disgusting dish and an insult to dentists worldwide - but I can’t do that, because I ate the whole thing, albeit with raised eyebrows, and with zero complaints. The spice was beautifully balanced by the sweet and spongy doughnut. And the flavours were unlike anything I’ve had before - not even the salt and pepper ice cream fries at Hello Oriental.
Personally, the pink icing was perhaps a bit much, especially if you’re not keen on overly sweet things, but using a doughnut as a burger bun was actually rather delightful, and it’s something I’d genuinely make at home as a treat - though it would have to be an original, glazed only, no icing, personally.
As for the side of chilli and lime fries, these were sublimely seasoned, not too hot, moreishly salty, with zesty lime flavour really coming through, making them feel really fresh and perfect for spring.
Speaking on the controversial burger, Fat Hippo Head Chef, Richard Nelson said; “Our BurgerLab love an exciting brief and our specials allow them to work with a range of new and exciting flavours, ingredients and suppliers to really get creative.
“We first noticed Project D on Tiktok, with their viral video creating the ‘Homer doughnut’ and knew we had to do something with them! It’s been a pleasure working with such trendsetters of the fast-growing dessert world.”
Guaranteed to leave both doughnut and burger fans reeling, The Big Doh’ launched on Friday, March 24 - but those wanting to give it a go will only have until April 22 to do so. As well as being available in their restaurant, diners can also order on Deliveroo and for Click + Collect.
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