Have you ever gone into one of your favourite chain restaurants and wanted to go slightly off the menu?
You have had McDonald’s Big Mac a million times, so what is the harm in trying something just a bit different?
Well, to give you that extra boost of confidence when walking into your chosen Burger King or KFC, our reporter Lois Swinnerton headed out to various restaurants across west London, from Ealing to Hounslow and Uxbridge, testing out the so called ‘secret menus’.
From Burger King’s Suicide Burger to the super strong Liquid Cocaine from Starbucks, she tried, or rather, attempted to try everything.
So let’s see how she got on...
Starbucks
The Secret: Butterbeer Frappuccino
What’s in it: A blend of toffee nut and caramel crème
What happened when I ordered it : “They could not make this one up for me as they had no toffee nut in stock - maybe one just for Christmas!”
The Secret: Liquid Cocaine
What’s in it: Equal amounts of white chocolate with four pumps of espresso in a grande cup filled up with milk
Cost: £3.20
What happened when I ordered it: “The barista questioned the need for four espresso shots, but seemed to remember making one before.
"It did not take too long to make up, just the same time as an average coffee or frappuccino.”
Was it worth it? “If you are looking for a rapid pick-me-up during your day, then yes, definitely worth it.
"Although extremely strong, after a while, it is quite enjoyable - I am guessing you need to be a coffee lover to fully appreciate it though!
"As for the chocolate ingredients, the white chocolate was completely overpowered by the espresso, so don’t go swapping your beloved white hot chocolate drink for this one!”
The Secret: Unicorn Frappucino
What’s in it: Ice, milk, crème Frappuccino syrup, whipped cream, vanilla syrup, mango syrup, “blue drizzle” (white chocolate mocha sauce), “classic syrup,” sour blue powder, and pink powder.
What happened when I ordered it: “The barista knew exactly what I was talking about, but said they did not have the ingredients to make it.”
Subway
The Secret: Pizza Sub
What’s in it: A submarine sandwich which contains pepperoni, tomato sauce and cheese.
Cost: £1.10
What happened when I ordered it: “Subway were not happy at all about going off the menu, and it turns out they now have a pizza toastie on the menu, rather than an actual sub.
"I had to settle for this instead, as they simply would not put all of my desired ingredients into a sub.”
Was it worth it? “For the price, it filled the empty hole in my tummy pretty well.
"I would have preferred a whole sub, rather than just a toastie, but hey, at £1.10, who can complain?
"It still had all of the tasty pizza ingredients in it.”
The Secret: Old Cut
What’s in it: Bread is dug out from the top like a trench instead of being sliced open from the side.
What happened when I ordered it : “The Subway worker had absolutely no idea what I was talking about when I asked for this.
"After showing him a picture, he still refused to give it a go! These guys will not go off the menu at all!”
KFC
The Secret: KFC Double Down
What’s in it: Bacon, two different kinds of melted cheese, the Colonel’s secret sauce... pinched in between two pieces of Original Recipe chicken fillets.
What happened when I ordered it: “KFC would not serve me anything that was not on the menu, and said they didn’t serve bacon, or a secret sauce, so I was turned down on the KFC Double Down.”
The Secret: Zinger Stacker
What’s in it: Two juicy Zinger Fillets, two slices of melted cheese, lettuce, spicy supercharged sauce and chilli relish
Cost: £7.48
What happened when I ordered it: “After being told they would not go off the menu, or even add an extra chicken fillet to a Zinger Burger, I was forced to buy two Zinger Burgers and buy chilli sauce on the side.”
Was it worth it? “After a messy business taking apart one burger to make my master Zinger Stacker, I layered the chicken with chilli sauce and took a bite.
"Just what you can expect from a KFC burger really, but much, much bigger, and spicier!”
McDonald’s
The Secret: Land, Sea and Air Burger
What’s in it: Two beef burgers, a Fillet-O-Fish and a McChicken
What happened when I ordered it: “They flat out said they could not do it and would not go of the menu… cheers McDonald’s.”
The Secret: McGangBang
What’s in it: Combines a McDouble with a McChicken sandwich and sandwiches the two together.
Cost: £5.98.
What happened when I ordered it: “They looked at me like I was alien and then I mentioned what was inside so they recommended ordering a Big Mac and McChicken sandwich, which I proceeded to make into a McGangBang.
"They could not, or would not, go off the menu and make it for me.”
Was it worth it? “If you have a large appetite then yes, it was actually quite enjoyable.
"However, get the napkins at the ready as it is rather large and a tough one to eat!
"Tip: Get a large drink to go with it, you will need it to wash all of the meat and bread down!”
The Secret: Big McChicken
What’s in it: A Big Mac made with McChicken patties instead of its traditional two-decked buns
What happened when I ordered it: “Once again, my request for this was rejected… so if you want this one, I would advise ordering a Big Mac, two McChicken sandwiches and making it yourself.”
Burger King
The Secret: Burger King BLT
What’s in it: A Whopper or Whopper Junior topped with bacon
Cost: £5.49
What happened when I ordered it: “Burger King were more than happy to cater to my needs, adding bacon to my Whopper was no problem at all."
Was it worth it? Well, it was just a Whopper really, with added bacon, so if you are a bacon lover, then yes, go for it!”
The Secret: Frings
What’s in it: Half order of french fries and a half order of onion rings
Cost: £2.98
What happened when I ordered it: “Despite much persuasion, the lady behind the counter would not sell me a half portion of each, so instead I had to order a full portion of each and then just mix them together.”
Was it worth it? "Put simply, it is just fries and onion rings, which, I guess you can call frings!
"I was never a massive lover of Burger King fries, but the onion rings were pretty tasty.”
The Secret: Suicide Burger
What’s in it: Four beef patties, four slices of cheese, bacon, and special sauce all jammed in between two sesame seed bun
Cost: £6.98
What happened when I ordered it: “The lady behind the counter was slightly surprised when I asked to add three beef patties onto a Whopper, but she obliged.
"She did not seem to know anything about the so called special sauce, so I just asked her to throw in a bit of whatever, which consisted of ketchup and mayonnaise.”
Was it worth it? “Grab yourself a drink to go with this one, it truly is a Whopper, in every sense of the word.
"I really struggled, and unless you have a massive appetite, then I would advise just going for the normal burger!
"If you do give it a try though, be sure to have the napkins at the ready as it is a messy one.”
Nando’s
The Secret: ‘Peri-tamer’ spice chicken breast
What’s in it: It’s a regular spice on the kids’ menu but you order it with an adult meal
Cost: £3.95
What happened when I ordered it: “The waitress was happy to oblige and recommended I order the ¼ chicken.”
Was it worth it? “Yes, it was lovely, not too spicy and I would certainly order it again!”
The Secret: Hawaiian chicken chilli melt
What’s in it: Chicken burger with added chilli jam, pineapple and cheddar cheese
Cost: £6.25
What happened when I ordered it: “The lovely waitress was more than happy to add extras to my burger, so on went the chilli sauce, pineapple and cheese.”
Was it worth it? “It certainly was, after an easy ordering process, I was able to enjoy my burger stress free.
"I was slightly dubious about the presence of pineapple, but after my first bite, I was convinced - it is certainly the way forward!
"Top tip though - eat your burger quick as the pineapple can make the bread go soggy!”
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