T.G.I Friday’s – The Inferno Burger
Review of The Inferno Burger from T.G.I Friday’s, Cheltenham
What they say:
Heat things up with our burger blazer! A juicy 7oz burger with cool, creamy Buffalo mozzarella and fiery chili mayo, Habanero sauce and jalapeños, all served up on a classic toasted bun with fresh cos lettuce, red onion and beef tomato. Served with tangy chili jam.
Price: £10.99 with crispy fries and dipping sauce.
After a brief hiatus, BURGER LAD® is back on the burger front line. This was my first ever trip to T.G.I Friday’s and I was there to sample the spicy sounding Inferno Burger. What would it be like? Would it trail a blaze through my taste buds or turn into an ‘inferno indigestion inducer’?
I was joined on this ‘Fry-day’ burger jaunt with a friend and the never too far from trouble ‘Kondiment Kids’. We were shown to our pre-booked table and greeted by one of the friendly TGI’s staff.
If you have never been to a T.G.I Friday’s it’s an American themed bar and restaurant. On this evening there was a busy mixture of chatter and music with videos showing sports and the most popular dishes ordered that day.
It’s always a good start to any fast-food restaurant when you are presented with the opportunity for bottomless soft-drinks but thanks to my new regime these had to be Diet Cokes. It was also going to be a memorable evening as a young man would take his first steps on a steak journey that will last him a lifetime. He in fact ate none of his child portion steak but did enjoy his chocolate milk chaser.
We kicked off with a plate of Chicken Fajita Nachos but we’ll talk about those later, because we need to get to that Inferno Burger.
The burger arrived and was well presented with that creamy Buffalo mozzarella oozing all over the beef. I liked the touch of the fresh chili thrown on the skin on fries and the little pot of tangy chili jam. It looked like a good plate of food and at £10.99 it should do! Especially with so many high-end burger joints competing these days – sometimes at less the price!
The beef burger packed a meaty punch and was moist and juicy. It had been cooked well done and I do not believe you have the option to choose how you get your burger cooked at T.G.I’s. I am a big fan of hot and spicy food and I did not think that the Inferno would present much of a problem or make me feel like I was participating in a food challenge eating stunt.
The Habanero sauce and chili mayo provided a nice constant heat which ‘normal’ people might find a little too hot. The jalapeños were crunchy and gave a good kick now and then and helped soup-up the spice scale. I found the spice levels to be ideal as it wasn’t harsh on the mouth but made you feel the warmth instead.
I really enjoyed the stringy and creamy mozzarella which clung to its burger host and it acted well as a counter to the heat from the other ingredients. As you can see from the pictures the lettuce leaves were huge and fresh and provided a nice crunch. The red onion is also fast becoming one of my favourite burger toppings as I enjoyed the clean, sharp taste of it splicing through the other ingredients.
My only minor disappointment were the fries – they were nice enough but a little lukewarm and far from crispy. This was only a small gripe and dissipated pretty quickly as we joined in a chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ as the flames of the Inferno flickered in my mouth.
We also had the Chicken Fajita Nachos (£8.99) as a sharer starter which had a generous amount of melted cheese, jalapenos and red onion. My friend commented that it would have been nice to have more of the fajita chicken on them. I liked the guacamole which had a fresh, strong avocado with mild garlic flavour to it. Overall a good, mini Mexican mouthful but all I could think of when eating it was “just how many calories are in this?”
Back to the Inferno Burger…
The glazed brioche bun was fresh and held the burger and toppings together nicely – it was firm on the outside but soft on the inside with good air pockets. The chili jam was sticky and clung to the fries when dipped. It had a sweet, smoky flavour and I found it quite addictive.
Overall the burger was pleasantly spiced, with a subtle heat but it must also get a special mention for the way the mozzarella fused everything together nicely. The meal as a whole is slightly over-priced in my opinion but I would definitely return for one of their midweek £9.99 or £14.99 2-course deals. The staff are very friendly and they are great with kids too – it is a very family friendly environment.
The Inferno Burger from T.G.I Friday’s is a welcome member to our ever-growing burger family with a well presented 7oz juicy burger and a hot habanero hit as a bonus!
Burger Lad®
