In case you missed it, early this week Australian-owned supermarket chain Countdown launched what may be its most controversial frozen food yet; Cheeseburger Spring Rolls. The rolls are part of Countdown’s latest range of party and snack foods that are said to be classic favourites with a twist. Here at Fennec and Friends, we’re always on the hunt for the next best snack so we ventured into the frozen aisle to see what the hype is all about.
To be frank there was an undeniable sense of hesitation that came with writing this review. On one hand, we wanted to provide an honest account of our experience with the cheeseburger flavoured spring rolls, but on the other, we felt that doing so would make us guilty of patronising the most common and (dare we say most problematic) culinary crime committed in the west: food gentrification. However, after several discussions on why there seems to be an undying need for companies to take a perfectly fine dish and turn it into something “trendy”, we decided that it was our journalistic duty to give the public an unbiased verdict.
The Cheeseburger Spring Rolls can be found in the freezer section of any local Countdown. Each pack comes with six rolls and retails for $5.50. The cooking instructions are straight-forward and easy to follow: 12 minutes in a preheated 200-degree oven and it’s ready to eat.
Let’s be real: if an item was purchased on the freezer aisle, expectations need to be managed. However, we have to give it to the true hero of this dish, the beef mince filling. The cheeseburger flavour is captured so perfectly that every bite begs a mind bottling question of “how did they make it taste exactly like that one brand’s cheeseburger?” Fair warning to pickle and mustard haters though: there is a distinct taste of both so tread lightly. Safe to say we won’t be bringing a plate of this to a party any time soon, but as an after-work snack? You can count on it.
