Guzman y Gomez's new Caesar menu divides food critics
What’s in a caesar salad? That is the question some Aussies are now debating after a cult food chain released a product with “missing” ingredients.
A popular fast food chain has defended its new menu items after Aussies argued Guzman y Gomez’s newest offering is missing a few key ingredients.
GYG has launched its caesar range, comprised of a salad, burrito and a Cali burrito, nationally from September 30 after initially trialling the products at several select restaurants.
The GYG caesar salad retails for $14.50 and features grilled chicken with Guerrero marinade, cos lettuce, corn chips, shredded Jack cheese and GYG’s signature caesar dressing.
However, over the years Australians have come to know a caesar salad to feature egg and bacon — additions made to the recipe in the 90s alongside the dish’s revival.
Popular food content creator Russ Eats, who recently launched his own energy drink line, was one of the first to review it.
“We’ll start with the caesar salad — can you really call it a caesar salad with no egg, bacon or parmesan cheese,” he asked.
“I don’t really think you can.”
He didn’t rate the caesar salad — giving it a three out of 10 — but tried the regular chicken caesar burrito, saying while it was neither a burrito or a caesar salad it was “awesome” and he’d “eat that for lunch”.
“That is really hitting the spot,” he said, but declared that the version with fries didn’t add anything extra to it.
A GYG spokesperson defended the “missing” ingredients.
“A fun fact not many people know is that the caesar salad originated in Mexico, and didn’t contain bacon or an egg,” the spokesperson told news.com.au.
“Now over a century later GYG are launching their own caesar inspired by the OG – with crisp cos lettuce, grilled chicken, shredded Jack cheese, our gourmet caesar dressing and GYG’s take on croutons – our house made crushed corn chips.”
The caesar salad was initially created by Italian migrant Caesar Cardini in Tijuana, Mexico, in 1924.
Plenty of food reviewers raved about the three new items.
Nectro Vlangos, better known as @nectoriouspapi, said that he loved the dressing.
“It’s so creamy and it’s got a little twang to it. I also love the corn chips in it for that crunch element,” he said.
“This salad will go off over summer.”
He also tried the caesar burrito, saying it feels “even fresher” than normal GYG standards.
Social media user Chloe said GYG introducing a caesar salad was like “two of your favourite celebrities have a baby”.
“You know it’s gonna be like really hot,” she said, adding she “stopped her day” to try the item.
After trying it, she said it “smelt unreal” and that it was a “very, very good caesar salad”. She went so far as to say it may be one of the best Caesar salads she’d ever had.
Tyler Carroll, who went viral for spending $6500 on GYG in the last financial year, also tried the new item.
“This is a mini chicken Cali caesar burrito,” he said, revealing that he doesn’t normally love Caesar salads.
Before digging in, he said there was a “lot of dressing” on it.
“Wow, it’s actually really good. The lettuce is really good in it — definitely preferable to beans,” he said.
“I’m getting Mexican snack wrap vibes from this. That’s f*****g really good.”
Steven Marks, GYG’s founder and co-CEO, called it the “biggest product launch” of the year.
“We have been trialling these menu items in a number of restaurants over the last few months and the response has been insane, I can’t wait for everyone in Australia to try it,” he said.
“Aussies love a caesar, and we have genuinely reinvented it – our caesar is gourmet, fresh, crunchy, craveable, and unmistakably GYG.
“With our house-made corn chips and signature caesar dressing in either a salad or as a burrito, and Cali burrito with our chipotle-seasoned fries, we know GYG’s caesar is going to be a new cult classic. And, as a proudly Mexican-inspired brand, GYG are the perfect team to put a fresh, modern twist on this iconic salad that was first created in Mexico.”
Originally published as Guzman y Gomez's new Caesar menu divides food critics
