I ate at new UK fast food chain hailed 'better than McDonald's' - I can see why

It wasn't that long ago that your main fast food options in most UK cities were made up of and Burger King, maybe a Subway too. But now, to add to hugely popular newcomers like Slim Chickens and Popeyes you can add Carl's Jr.

You may never have heard of it but the American firm has been going for 80 years and has now launched its first-ever UK restaurant in Cardiff. People are already calling it better than McDonald's. I went to find out for myself.

My first impression of the restaurant was that it was sleek, bright, clean, sharp and much less chaotic than a McDonald's. But to be fair it was before the official opening day and who hasn't been part of the Cardiff chaos at a late-night McDonald's at some point?

The ordering process was familiar. Much like most fast food chains you order on screens and using a number, the food is brought straight to the table. We opted for the western bacon cheeseburger meal, which comes with fries and a drink, for £10.20, the chicken super star meal, which comes with fries and a drink, for £11.75, five chicken tenders for £8.25 and a chocolate sundae for £4.50.

The first thing that struck me was how well-stacked the chicken super star was, this was one filled burger. It did look like it had come straight off the advert and made us excited to try it.

The western bacon cheeseburger was a bit flatter and resembled more of a McDonald's burger. I can see why people have said Carl's Jr is better than McDonald's as these were very good burgers. However, if you're after a price-point match for the big M v Carl's then the Golden Arches will always win. While prices can vary depending on location, at McDonald's you're looking at £4.69 where I live for their value bacon double cheeseburger meal and £7.89 for a McCrispy meal, perhaps the closest to compare with the newbie's burger choices.

McDonald's five selects go for an average of £5.89 solo, almost £3 cheaper than Carl's Jr while a McFlurry is a fraction of a price of the Carl's Jr sundae.

Back to the food tasting, though, and our burgers were flavoursome, both tasted like high-quality meat and weren't very greasy, which makes a nice change for fast food. Everything tasted fresh, not like it had been sat for ages, and a real highlight were the sauces.

The BBQ sauce tasted really high quality, not something you would expect at a fast food restaurant, and much more luxurious than other chain sauces, like something you'd get on a nice rack of ribs. I also loved that my burger came with an onion ring, a nice added extra that again you don't normally get at a fast food place.

It was these added little extras and touches that means I can understand why people rave about Carl's Jr. It did feel more luxurious and tasted better quality. The fries were also of very good quality and well-cooked. While I do love McDonald's fries you do take the risk of them being undercooked and a bit floppy. These fries were firm, crispy and there was plenty of them. That was another thing to note about Carl's Jr, the portions were not stingy.

The chicken tenders were also good, a decent size, well battered in crispy batter with no hint of sogginess and easily tore apart.

While you are paying more than McDonald's, you are getting a lot of food. I left feeling very full and satisfied. For my drink I had a Oreo ice cream shake, which was a £3 upgrade in the meal deal, and it was thick, creamy and packed with Oreo.

There is only one more thing I will say. The chocolate sundae did not top a McFlurry, and, in my opinion, McFlurrys remain elite.