I paid $17 for Burger King to recreate its viral 'real cheese burger.' It's made with 20 slices of cheese, 1 bun, and no meat — and it's by far the worst burger I've ever tasted.

Burger King Thailand is selling a "real cheese burger" made with 20 slices of cheese for $3.14.
I asked my local Burger King outlet in Singapore to recreate it and they charged $17.
The burger had the texture of rubber and tasted like a block of Kraft American cheese.

I immediately wanted to know what it would taste like. Sadly, it didn't seem to be available in outlets outside of Thailand. Full disclaimer: I'm a big fan of Burger King. In fact, it's my favorite fast food chain — sans Jollibee — and I usually opt for beef burgers. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that a meatless, cheese-stacked "burger" isn't the first thing that comes to mind when Burger King is mentioned.

Instead of booking a flight to Bangkok, my editor sent me on a hunt to visit a few local outlets in Singapore and see if they might be willing to recreate what Burger King calls the "real cheese burger." Burger King is known for their slogan "Have It Your Way," so we figured there could be a chance that they'd comply.

In a Burger King commercial from 1974 the slogan is featured. A staff member is shown customizing burgers — removing pickles and lettuce from one, and adding extra ketchup to another — before singing out that "special orders don't upset us."

I put that to the test and visited a local Burger King on Wednesday night for dinner to see if they would recreate the now-infamous "real cheese burger."

When I visited my local Burger King in eastern Singapore, I expected some resistance from the staff in recreating the burger, but to my surprise, they were already familiar with it and seemed amused that a customer would be interested in ordering it. Their only concerns were about the price and whether I'd actually want to eat it.The Thailand one? We can make it for you, but are you sure? It's only cheese inside, the store's manager, Hakim, told me. I reassured him that I'm hell-bent on trying the burger and that I'd pay whatever for it. But when the bill came, I got the shock of my life — it turned out to be the most expensive fast food burger I have ever ordered: 22.70 Singapore dollars, or $17.10. Each slice of cheese cost a dollar, and the base — which was priced the same as the cheapest burger on the menu — cost SG$2.70. In comparison, the one sold in Thailand is 190 baht, or $3.19.

When I arrived at my local Burger King outlet, I made my way straight to the counter, with a photo of the "real cheese burger" on my phone. When I visited my local Burger King in eastern Singapore, I expected some resistance from the staff in recreating the burger, but to my surprise, they were already familiar with it and seemed amused that a customer would be interested in ordering it. Their only concerns were about the price and whether I'd actually want to eat it."The Thailand one? We can make it for you, but are you sure? It's only cheese inside," the store's manager, Hakim, told me. I reassured him that I'm hell-bent on trying the burger and that I'd pay whatever for it. But when the bill came, I got the shock of my life — it turned out to be the most expensive fast food burger I have ever ordered: 22.70 Singapore dollars, or $17.10. Each slice of cheese cost a dollar, and the base — which was priced the same as the cheapest burger on the menu — cost SG$2.70. In comparison, the one sold in Thailand is 190 baht, or $3.19. Business Insider USA

The burger itself was pretty easy to make — after all, there were only two ingredients — so it was also the speediest order I've seen at a fast food outlet. Do you want the cheese to be melted? Hakim said, before recommending toasting the burger in the oven for five seconds to melt the cheese. This sounded like a good idea and I happily obliged. It was an empty outlet that day, with only a handful of people dining, so the other staff on duty that night had the leisure of closely watching how the burger was made.

The staff quickly got to work putting the 20 slices of cheese inside the sliced bun. The burger itself was pretty easy to make — after all, there were only two ingredients — so it was also the speediest order I've seen at a fast food outlet. "Do you want the cheese to be melted?" Hakim said, before recommending toasting the burger in the oven for five seconds to melt the cheese. This sounded like a good idea and I happily obliged. It was an empty outlet that day, with only a handful of people dining, so the other staff on duty that night had the leisure of closely watching how the burger was made. Business Insider USA

The toasted bun sprinkled with sesame seeds looked great filled with bright yellow slices of American cheese. It's the most photogenic Burger King burger I've seen in person — and very similar to the picture advertised on Facebook.When it comes to fast food, burgers rarely look like the studio-shot images illustrated on the menu when served in real life, but this one actually lived up to its visual expectations. According to the nutrition data site Fooducate, one slice of Burger King's American cheese has 40 calories. Based on that, the burger has a calorie count of at least 800. In comparison, a Whopper, Burger King's most famous burger, has 660 calories, per the chain's nutrition list.

At first impression, the burger looked stunning. The toasted bun sprinkled with sesame seeds looked great filled with bright yellow slices of American cheese. It's the most photogenic Burger King burger I've seen in person — and very similar to the picture advertised on Facebook.When it comes to fast food, burgers rarely look like the studio-shot images illustrated on the menu when served in real life, but this one actually lived up to its visual expectations. According to the nutrition data site Fooducate, one slice of Burger King's American cheese has 40 calories. Based on that, the burger has a calorie count of at least 800. In comparison, a Whopper, Burger King's most famous burger, has 660 calories, per the chain's nutrition list. Business Insider USA

Looks are certainly deceiving — it had the texture of rubber and tasted like a block of Kraft American cheese.As a kid, I often grated Kraft American cheese on white bread and melted it for a snack. Somehow my homemade concoction tasted better than the burger.It was slightly salty, but had a blandness to it at the same time. But it was the texture that turned me off the most. With the bun super soft and the layers of cheese mushy, it tasted terrible. I couldn't even get halfway through the burger without downing it with a drink.

But the burger turned out to be a disappointment. Looks are certainly deceiving — it had the texture of rubber and tasted like a block of Kraft American cheese.As a kid, I often grated Kraft American cheese on white bread and melted it for a snack. Somehow my homemade concoction tasted better than the burger.It was slightly salty, but had a blandness to it at the same time. But it was the texture that turned me off the most. With the bun super soft and the layers of cheese mushy, it tasted terrible. I couldn't even get halfway through the burger without downing it with a drink. Business Insider USA

For $17, the burger is a monstrosity. In the cold, air-conditioned dining area, the cheese solidified. I could not continue eating it and had to tap out. I ended up happily chomping down on a Mushroom Swiss Burger — my favorite meal from Burger King — and was much happier.While the burger was a disaster, I'm glad that Burger King lives up to its slogan, and that you can really have it your way. And even if you'd want 100 slices of cheese in your burger, staff at your local store might still oblige. The burger is a limited-edition option in Thailand – it's only available until 20 August — but now we know you can have the burger anytime, as long as you're willing to cough up the money.

Before I could even finish, the slices had turned into a single block of coagulated cheese. It was truly inedible after that. For $17, the burger is a monstrosity. In the cold, air-conditioned dining area, the cheese solidified. I could not continue eating it and had to tap out. I ended up happily chomping down on a Mushroom Swiss Burger — my favorite meal from Burger King — and was much happier.While the burger was a disaster, I'm glad that Burger King lives up to its slogan, and that you can really have it your way. And even if you'd want 100 slices of cheese in your burger, staff at your local store might still oblige. The burger is a limited-edition option in Thailand – it's only available until 20 August — but now we know you can have the burger anytime, as long as you're willing to cough up the money. Business Insider USA