mcdonalds Archives

In Fast Food

McDonalds Hawaii: Taro Pie and Kona Iced Coffee Review

April 26, 2018

When in Hawaii, taking a trip to McDonalds to see new items that aren’t available in Canada is what I find so much fun. I saw that they had Kona Iced Coffee and Taro Pie for a limited time only, so we made a visit.

There are a few McDonalds located in Waikiki and Honolulu, so we went to the closest one to our hotel.

The Taro Pie has chunks of purple taro on the inside, which was slightly sweet. All the filling was encased inside their pie dough deep-fried to a golden brown. I was surprised that the exterior was different than the ones in North America. Maybe I haven’t had a pie in a long time but it felt more flakey.

Upon first bite, I was hooked on the pie. I shared it with my friend but I secretly wanted a few to myself. It was great to try and I would highly recommend this.

The Kona Iced Coffee is a good pairing as it is ice cold for the hot Hawaii weather. Great taste with a little bit of milk and sugar to pair with the taro pie.

Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/

In British Columbia

McDonalds Canada: Asian Crispy Shrimp McWrap

August 5, 2014

The Asian Crispy Shrimp McWrap has recently landed in McDonalds Canada. M was grabbing a quick dinner at McDonalds and I saw this item on their menu, so I decided to order it.

The wrap has crispy shrimp topped with sweet and spicy Thai sauce, Asian salad mix, grilled vegetables and garlic mayonnaise-style sauce, wrapped up in a warm whole wheat soft-shell tortilla.

When I opened the container up, the wrap didn’t seem impressive at all. The shrimp sits on top and all the salad is at the bottom and it seems pretty mushy and not too fresh. You can barely see any vegetables in my wrap, but its all hidden on the bottom. Probably just a poorly put together wrap.

When I first took a few bites, it didn’t taste good. The shrimp was pretty bland and the veggies just didn’t match with its slimy texture.

I would not order this again.

Website: http://www.mcdonalds.ca/ca/en/promotions/mcwrap.html#asian-shrimp

In British Columbia

McDonald’s Canada: Spicy Buffalo Poutine

July 12, 2014

Last year, McDonalds Canada introduced the poutine. Now, they have poutine 2.0 – the Spicy Buffalo Poutine. This got me curious because I would not expect spicy buffalo sauce and poutine to ever mix together.

The Spicy Buffalo Poutine ($4.99) has fries, cheese curds, gravy, green onions, chicken and the spicy buffalo sauce. You can get the chicken grilled or crispy. We went with the crispy chicken because we might as well indulge.

The poutine doesn’t look attractive, but once you dig in, you get a mouthful of the buffalo sauce and it is similar to Franks Red Hot Sauce. The vinegary taste from the hot sauce compliments the richness from the curds and gravy.

It’s not bad at all.

Website:
http://www.mcdonalds.ca/ca/en.html

In British Columbia

McDonalds Canada: Value Picks Menu

June 18, 2014

Sometimes I have craving for McDonalds and I can’t help but get a taste. It a quick and cheap meal. I work right across the street, so it is quite convenient. This time, instead of getting a regular meal, I got whatever was on their Value Picks menu. I didn’t feel like drinking a coke.

The two items featured are the Bacon Ranch Junior Chicken and McDouble. Each burger was $1.99, so it didn’t hurt my pocket at all.

Bacon Ranch Junior Chicken has a McChicken patty topped with thick cut Applewood smoked bacon, melted white cheddar, crisp shredded lettuce and mayo, served on a classic bun.

McDouble has a slice of melted processed cheddar cheese between two beef patties, topped with pickles, onions, ketchup and mustard on a toasted bun.

None of the burgers looked pretty but all the ingredient are in there somewhere. The burgers never look like the advertisements. Can’t complain for such a cheap meal.

Website: http://www.mcdonalds.ca/ca/en/menu/full_menu/value_picks.html

In British Columbia

McDonalds Canada: Steak Steak Steak

March 13, 2014

Currently, McDonalds Canada is having their Steak on Demand promotion from February 18 – March 31, 2014. The Steak n’ Egg Bagel and their Steak n’ Caesar Signature Wraps are two items they are featuring throughout the campaign.

I came for breakfast with a coworker for a coffee, but I saw the steak promos and I caved and got the Steak n’ Egg Bagel.

Steak n’ Egg Bagel is made with seasoned steak, folded eggs, processed cheddar cheese, sautéed onions, HP steak sauce, on either regular or multigrain bagel.

Once you take the bagel apart, it really doesn’t look that impressive. The first few bites were really good, but as I kept eating it, it got saltier and saltier. The steak patty was packed with pepper and salt, so you really couldn’t taste the true steak flavour. It tasted like their regular beef patty but with more spices.

Overall, it’s an interesting concept to offer steak 24/7, but for a good steak, you won’t find it here.

Website: mcdonalds.ca

In Fast Food

McDonald’s Spicy Buffalo Chicken Snack Wrap

January 11, 2014

I needed a quick lunch and what better way to be lazy than go to McDonalds across the street. The weather was also terrible, so I didn’t want to go far for food. It’s been raining non-stop in Vancouver for the past few days and sometimes I just feel like a cat.

McDonalds has a new Spicy Buffalo Chicken Snack Wrap on their menu and probably only available for a limited time.

Spicy Buffalo Chicken Snack Wrap ($1.99) comes with shredded lettuce, chicken breast, monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, and spicy buffalo sauce.

The look of it isn’t impressive and seems carelessly put together. It obviously varies depending on who makes it. I chose the grilled chicken instead of crispy since I find that the chicken in more flavourful and tender.

The taste of the entire wrap isn’t bad. The spicy buffalo sauce reminds me of a milder version of Frank’s Red Hots.

Website: http://www.mcdonalds.ca/

In Fast Food

McDonalds Canada: Drumstick Flurry and Caramel Pie

October 16, 2012

After having dinner, my friends and I decided to go to McDonalds for round 2 of eating. It’s kinda weird, but I do have a secret obsession with fast food. It’s cheap and it does the trick.

My favorite item of all time is the Bacon Cheese Burger. I don’t know what it is, but I love it.

Drumstick McFlurry is a new item the released recently. They mix chocolate, peanuts, vanilla ice cream, and bit of waffle cone. When you take a bit out of it, it does taste similar to Nestle Drumsticks!

Caramel Baked Pie was very sweet! Perhaps too sweet! It’s a new item too!You do need a coffee to counteract the sweetness. I can imagine this might go well with a McFlurry. Ask them to blend it up with the McFlurry!

Chocolate Sundae with peanuts is good and brings me back to my childhood. The gooey chocolate with the crunchy nuts. Yum.

What is your favorite McDonald dessert? Do you like any of the new ones?

In Fast Food

McDonalds: S’mores Pie and Cheap McNuggets

September 20, 2012

In the United States, they have some crazy menu items at some great prices. It’s always awesome to drive down to the states and try items that are not available in Canada. One of those items was the Smores Pie.

Smores Pie is like a normal pie, but it’s filled with chocolate and marshmallow. You have all the components that go into a smores.

Whats different about this pie is that there is a large slit at the top, so the inside is exposed for all to see.

The smores pies was a tad sweet, but it did have a unique taste. It was like a smores, but less messy!

20 Piece McNuggets ($4.99) is so cheap in the states! You could easily order 100 and not break your wallet! This location didn’t have a larger box for them, so it was split off into 2 boxes.

It’s quite hard to eat 20 all by yourself unless you are super super hungry. My friend and I just split these.

Have you had the chance to try the smore pie or bought yourself a ton of McNuggets?

In Fast Food

McDonalds: New Spicy McBites

September 4, 2012

TaiwaneseGirl spots something called McBites on Instagram and lures KoreanGirl and I on an adventure to Seattle for McDonalds McBites and outlet shopping. It was a spontaneous decision, but I really wanted to see what these mysterious McBites were all about. They are like popcorn chicken from KFC, but McDonalds Style. they recently introduced Spicy McBites.

It’s available in the United States, but not in Canada.

We all decided to get the spicy McBite meals. The interior of McDonalds was crazy air-conditioned, so we sat outside.

The drinks are a bit different than the ones in Canada. They have Powerade and Hi C.

The meal cost $5.42 after tax for a regular size of McBites, fries and drink.

The Spicy Chicken McBites comes in the regular box, they don’t have any specialized packaging for the spicy version.

The McBites are a bit smaller than McNuggets, but there is enough in the box to get full.

The packaging in surprisingly ingenious! There is a slot to put in your dipping sauce.

It’s chicken meat inside and the coating of the McBites was similar to the coating of the chicken strips. It wasn’t very spicy and was a bit bland. You definitely need some sauce to go along with these. I was a bit disappointed by these and KFC definitely has better popcorn chicken.

Have you tried the Spicy McBites yet?

In Fast Food

McDonalds Korea: Bulgogi Burger

August 24, 2012

I was strolling through my last day of Korea finding a McDonalds to try to find a Kimchi Burger or something really cool and different than in North America. I wandered off into the Gangnam area and I found so many shops and restaurants.

Some items were similar to wat you would find in North America, but I had my eye on the Bulgogi Burger. They even have calories too so you know how much you are consuming. I also noticed they don’t sell fish!

It even has its own special wrapper! I laughed when I saw ” A sauce sensation”.

Inside you have the pork patty with the bulgogi marinade. It also has lettuce and mayo inside. The marinade made this burger sticky to eat if you aren’t careful. I wasn’t a big fan of this since it was a bit sweet and salty in some ways.

It was still fun trying out an item I would not get in Canada.

In Fast Food

McDonalds Hong Kong: Soy Green Tea + Himalayan Tea + Cheesecake + Lamingtons

August 5, 2012

I finally visited McDonalds in Hong Kong since I get very hot one afternoon. To my surprise, their McCafe’s sell completely different items than in Canada! This is the best part about travelling- discovering new fast food items. Seriously, I love fast food and differing menu items across the world.

They have introduced 2 new drinks for this Summer – Soy Green Tea Frappe and Himalayan Tea Frappe. You can alternatively get them hot instead of cold.

The prices are in Hong Kong Dollars, so, just divide it by 7.8 and you should get the approximated Canadian price. It’s not exactly cheap, but I just had to try it.

Medium Iced Soy Green tea Frapp is my little sisters addiction! She enjoyed the whipped cream on top.

Hot Soy Green Tea was pretty good! It wasn’t too sweet, but it was yummy and creamy. Definitely one of my favorites but after I saw how they made it, it wasn’t very magical. I’ll get to it at the end of this review. Nonetheless, I would still order it again.

Medium Himalayan Tea had a very unique taste. I couldn’t figure out what it tasted like

They even have super cool cheesecakes and Lamingtons. Lamingtons is an Australian sponge cake. I’m still waiting for CommunityChannel to post up the video about how to make lamingtons. I should stop having hopes that one day she will make the video 🙁

Anyways, the drinks at McDonalds were great, but it seemed so simple to make! The staff just poured soy milk into a blender and put in a few scoops of powder and blended it up. Thus, that was how the drink was created. If you are in Hong Kong and in an area that has these items available, give it a try!

In Fast Food

McDonalds: New McBistro Sandwiches

February 26, 2012

I was walking at Metrotown and I saw that McDonalds has new sandwiches called the ‘McBistro’. They are a new line of chicken sandwiches, which are for people who are a bit health conscious. You can have the option of having grilled chicken or fried chicken in your sandwich. The sandwiches come in 3 types:

Chicken BLT
Southwest Chicken
Swiss Mushroom Melt

A combo costs $7.59 and just the sandwich is $5.19. These were the prices at Metrotown, but may be different at other locations.

Southwest Chicken McBistro with fried chicken was nothing interesting. It just had lettuce, swiss cheese, tomato, southwest sauce and the patty between the whole grain bun.

The fried chicken is so uniform in shape that it looks kinda gross. For a second I almost mistook it for a hashbrown. We didn’t take a particular liking to it since it was just so plain. I think it would have been better if it was the grilled chicken instead of the deep fried.

Chicken BLT McBistro with grilled chicken has mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, and chicken between the whole grain bun.

The chicken looked pretty good and natural. It didn’t have the same uniform shape as the fried chicken. The chicken looked like it was real chicken meat.

There was also a good amount of bacon on the sandwich, so I was not disappointed. I would have to say the Chicken BLT is probably the best out of the bunch. I haven’t tried the swiss mushroom, but that might be good.

Overall, the McBistros are pretty good only if you get the grilled chicken option. They are probably only available for a limited time, so get them before they’re gone.

In Food for Thought

McDonalds $1 off Coffee Feb 20 – 26th

February 17, 2012

After Tim Hortons offered their $1 lattes for a limited time, McDonalds joins the promotional race by offering $1 off Coffee from February 20th – 26th, 2012. I saw several advertisements around Downtown Vancouver, so it is legit.

It’s applicable to all their different types of coffee like Mochas and Lattes from their McCafe. It’s still a good deal if you are getting their plain black coffee.

In Fast Food

McDonalds Oreo Cookies N’ Cream Pie: Surprisingly Crazy Good

January 17, 2012

McDonald’s introduced this new item – an Oreo Cookies N’ Cream Pie. I heard about it over Twitter, so I thought I would just go to a random McDonald’s to find one. The one I went to had zero signage and it wasn’t on the menu, but the workers knew what I was talking about. They indeed had the pie.

The strange thing is that the new pie doesn’t even has a special box, it’s just a generic Baked Pie box with images of fruit on it. Perhaps it’s a trial product or something. It cost about a buck.

The pie does not look like any of their other pies. Its thinner and smaller. Even though it looks dark, its is not burnt. It’s just a large chocolate cookie-like shell.

The inside is filled with this fluffy marshmallow type of filling. Kinda like the spreadable marshmallow in a can. It was really good and I was pleasantly surprised.

It wasn’t too sweet and was the perfect size. I gobbled it up and left me wanting more.

Have you tried this yet?

In Fast Food

McDonalds Introduces Real Fruit Smoothies, But Are They Good?

December 29, 2011

On Christmas Day, M was getting a bit hungry and headed to McDonalds since they were one of the only places open around midnight.

We discovered they had 2 new smoothies – Mango Pineapple and Strawberry Banana smoothies. I’ve seen these available in the States since the Summer, but it was just recently that they are selling these in Canada. They comes in S, M and L for about $2 – $3.

The Mango Pineapple was very nice and fruity with a dominant flavour of mango. I really liked it because it wasn’t overly sweet.

The Strawberry Banana tasted like the usual smoothies you would find at Jugo Juice. M liked it .

Overall, it’s a good alternative to their other drinks, but I am still not ready to believe these are really healthy for you. Tastewise, its probably one of the better smoothies you can get from a fast food joint.

Have you tried these yet?

In Fast Food

McDonald’s New Supreme Chicken Sandwich: Grilled or Crispy?

August 9, 2011

More new sandwiches from Mc Donalds! They recently introduced their line of sandwiches called “Supreme Chicken Sandwiches”. There are 3 variations of this sandwich – Mushroom + Swiss, Tangy Thai, and the BLT. You have the option of choosing between grilled or crispy chicken meat.

If you are trying to be slightly healthy, grilled is the way to go. If you are like me and like to be bad…crispy is good. Since I was sharing all the sandwiches with M, we got Mc Donalds to cut all the sandwiches in half. All the sandwiches are in a longer form like a sub, so it’s not like the usual round sandwiches.

There isn’t too much information about these sandwiches online, so most of the promotions are seen in stores.

The Mushroom and Swiss sandwich was really good. I am a mushroom lover, so I will be a bit biased on this one. It has lettuce, grilled mushrooms, swiss cheese, savory mayo sauce, and the grilled chicken in a soft ciabatta bun.

This has a strong taste of mushroom, which complements the meat nicely. I think this would be much better with a grilled chicken breast instead. The fried chicken meat reminded me of the meat from the McChicken sandwich.

The Tangy Thai Sandwich has a light covering of the spicy thai sauce with cucumbers and roasted peppers in the ciabatta bun. This was very interesting and had a good taste as well. The sauce was slightly sweet, but with the cucumbers give a nice refreshing crunch.

The BLT Sandwich has bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo with a grilled chicken breast in a ciabatta bun. This doesn’t seem so different from the usual items, I feel like this has been done before since its so common. It still tasted pretty good and the grilled chicken breast is the best choice for this sandwich.

Overall, pretty good line of chicken sandwiches from McDonalds. It is quite expensive for a little over $5 per sandwich, but it is yummy.

Sean of Sean’s Adventures In Flavor Town also wrote a review on these sandwiches as well and it’s an interesting read filled with a curly hair! Check it out!

In Fast Food

Mc Donald’s Iced Mocha Review

June 26, 2011

After going to Eat! Vancouver, I think I am now hooked on McDonald’s Iced Mochas!

It’s made from espresso, ice, chocolate syrup, and milk. It is topped with whipped cream and more chocolate syrup. The best parts are really the whipped cream and the chocolate syrup on top. It kinda reminds me of the chocolate syrup that goes into the sundaes.

I like to suck up the chocolate syrup with my straw before I drink the iced mocha.

At first, I really didn’t know what to think of the drink since it tasted pretty different from iced mochas from any other coffee joint I have been to. In a way it tasted like their normal iced coffees with chocolate syrup.

If you are a real coffee expert, this is probably not the best place to get your mochas. I am not an expert on coffee, so if it’s drinkable, I am satisfied.

Nonetheless, it’s still quite decent and it’s good to cool you down on a hot day. For about $3.49 for a large size, it does it’s trick. This drink is only available at McCafe’s, so if you are at a regular McDonalds, you have to stick with the iced coffees.

In Fast Food

McDonalds Mc Rib Review

June 21, 2011

I couldn’t help noticing the ads on some bus stops saying the “McRib is Back”. I don’t remember having it in Canada. Perhaps I wasn’t cool enough to get it back then… or I just didn’t notice it. Nonetheless, it was new to me and I just had to try it out.

When we ordered the McRib, we were super confused when it came with salsa. I really doubt it was for the fries. I also doubt it was for the McRib either, probably a mistake.

Inside the box is the sandwich, which has a large ground pork patty, onions, pickles and bbq sauce. I was actually surprised at the taste. For a Mc Donalds Sandwich, it was not bad at all! The meat is quite nice and not tough. While eating the Mc Rib, it was a bit drippy, so make sure you don’t drop any sauce on yourself. The sauce was similar to bottled bbq sauce, but a bit on the sweet side.

They even tried to make the patty look like ribs too. It looks super fake, but it’s McDonalds… what can you really expect. It’s probably not the most healthy thing you could be eating, but its good to have something bad for you once in a while.

M got the sandwich as well and it just reminded him of his childhood in Arizona. They have the sandwich in the States way longer than in Canada. Eating it gave him nostalgia.

Overall, decent sandwich and it’s something thats not on the regular menu. It’s only a few bucks, so it’s not like it’s going to burn a hole in your wallet.