food – Page 2 – Michael Eats

Chicken Parmi Burger at McDonald’s (World Menu Heist)

Published on August 20, 2026 by Michael Nusair2 Comments

Location: 30 Courtneypark Drive East, Mississauga
Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

I guess it was inevitable that at least one item in the World Menu Heist would be a dud, and this one is definitely it.

The Chicken Parmi Burger, as per the McDonald’s website: “Straight from Australia, the Chicken Parmi Burger has landed in Canada. Crispy seasoned chicken layered with marinara sauce, creamy parmesan sauce, shredded lettuce, and white processed cheese, all on a soft potato bun. Rich, saucy, and just the right amount of indulgent. Get it before it’s gone, mate.”

It’s that marinara sauce. Wow, it’s bad. Its smell hits you as soon as you pop open the box, and it tastes so much worse than it smells.

It tastes like the cheapest jarred sauce you can find at the supermarket — but even that isn’t this bad. It tastes like an off-putting cross between the worst tomato sauce you’ve ever had, and the worst salsa you’ve ever had. It’s acrid and horrible.

It lingered on my palate for hours afterward. I’m actively upset at McDonald’s for inflicting it on me.

Otherwise, everything else here is pretty standard McCrispy stuff, and is fine.

Well, I suppose there is the creamy parmesan sauce, but the marinara was so overwhelming that I couldn’t taste anything else (it’s also possible that they accidently gave me mayo instead of the parmesan sauce, but then nothing could have made up for that horrific marinara, so who cares?).

Stroopwafel McFlurry at McDonald’s (World Menu Heist)

Published on August 19, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 30 Courtneypark Drive East, Mississauga
Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

I’ll admit that this is — to me — the most boring item in this year’s World Menu Heist. McFlurries in general are kinda boring, but this one, with just waffle cone pieces and caramel, is particularly uninteresting.

Still, it’s on the menu, and I have an odd (possibly unhealthy??) compulsion to try it all, so sure, why not?

The Stroopwafel McFlurry: “Missing from the Netherlands, now somehow spotted in Canada. Creamy vanilla soft serve swirled with caramel flavoured cinnamon waffle cone pieces and caramel sauce. Sweet, smooth, with a perfect crunch… enjoy it while it’s here.”

It might not be the most exciting thing ever, but it is pretty satisfying.

Though I’m not sure if I would have guessed the stroopwafel connection if I didn’t know that’s what this was. Stroopwafels are a Dutch dessert featuring two thin, waffle-like cookies encasing a middle layer of chewy caramel (though if you get a fresh one, the caramel is delightfully gooey). Once you separate the caramel and the waffle and treat them as two separate components, it loses its stroopwafel energy. It’s just caramel and waffle cone pieces.

Still, the cinnamon on the waffle cone bits is a nice touch and brings this more personality than it otherwise would have had. The waffle cone bits also have a satisfying crunchiness that contrasts well with the creamy soft serve and gooey caramel.

It’s kinda one-note sweet and not something I’d order again, but I’m not mad I ate it.

Garlic & Black Pepper Chicken McNuggets at McDonald’s (World Menu Heist)

Published on August 19, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 30 Courtneypark Drive East, Mississauga
Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

The World Menu Heist continues! Next up: weird McNuggets, courtesy of Japan.

The Garlic & Black Pepper McNuggets, as per the McDonald’s website: “Last seen in Japan, these Chicken McNuggets have made their way to Canada. Crispy Chicken McNuggets with a garlic and black pepper breading, built for dipping. Punchy, savoury, and gone before you know it.”

I’ve gotta give McDonald’s credit — they could have just sprinkled some kind of seasoning on regular McNuggets and called it a day, but no, the flavour here is built right into the batter.

And yeah, it’s clearly very different from a standard McNugget; the flavour is not subtle.

Oddly, it doesn’t taste all that peppery, though the garlic flavour is unmistakable. It reminded me a lot of the fried chicken wings you’ll find at American/Canadian-style Chinese food joints, like Manchu Wok. I loved those wings as a kid and haven’t had one in years; the flavour here flashed me right back, Ratatouille-style.

The chicken itself was pretty dry, but otherwise I quite liked this.

And of course, you’ve gotta get the Black Garlic Sauce to go with it, also from Japan. This actually has more of a peppery bite than the McNuggets, and, of course, a decent hit of garlic flavour.

It’s very, very sweet, however. It’s kinda like a sweet chili sauce, but… all sweet, no heat. Personally I found it a bit cloying, but if you dip the McNuggets sparingly, it does complement their flavour pretty well.

Quick Bites: Giragi, Barbershop Patisserie, Queen’s Pasta Cafe

Published on August 8, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Lamb Wrap from Giragi

I previously tried the steak wrap from Giragi, and it was stellar. I just tried the vochkhar (lamb), and it was just as good. Clearly, the people in charge of this place know their stuff. As per the menu, this particular wrap comes stuffed with “jajekh, xaviar, pickled turnip, pevaz.” To translate, jajekh is a cucumber yogurt salad, xaviar is an eggplant spread, and pevaz is a mix of onion and parsley. It’s a really, really tasty wrap. It’s so much stuff, and it seems like it should be overstuffed (and technically, it probably is — it’s a mess), but all the flavours work so well together, and the perfectly spiced lamb patties are thoroughly delicious. It’s so good.

Brownie from Barbershop Patisserie

Speaking of things that are obscenely delicious, the brownie from Barbershop is ridiculously good. Like, one of the best brownies I’ve ever had. It’s got an amazingly rich, chocolatey flavour, and the perfectly fudgy-but-light texture has a great chewiness that I can barely even describe. It’s pretty special.

Meatball Sandwich from Queen’s Pasta Cafe

As the name implies, Queen’s Pasta Cafe is mostly about pasta, though they do have a lunch menu with a few sandwiches. I went with the meatball (“Meatballs with Arugula, Mozzarella Cheese and Tomato sauce”), and it was okay. The meatballs were actually quite good, with a nice meaty flavour, a tender texture that isn’t too soft, and a rich sauce. But the stale bun was a bit of a disaster. This is probably my fault, however, for ordering something that isn’t pasta at a restaurant with pasta in its name. Those meatballs would have been boffo on spaghetti, I’m sure.

Outstanding Japanese/Italian Fusion at Tatsuro’s

Published on August 7, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1378 Queen Street East, Toronto
Website: https://www.tatsuros.com/

I like Tatsuro’s a whole lot. I’d heard good things, and I figured I’d like it, but it kinda knocked my socks off.

They serve pasta and brunch with a Japanese flair; I stuck to the pasta side of the menu, and based on the level of quality, I’ll clearly have to come back to try their brunch.

There was a Japanese pasta spot in Markham called Shiso Tree Cafe that, sadly, closed a few years back; since then, I’ve had a Shiso-Tree-Cafe-sized hole in my heart. That hole has finally been filled.

I started with the nori fries (“nori seasoning, spicy mayo”). These were quite tasty; the fries were nicely cooked, the nori sprinkled on top works really well, and the spicy mayo on the side is enjoyably zippy.

For my main, I had the Wafu Carbonara (“bacon, ponzu, onsen egg, parmesan”), and yikes, it was so good.

It was incredibly, incredibly rich — with the richness only being amped up by the silky onsen egg they put on top. It basically melts into the sauce when you mix it up, and really cranks up the dish’s creaminess.

By all accounts it should be too heavy and rich, but there’s a nice lightness you get from the citrusy ponzu that really cuts through the heaviness and makes the dish sing. Legitimately one of the best bowls of pasta I’ve had in a long time.

I also tried the Curry Bolognese (“beef + pork curry, pickled onion, fried shallot, cilantro”), which takes the flavours of Bolognese and Japanese curry and crams them together in a way that’s surprisingly delightful.