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.
Michael Eats 