Big Tasty at McDonald’s

Big Tasty at McDonald's
Location
: 30 Courtneypark Drive East, Mississauga
Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

The Big Tasty definitely exists.  It’s a thing that is now on the menu at McDonald’s.  You can eat it.

That’s about my max level of enthusiasm for this burger.  It’s not bad, certainly, but there’s nothing about it that stands out in any particular way.

Big Tasty at McDonald's

Here’s how McDonald’s describes it: “A 100% Canadian beef patty topped with smokey flavoured Big Tasty Sauce, two slices of white processed cheese, tomato slices, shredded lettuce and slivered onions.”

(And if that colourless description is anything to go by, even McDonald’s is unenthused about this particular burger.)

Big Tasty at McDonald's

The most interesting thing I can say about it is that it has tomatoes in it, which you don’t typically find in McDonald’s burgers (they were pretty mushy and not great, which is probably why they’re not normally in McDonald’s burgers).  Otherwise, this is basically an inferior Quarter Pounder with Cheese.

I think the Big Tasty sauce is the biggest culprit here — it’s fine, with pleasantly sweet/zesty flavour, but it’s very forgettable.  Nothing about it stands out.  I guess it has an extremely mild smokiness, but if the menu hadn’t mentioned that it’s “smokey flavoured,” I don’t think I would have noticed.

Big Tasty at McDonald's

Still, the whole thing is inoffensive, I guess?  I’m not upset I ate it.  I’m not happy, either, but hey, they can’t all be winners.

Caesar and Bacon McCrispy at McDonald’s

Caesar and Bacon McCrispy at McDonald's
Location
: 30 Courtneypark Drive East, Mississauga
Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

McDonald’s isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel by combining chicken, bacon, and Caesar dressing.  It’s a combination that works — but it’s a bit boring.

They can’t all be menu heists, I guess.

Caesar and Bacon McCrispy at McDonald's

Here’s how McDonald’s describes the Caesar and Bacon McCrispy: “A crispy chicken patty – made with 100% Canadian-raised seasoned chicken – and shredded lettuce on a soft potato bun, topped with a Caesar parmesan sauce, crispy onions and hickory smoked bacon.  It’s the Caesar you know and love – the McDonald’s way!”

Remember when I said this sandwich was boring?  I actually wish it were a bit more boring.  The Caesar parmesan sauce is pretty different from normal Caesar dressing, and I’m not sure why.  It’s sweeter and more tangy than you’d expect, and it lacks the garlicky bite of the real deal.

Caesar and Bacon McCrispy at McDonald's

It’s not bad, but I would have preferred something more typically Caesar-esque.  I’m honestly not sure I would have even guessed what this was supposed to be if you hadn’t told me.

Otherwise, the sandwich is exactly what you’d expect.  It’s perfectly fine — I just don’t understand why the Caesar doesn’t taste like Caesar.

Cheesy Bacon McFlavour Fries at McDonald’s (World Menu Heist)

Cheesy Bacon McFlavour Fries at McDonald's (World Menu Heist)
Location
: 1001 Islington Avenue, Etobicoke 
Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

I mentioned before that the Stroopwafel McFlurry might be the most boring item in this year’s World Menu Heist.  Well, the Cheesy Bacon McFlavour Fries — which are just fries, cheese sauce, and bacon — are a very close second.

Here’s how McDonald’s describes them: “France’s Cheesy Bacon McFlavour Fries have gone missing… and surfaced in Canada. Golden fries loaded with a creamy double cheddar cheese sauce and hickory-smoked bacon. Rich, indulgent, and easy to lose track of. Grab them before they’re ‘disparues’.”

(Does McDonald’s really think my French is advanced enough to know what “disparues” means?  That’s very kind of them, but the sum total of my decade or so of French classes in school is that I can say “Je m’appell Michael.”  (It means “missing,” BTW.))

Cheesy Bacon McFlavour Fries at McDonald's (World Menu Heist)

This was… fine?  It was food?  I ate it?  The cheese sauce is basically a slightly zestier version of Cheez Whiz, and the bacon and fries are what they are.

It likely would have been tasty enough if the fries and/or the bacon were more fresh (or fresh at all), but they were not.  The bacon was off-puttingly jerky-like, and the fries were lukewarm, dry, and cardboardy.

Cheesy Bacon McFlavour Fries at McDonald's (World Menu Heist)

(Didn’t the fries at McDonald’s used to get soggy when they were stale?  Did they change the formula?  Because even soggy fries likely would have been more satisfying here.)

I also got an order of the Truffle Flavoured Mayo Style Sauce from Sweden, which was okay.  I’m not generally a fan of truffle oil, which this definitely tastes like, so it’s possible you’ll like this better if you enjoy that stuff.

Truffle Flavoured Mayo Style Sauce at McDonald's (World Menu Heist)

It basically tasted like a thick, gloppy cream of mushroom soup with truffle oil.  It wasn’t my favourite thing ever, but the fries were so dry, and so monotonous in their cheesy/salty flavour, that I still wound up using all of it.

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

Chicken Parmi Burger at McDonald's (World Menu Heist)
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.”

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

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.

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

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.

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

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)

Stroopwafel McFlurry​ at McDonald's (World Menu Heist)
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?

Stroopwafel McFlurry​ at McDonald's (World Menu Heist)

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.

Stroopwafel McFlurry​ at McDonald's (World Menu Heist)

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.