Quality Eclairs at The Happy Chocco

The Happy Chocco
Location
: 100 City Centre Drive (inside The Food District at Square One)
Website: https://www.thehappychocco.ca/

I’ll admit that I was a bit skeptical of The Happy Chocco.  They always have a million eclairs on offer, and they never seem to be particularly busy.  And I’m like, are these all fresh?  Because it seems like they won’t all be fresh.  There’s nothing sadder than a stale eclair with soggy pastry.

The Happy Chocco

Well, I just went with two other people, and we all tried different eclairs and found them to be quite fresh (and quite delicious!) so I’m happy to say that I was wrong.

The Happy Chocco

I went with the Dubai chocolate eclair: “classic eclair filled with pistachio pastry cream and Belgian milk chocolate dip with roasted kataifi.”

The Happy Chocco

I really enjoyed this.  The choux pastry had a great texture and was clearly not stale at all, the pistachio pastry cream was creamy and delicious (if a bit light on the nutty flavour), there was a decent layer of good-quality chocolate on top, and the roasted kataifi added a nice crispy texture.  It’s a quality eclair.

Hot Ones Darin’ Dab Ghost Wings from Popeyes

Hot Ones Darin' Dab Ghost Wings from Popeyes
Location
7080 Saint Barbara Boulevard, Mississauga
Websitehttps://www.popeyeschicken.ca/

Things have gotten a bit better over the last few years, but generally speaking, if a fast food joint claims that they’re serving something spicy, it’s probably mild at best.  But given that this is a collaboration with Hot Ones, I was excited that this would be a bit spicier than the norm.

Hot Ones Darin' Dab Ghost Wings from Popeyes

They have a couple of Hot Ones items on the menu, but the spiciest is supposedly the Darin’ Dab Ghost Wings: “Classic wings (bone-in) dusted with a bold ghost pepper dry rub, served with a Hot Ones Last Dab Ranch dip cup.”

(You can also supposedly buy a little packet of the notoriously fiery Last Dab hot sauce, though I think this might not be available in Canada — I tried a couple of locations, and no one seemed to even know what I was talking about.)

Hot Ones Darin' Dab Ghost Wings from Popeyes

The wings themselves are only mildly spicy, but the Last Dab Ranch dip actually does have a nice kick (and otherwise tastes like pretty standard ranch).  I was kinda hoping for it to blow my face off, and it wasn’t even remotely that hot, but it was almost certainly the spiciest thing I’ve ever had from a fast food chain.

Otherwise, the wings were fine.  They were maybe the teeny-tiniest wings I’ve ever had, but they were hot and fresh and had a nice crispy exterior.

KATSYE Special KBBQ Chicken Sandwich from Jollibee

KATSYE Special KBBQ Chicken Sandwich from Jollibee
Location
800 Boyer Boulevard, Mississauga (inside Seafood City Supermarket)
Websitehttp://jollibeecanada.com/

I’m going to admit that I’ve never heard of KATSYE, which is apparently a Kpop-influenced “global girl group” that was formed through a reality show (every word of that sentence makes me feel like an old man who is about to crumble into dust).

KATSYE Special KBBQ Chicken Sandwich from Jollibee

So I can’t say I particularly care that KATSYE had something to do with this sandwich (or at least agreed to put their name on it), but Korean fried chicken?  Yeah, that I can get on board with.

Here’s how Jollibee describes this sandwich: “Our crispy, juicy, hand-breaded chicken breast fillet hand-dipped in a sweet soy glaze with a bold kick of heat, topped with fresh cilantro, red onion, and cucumber slices, served on a toasted brioche bun.”

KATSYE Special KBBQ Chicken Sandwich from Jollibee

This was… fine?  The sweet, savoury, and slightly spicy Korean-style sauce was certainly tasty enough, and the sandwich has a nice exterior crunch that’s satisfying.  I don’t think I’ve ever had cilantro on a fried chicken sandwich (certainly not at a fast food joint); it’s a nice touch, though it’s mostly overwhelmed by the flavourful sauce.

KATSYE Special KBBQ Chicken Sandwich from Jollibee

The biggest issues here were that the piece of fried chicken breast wasn’t particularly fresh, with the chicken itself being pretty dry, and more pressingly: that enormous, cold, dry brioche bun.  I’m not sure if it was too dense by design or was just stale (or both), but it overwhelmed the chicken and was a bit of a bummer to eat.

I like the fried chicken pieces at Jollibee, but this was my first time trying a sandwich.  I’ll stick with the pieces.

Spicy McVeggie at McDonald’s

Spicy McVeggie at McDonald's
Location
: 30 Courtneypark Drive East, Mississauga
Websitehttps://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

I tried — and enjoyed! — the McVeggie a few months ago, when McDonald’s was testing it at a few locations in Ontario.  Now that it’s on the menu for realsies, I figured I may as well try the spicy version.

Spicy McVeggie at McDonald's

The Spicy McVeggie, per the McDonald’s website: “A breaded veggie patty made with a blend of vegetables (including carrots, green beans, zucchini, peas, soybeans, broccoli and corn) and seasoning, topped with shredded lettuce and creamy Habanero sauce, served on a toasted sesame bun.”

Spicy McVeggie at McDonald's

It’s the exact same sandwich, just with a spicy sauce.  And it’s pretty much as I remember it: it’s not super flavourful, but there’s a nice contrast between the crunchy exterior and softer interior.  It’s satisfying.

Spicy McVeggie at McDonald's

I think the spicy version is the way to go, with the habanero sauce adding some nice zippiness and a mild kick.  It’s nothing too mind-blowing, but I could see myself ordering this again.

Pickle Sandwich and Fried Pickle Chips at KFC

Pickle Sandwich and Fried Pickle Chips at KFC
Location
: 4559 Hurontario Street, Mississauga
Website: https://www.kfc.ca/

The last time I had a pickle-themed fried chicken sandwich, it was the Pickle Glaze Chicken Sandwich from Popeyes, and it was legitimately one of the worst things I’ve ever eaten.  So I won’t lie: I was a bit wary to try what KFC had cooked up.

Pickle Sandwich and Fried Pickle Chips at KFC

Thankfully, KFC’s version of the pickle / fried chicken sandwich was actually pretty tasty.  Which is a good thing, because they’re really going all in with the pickle-themed menu: they’re also serving Fried Pickle Chips (which I tried), Pickle Pepsi (???), and Loaded Pickle Fries.

Pickle Sandwich and Fried Pickle Chips at KFC

The Pickle Sandwich, as per KFC’s menu: “KFC’s Pickle Sandwich is made for true pickle lovers—because there’s no such thing as too many pickles. Featuring our crispy, hand-breaded chicken, it’s topped with crunchy dill pickle chips, sweet bread and butter pickles, creamy mayo, and bold dill pickle seasoning—all on a toasted potato bun.”

Pickle Sandwich and Fried Pickle Chips at KFC

It’s good!  Maybe it was my rock-bottom expectations, but I liked everything about this.  The pickle flavour is pronounced but not overwhelming, with a nice balance between the actual pickles, the crunchy fried pickles, and the punchy pickle seasoning.  It seems like it should be too much pickle, but the pickle-explosion flavour contrasts well with the creamy mayo and the fried chicken (thankfully, I got lucky and got a piece of chicken that was hot and fresh).

Pickle Sandwich and Fried Pickle Chips at KFC

I also tried the Fried Pickle Chips: “Made for serious pickle fans, crunchy & tangy Fried Pickle Chips topped with dill pickle seasoning and paired with dipping sauce.”  I’m a fan of fried pickles in general, and this was a good version of the dish.  Sometimes fried pickles come in spears, and that is incorrect — with the slices that they’re serving here, you get a much better ratio of crispy fried exterior to pickle interior.

Pickle Sandwich and Fried Pickle Chips at KFC

It comes with a little tub of ranch for dipping, which seems like a missed opportunity for yet another pickle-themed component — but maybe that would officially tip over into too much pickle?  Either way, the creamy ranch works quite well with the enjoyably crunchy, somewhat sweet fried pickle slices.