Tag: teriyaki

Tasty Brunch at Gateau Ghost

Published on by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Gateau Ghost
Location: 974 College Street, Toronto
Website: https://gateaughost.com/

Gateau  Ghost is a charming brunch spot and bakery with a Korean twist (the menu features a variety of brunch standbys that are tweaked with stuff like bulgogi, kimchi, and Korean fried chicken).

Gateau Ghost

I went with Owen’s Sando: “focaccia, caramelized onions, cabbage, jalapeño & cilantro, teriyaki pork shoulder OR teriyaki tofu.” (I went with pork shoulder, of course.)

It’s a solid sandwich with a great balance of flavours and textures: it’s sweet, savoury, crunchy, creamy, and chewy.  In particular, the sandwich does a really great job of balancing out its sweet and savoury flavours, and it’s quite satisfying.

Gateau Ghost

That’s not to mention the focaccia, which is clearly fresh and suits the sandwich perfectly.  It’s a sloppy, overstuffed sandwich, but the bread holds up to it nicely without overwhelming.

Gateau Ghost

The sliced pork shoulder is a bit on the dry side, which holds the sandwich back from greatness, but otherwise I liked this a lot.

Gateau Ghost

You can also get a salad or fries for a four dollar upcharge; I went with the salad, which looks like the typical vinaigrette-dressed mixed greens you’ll find a place like this, but is actually a big upgrade from the norm, with a punchy zestiness that really works.

Gateau Ghost

As for the bakery side of the equation, they mostly specialize in madeleines that come in various flavours.  I tried the opera madeleine, which takes the coffee-and-chocolate infused flavours of an opera cake and crams it into a madeleine.  It was really good.

Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich at McDonald’s (The International Menu Heist)

Published on by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich at McDonald's (The International Menu Heist)
Location: 377 Burnhamthorpe Road East, Mississauga
Website: https://www.mcdonalds.com/ca/en-ca.html

Well, I’m three items deep into the International Menu Heist (I’ve tried the Biscoff McFlurry, the McPizza Bites and the Garlic Mayo-Style Sauce), and everything’s been pretty tasty so far, so I guess a dud was inevitable.

Enter: the Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich from Japan (“The Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich has a breaded seasoned chicken patty, covered in a delicious, sweet and tangy teriyaki sauce, topped with shredded lettuce, mayo-style sauce, and a sesame seed bun. These mix of flavours will have you reaching for another bite. And another. And another, and somehow it’s all gone!”).

Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich at McDonald's (The International Menu Heist)

It’s basically a McCrispy with teriyaki sauce.

I don’t think I’ve ever had a McDonald’s chicken sandwich that was dunked in sauce rather than just topped, so that’s interesting I guess?

But also: too much sauce.  This wouldn’t have been an issue if it were tasty, but the overly sweet, gloppy teriyaki sauce here is a bit of a whiff.

Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich at McDonald's (The International Menu Heist)

It’s just way, way too sweet, with a mild hint of teriyaki flavour and a whole bunch of in-your-face sugariness.  If you hadn’t told me it was supposed to be teriyaki, I’m not sure I even would have guessed.  It’s overwhelmingly sweet.

Also, I don’t know if my sandwich was over-dipped or if it was supposed to be this saucy, but holy cow, it was a mess.  It was easily the sloppiest sandwich I’ve ever had from McDonald’s, and maybe the messiest sandwich I’ve ever had, period?  My hands were basically soaked in sticky teriyaki sauce by the time I was finished.