McDonald’s Restaurant – McMini Sandwich Review

Restaurant: McDonald’s Restaurant – McMini Sandwich Review
Cuisine: American/Fast food
Last visited: March 30, 2010
Location: Burnaby, BC (Burnaby North)
Address: 4410 Still Creek Drive
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: n/a
Service: n/a
Ambiance: 5 (for McDonald’s)
Overall: n/a
Additional comments:

• Review only for McMini Sandwiches
• Made with 100% seasoned chicken breast
• Crispy or grilled
• Spicy Thai or Pesto
• McDonald’s gone ‘gourmet’
• $1.99 +taxes
• Nice McDonald’s with tv and a few leather lazy boy’s upstairs
• Next to McDonald’s Restaurant headquarters
• Only available in Canada

**Recommendations: If you’re going to try one then the Spicy Thai Crispy Chicken McMini Sandwich or Pesto Grilled Chicken McMini Sandwich

This review is for the new McMini sandwiches available at participating McDonald’s restaurants in Canada. I was invited for a special tasting session of the McMini sandwiches  and therefore the McMini’s I tried were complimentary. There were no expectations from McDonald’s and I am free to write and express my true opinions.

The McMini originally started in Quebec and because it was so well received McDonald’s decided to launch the item nationally (across Canada). It was such a coincidence because I had tweeted about the McMini’s a week ago after driving by a McDonald’s and seeing the advertisement. Was it half a burger? A mini hot dog? I wasn’t sure what to expect.

The McMini’s are mini sandwiches served on mini baguettes. They’re about 4.5 inches and meant to be eaten individually as a snack or part of a meal. One is more filling than half a burger because of the baguette. I was able to try all 4 McMini’s and they’re quite basic. I prefer other items on the menu, but this is something new. Also don’t get confused with healthy and gourmet – these are gourmet and perhaps healthIER than other items.

My other McDonald’s reviews:

McDonald’s  S’more Pie review.
McDonald’s Creme Brulee McFlurry review.

To see Kim’s of (I’m Only Here for the Food) review for the McMini Sandwiches click here.

On the table:

**Spicy Thai Crispy Chicken McMini Sandwich – 3/6

• Crispy chicken (strip) with sweet Thai chili sauce served on a mini baguette $1.99
• Calories: 310 Fat: 14g Trans Fat: Zero
• The crispy chicken is the same crispy chicken as the Spicy Buffalo Chicken Snack Wraps. It’s seasoned with Cajun spice and slightly spicy.
• I liked the crispy version of the spicy Thai sandwich better. It reminded me of Chinese fast food. Very Vancouver, multicultural and bringing in the East meets West Asian flavour.
• It reminds me of the Crispy Chili Chicken appetizer at Earl’s Restaurant or the Spicy Chicken appetizer at Cactus Club. Basically it wasn’t anything you haven’t tried, but now it’s in a mini baguette. Since everyone has a version of this it’s obviously a flavour people love.

• The sweet Thai chili sauce is the standard good old sweet Thai chili sauce that comes in a bottle/package.

• I wanted lettuce with this. There’s also some garlic mayo (on all McMini’s) on the bottom which was pointless I think because I couldn’t taste it at all.
• The baguette isn’t great. It is a bakery style baguette but it’s not freshly baked or anything which is expected. It’s not very soft or chewy and it wasn’t toasted enough. I would ask them to toast it twice or butter it and then toast it. It reminded me of a firm English muffin because it had a powdery texture to the outside. I prefer their burger buns.

Spicy Thai Grilled Chicken McMini Sandwich – 2/6

• Grilled chicken (seasoned chicken breast used in a regular sandwich – cut in half) with sweet Thai chili sauce served on a mini baguette $1.99
• Calories: 260 Fat: 9g Trans Fat: Zero
• Yeah this was more enjoyable crispy. It was okay, the chicken was good but I just think Sweet Thai chili sauce works better with crispy chicken. It’s like grilled salt and pepper chicken wings or crispy salt and pepper chicken wings? Um, crispy please!
• What I thought about the baguette is in the spicy Thai crispy chicken McMini review.

**Pesto Grilled Chicken McMini Sandwich – 3.5/6

• Grilled chicken (seasoned chicken breast used in a regular sandwich – cut in half) with pesto served on a mini baguette $1.99
• Calories: 280 Fat: 13g Trans Fat: 0.1g
• This was my favourite of the 4. I love pesto and this one was good… not just for McDonald’s standards either.
• The pesto is nut-free which I expected because if they used pine nuts it would be too expensive and with nut allergies it’s just too risky.
• Although it’s not a traditional pesto with pine nuts I won’t ding them for that because it is McDonald’s. I’m actually really impressed with their pesto! I thought it would be a major fail because pesto is an expensive condiment but they actually did a good job.
• I could still taste a nuttiness even though there were no pine nuts because I could tell they went heavier on the Parmesan cheese to make up for the pine nut flavour. I couldn’t definitely taste cracked black pepper and the sauce was quite coarsely pureed.
• I could see the herbs and see the Parmesan cheese. It had this ‘home made’ quality that I didn’t expect. I was impressed! It wasn’t too oily and it was nice and salty, garlicky and flavourful.
• There was a layer of garlic mayo at the bottom of the sandwich – which this is the only McMini I could actually taste it in.
• If they actually give as much pesto as I got (I hope they do) then it’s good and I would actually order it – with a special request for a double toasted baguette. What I thought about the baguette is in the spicy Thai crispy chicken McMini review.

Pesto Crispy Chicken McMini Sandwich – 2/6

• Crispy chicken (strip) with Pesto served on a mini baguette $1.99
• Calories: 280 Fat: 19g Trans Fat: 0.2g
• Yeah I just didn’t really get this one. It wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t order it.
• The crispy chicken strip was still the same strip used in the Spicy Buffalo Chicken snack wrap so it was seasoned with Cajun spice already.
• When you think pesto you think gourmet/Mediterranean/Italian and it just works better with grilled chicken – the healthier route and it makes it somewhat more ‘authentic’. Also the grilled chicken is not spicy and doesn’t compete with the pesto for flavour.
• What I thought about the baguette is in the spicy Thai crispy chicken McMini review.

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