Trial & Error's Sinead and Chris discover the best and the worst McDonald's mashups.
Usually Trial and Error is all about testing the latest in food, viral trends and beauty hacks so you don't have to.
This week, however, we decided to do things a little differently.
Instead of trialling a brand new product, we've taste-tested new ways to eat something Kiwis already knowvery well: McDonald's.
With the help of weird and wonderful suggestions from Reddit and the McDonald's Facebook community we narrowed our taste test down to a four-course degustation.
This consists of chicken, beef and fish patties, all crammed into one Big Mac bun.
(We know chickens don't fly so much, but they have wings, so work with us on this one).
The verdict
Our taste testers Chris and Sinead were the brave soldiers on the front line. Sinead dubbed the triple pattie concoction "like a meat lovers pizza, but offensive."
Chris agreed, and admitted that after just two bites he was already suffering the dreaded "meat sweats".
All in all our taste testers were not fans of this mashup, reaching a general consensus that one meat is, in fact, more than enough.
Second course: 'Eggs Benedict'
'Eggs benedict' Photo / NZME
While we know McDonald's already sells an NYC Benedict Bagel we wanted to create the full "hungover Sunday" café-style eggs bene experience, complete with "potato rostis".
Using a classic McMuffin as our base vehicle, we inserted hash browns and topped it off with Big Mac "hollandaise" sauce.
The verdict
A true hangover cure, if ever one existed, this mash-up gets five stars.
With what is traditionally a soft and squishy snack, the crispy golden hashbrowns really elevated the McMuffin texture-wise. Plus, the tangy Big Mac sauce cut through the richness of the meal.
Sinead and Chris thought the dish would be perfect for when you're feeling dusty and hankering a big greasy café breakfast but you're too frail to venture into public.
Instead, simply hoon shame-free through the Macca's DriveThru in your tracksuit and order a "Chris and Sinead, eggs bene special".
Third course: Chicken and Waffles
'Chicken and waffles' Photo / NZME
We decided to put a giant fast-food corporation twist on a beloved southern comfort classic.
McDonald's doesn't currently serve waffles, so we used hotcakes as an alternative and topped them with chicken nuggets and caramel sauce.
The nuggets wrapped in a warm hotcake cocoon were a perfect textural combination of cripsy and crunchy with soft and fluffy.
The proof was in Sinead's simple chant: "I love it, I love it, I love it".
Fourth course: The 'Hopapa'
The 'Hopapa'. Photo / NZME
Shared by one of our team, "The Hopapa" is soft-serve ice cream stuffed into an apple pie. It got its unusual onomatopoeia moniker because when you try to say Hot Apple Pie with a mouthful of this steaming combo, it comes out as "hopapa".
Verdict
Heaven is a place on earth, and it's called "The Hopapa".
Our taste testers both agreed that they'd saved the absolute best for last – and wished they could eat a Hopapa for every meal for the rest of their lives.
