Admit it – every time McDonald’s comes out with a new seasonal dessert, your curiosity gets the better of you, enough for you to actually make the trip to McDonald’s just to try it (or you’ll make your friend order it and curi from them). We’re no different. We were extremely curious about the fastfood giant’s seasonal Ramadhan desserts, mostly because McDonald’s has outdone itself with two new sundae flavours, one (outrageous) pie and to top it all off, actual kuih at McCafé. Plus, one of us really wanted to try the cendol sundae. Here’s how they fared.
Bubur cha cha pie, RM3.50
Despite appearances (the white filling reminded us of tempe), we didn’t hate this pie. ‘I actually like this!’ exclaimed one taster, who went back for more. However, with the pie crust and yam-sweet potato filling, it’s a very unbalanced dessert. Can we order bubur cha cha pie, tak nak pie? How about just serving bubur cha cha as a dessert alternative to bubur ayam?
Mata kucing sundae, RM3.95
We’re not too sure why the mata kucing syrup in our sundae was bubbling – perhaps this was a warning for what it was: cloyingly sweet syrup that hardly tasted like mata kucing (those measly bits of fruit didn’t fool anyone). As clearly put by one taster: 'If you didn't tell me this was mata kucing in my sundae, I wouldn't know'.
Mata kucing McFlurry, RM4.95
See above. A McFlurry is a McFlurry because of the way the toppings are swirled into the ice cream (fun fact: that's what the hole in the spoon is for). However, the runny mata kucing syrup kept coming (bubbling?) up to the surface, and as the ice cream began to melt, so did our desire to finish this cup of gloopy cream.
Cendol sundae cone, RM2
This didn’t taste anything like santan or gula Melaka – more like a nutty caramel ice cream. But if you can get past the non-cendol taste, it’s a decent-tasting sundae. Just don’t expect to taste cendol, or for the green cone to taste like pandan (it didn’t taste like anything).
Kek Seri, RM2.95 each
These exclusive-to-McCafé tea cakes come in kelapa pandan, gula hangus and kurma – the flavours of Malaysia at Ramadhan, if you will.
Kelapa pandan: The cake was moist but overly sweet. One taster noted the obvious ‘artificial pandan flavour’ aftertaste. Also, the gula Melaka filling kept spilling out and created a mess.
Gula hangus: The best of the Kek Seri lot. The burnt sugar filling and coconut sprinkles added crunch and texture. Not bad, not bad at all.
Kurma: Upon first bite, we got generous bits of kurma; sadly, none of us are huge date fans. The cake was also mildly banana flavoured – kind of like cokodok with kurma, only not as nice.
Verdict
Order the bubur cha cha pie and maybe a gula hangus Kek Seri, but stick with chocolate sundae or Oreo McFlurry. You've had enough adventure for one day.