I’ve written a bunch of times about how I love to visit McDonald’s when visiting a new country but rarely ever eat there at home.
Food is a big part of travel but sometimes it’s nice to eat something that reminds you of home (especially the Heinz ketchup!). However, the main reason that I have to visit McDonald’s when traveling is to see if there are any menu items which are not available at home which might be unique or a variation of a local dish.
These days McDonald’s has also become a special place for Lucas to visit. While he’s only eaten at a McD’s in the US a handful of times it is a nice treat- a place to play and get a little toy while doing things that mainly appeal to Mommy & Daddy in foreign countries.
(We’ve even stopped into a McDonald’s on rare occasion to let Lucas play without buying much more than a coffee for Kim at times!
During our visit to Romania we only had a short amount of time to grab lunch prior to doing our tour of the massive Palace of Parliament. We figured this would be a great time to stop at a McDonald’s close by to try out a menu item that I had noticed during our first day of the trip.
The item is called Nou Rondele Cu Mozzarella Si Pesto which Google Translate tells me is new slices with mozzarella and pesto.
I’ll call them a much simpler and more creative name for this post: Cheese Balls.
The cheese balls came with 4 to an order for 5.5 Romanian lei, around $1.60 US. Definitely a fair price for a little snack at .40¢ per ball.
If you look at the photo above you’ll see that the cheese balls aren’t exactly round. Two of them are while another is a triangle and one other is almost oval-shaped. I guess this is why they went with calling the item “slices”.
When I bit into the first one I was impressed with the flavor. How could you go wrong eating a fried ball of mozzarella! These small bites of cheese had good flavor and the pesto was from mild to non-existent (which was good for me since I don’t love pesto).
My one complaint with the cheese balls was a lack of dipping sauce. I think they would’ve been even better with a little packet of tomato sauce on the side.
Do you like to visit McDonald’s when visiting new countries? If so, what are some of the best local items that you’ve tried?
Related Posts:
- That’s Different: Train Car McDonald’s– Fall River, MA
- A Visit To The First McDonald’s In Russia
- Some Tasty Local Finds At McDonald’s In Japan
- Balkans Trip: Some Local Menu Items At McDonald’s In Serbia
- Disappointing Breakfast Menu Items At McDonald’s In Germany
- Dallas Trip Recap- Day 1 (Zoo McDonald’s)
- Eat Your Big Mac Inside A McDonald’s Plane
Related posts from our trip Back to The Balkans:
James- I had not heard of the site before. I’ve been visting McD’s during trips all over the world for years!
ptahcha- Where is local for ya and how do they taste???
Our local Mickey D’s is testing mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce – 3 2″ sticks for $1.
“However, the main reason that I have to visit McDonald’s when traveling is to see if there are any menu items which are not available at home which might be unique or a variation of a local dish.”
If that is indeed true, Michael, you must read this weblog:
http://www.travellingmcds.com
It was great to meet you and your wife this past weekend. I hope that you had a safe and uneventful trip home…
Brian- It was very nice to also meet you in Vegas!
Thanks for the tip on that McD’s blog. I definitely have to check it for more than a quick skim. However, I don’t want to spoil the surprise of what might be on the menu of McD’s in future countries we visit!
How have you never heard of that site before?!
Especially when I spend hours of my life writing it. 😉
These come and go as special time items on McDonald’s menus in southern Europe. Have had them in Italy. Tasty snack.
Simon- I think we had a cheeseball type snack at a McD’s in Italy in the past too. From what I recall it was a different cheese though.