Chickano

Hey everyone have you heard the news? Probably not right...
THERE'S A NEW FRIED CHICKEN JOINT IN TOWN!! IT'S CALLED CHICKANO!!

Well, I know we tried to be dramatic but FAILED! LOL

Anyways we actually came across this by pure chance. One of my colleagues, Hamidah, suddenly sends me this tip and says we have to try it. In fact, we tried ordering via the delivery hotline on the site but it wasn't available yet. Well, just so happens my Darling Wife and I were out with baby Alyssa and were decidedly hungry in the Bedok area...

3pcs Fried Chicken Meal ($9.50)

Of course - we had to try the fried chicken at a fried chicken joint right?!
I decided to to go for the 3pc because I was actually really hungry. You could have the 2pcs Friend Chicken Meal ($7.50) if you're not that hungry or maybe the 9pcs Fried Chicken Meal ($24.50) if you're out with the family (or just a really really big eater!!) They also have a roasted alternative if you're interested...

I have to say I really quite enjoyed the fried chicken!
The chicken was superbly cooked - nice and tender and juicy. The skin had a nice crisp to it with good seasoning to match.

The coating isn't the type with a super crunchy bite. I guess it's kinda more like Original Recipe but a bit crispier than usual. best enjoyed hot!!

Home-made Beef Burger ($8.50 for the meal / $6.50 ala carte)

If you're not in the mood for fried chicken, fret not! They also have other items on the menu including some burgers. You have a choice between a Beef Burger and a Chicken Karaage Burger. We decided to go for the beef since we're the meat people.

But... we started to question our decision after awhile...

The beef patty is definitely something they make from scratch here. It had quite a nice seasoning to be honest but for some reason, the top and bottom of the patty was burnt. Not charred... but burnt.

I quite like my burger to have a bit of char but I think this one was left a little too long on the grill. There's a difference between a charred flavour and a burnt taste. And this was really disappointing especially because the meat was quite tasty. If it wasn't so burnt, it's quite a nice burger actually.

Another problem was the bun. If you look at the first picture above, you can see it's actually quite out of sorts. It actually didn't fit the burger because it was so scrunched up like it had been crumpled up for so long. Maybe they should consider not using a bun if it's... errr... like that. It was like the bun had been in a fight and was in a really bad shape.

Besides that, you get some lettuce and cheese. Please note there is no sauce, which is fine because some burgers you just wanna enjoy the pure taste, so add your own if you'd like.

Cheese Fries

When you order a set meal, you get a choice of drink and a side order of fries.
If you're a Cheese Fries person, just add $0.50 and you can upgrade your regular fries to Cheese Fries! Power right!

I must say that the serving of fries was very very generous! It's enough fries to share actually.

But if you don't want fries then you might consider some other more 'traditional' sides with your fried chicken or burger?

Coleslaw ($2.50)

The coleslaw was not bad actually. Nice mix of cabbage and carrots and you even get a few plump and sweet raisins in there. It's on the sweet side so don't expect the sour type of coleslaw.

And what normally accompanies coleslaw?

Mashed Potato ($2.50)

Errrr... something is wrong with that picture...

I think maybe because it was not kept in a warm environment or maybe there was too much thickening agent or something but the brown gravy you normally get with mashed potatoes kinda coagulated on the top. Yeah... it's because a jelly.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with the taste but I guess the look of it was kind of a turn off.
Maybe Chickano might take some feedback and either keep their mashed potato in a warmer (if they'd like to pre-pack it) or maybe only scoop in the gravy )being kept warm and fluid) when someone orders it so that it's guaranteed to be at the desired consistency.

And I know some of you might be thinking "No lah can't be that bad until like jelly lah..."

We're really not kidding...

But like I said, absolutely nothing wrong with the taste.

From the counter, you can actually see into the kitchen and I think I saw someone creaming the mashed potato by hand so I guess this is another item they prepare manually which I can very much appreciate.

Adam's Verdict:
Fried Chicken 3.5/5 -- Beef Burger 2.5/5 -- Cheese Fries 2/5
Coleslaw 4/5 -- Mashed Potato 2.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Fried Chicken 3.5/5 -- Beef Burger 2/5 -- Cheese Fries 1.5/5
Coleslaw 2.5/5 -- Mashed Potato 1/5

I like the idea at Chickano because, hey, who doesn't like some fried chicken right?
And I think they have a really good product too. They've got a pretty good fried chicken recipe and some pretty interesting items on the menu. It's nice to see that they are also hand-making a lot of their stuff instead of using instant or prepared ingredients.

When we visited last weekend, Chickano was only about a week old so I'm pretty sure that given a bit of time, they should be able to fine tune certain things after awhile (ahem ahem mashed potato gravy)
Anyways let's support our local brands!

PS you might see a delivery number on their site but that's gonna be operational maybe only next month in October 2014 according to the lady at the counter.

Chickano

Blk 527 Bedok North St 3
#01-520

Tel: 6448 8660
www.facebook.com/ChickanoSG

Operating Hours:
10am to 10pm Daily

Texas Chicken: Jalapeño TXtreme Chicken

Saw this poster for Texas Chicken's latest promo offering and I have to say it did actually seem very inviting. But that was around mid-July which meant we'd have to wait til after Ramadhan to get our hands on this chicken to truly enjoy it.

Well, the time had come and we made our way down to Texas Chicken to see if this new promo Jalapeño TXtreme Chicken lived up to its name.

Jalapeño TXtreme Chicken Meal ($8.20)

So the Jalapeño TXtreme Chicken meal comes with 2 pieces of chicken, a side order (choose either French Fries, Mashed Potatoes, Coleslaw or Onion Rings), a drink and also a Honey Butter Biscuit (more on that later) for good measure.

So what exactly makes the Jalapeño TXtreme Chicken so special anyways?
Well, a little research showed that they really take their chicken seriously at Texas Chicken!!

The new Jalapeño TXtreme Chicken boasts 3 things - being Spicy, Juicy and Crunchy! And how do they achieve that? Well first they marinate the chicken in a mix of jalapeño and habanero peppers, plus garlic and a whole load of other spices for no less than 12 hours. Next, they ensure the chicken is hand-battered to make sure each piece of chicken is evenly battered to guarantee the super crunch. And lastly, they sprinkle on some of their signature salsa seasoning on to the chicken.

Signature salsa seasoning

If they're gonna go through all that trouble then it had better be good right...
WELL IT'S REALLY GOOD!

Let me start of by saying that one of the best things we enjoyed about this Jalapeño TXtreme Chicken is that the batter coating is REALLY crunchy! And in a good way! I know we've heard it all before but they're not kidding here and it was great to have some nice crispy and crunchy batter-coated chicken to bite into and feel (and hear) that crunch!

And the chicken was tender and juicy too. I always have the breast meat which I know a lot of people might actually avoid because they say it's always too dry but this was really tender and not dried out at all. Perfect frying technique!

You can definitely taste the spices they have generously incorporated here but those of you who can tahan spicy food probably won't have too much of a problem. I know a few people who will consider this really spicy though so get some extra drinks if you need! Don't be shy!

And I know it's not a new item but since this was the first time I was trying it I thought why not include it here...

Honey Butter Biscuit

I've only had Biscuits with Fried Chicken at Popeyes (as I'm sure most of you have too) and this was the first time I was trying the biscuits at Texas Chicken... And after my first few bites, I suddenly realized that THIS HONEY BUTTER BISCUIT WAS THE BOMB!!

The honey and the butter really give it a delicious taste but not overpowering at all.
The outside was nice and crisp but the inside was still soft and fluffy and tasty. Plus it did not crumble when you tear the biscuit apart too!

I'm even going to go as far as to say that in the Battle of the Biscuits,
TEXAS CHICKEN WINS!!

The Jalapeño TXtreme Chicken is only going to be available for a limited time (no idea when they're gonna end the promo though) so be sure to head down and try some while you can. Texas Chicken has about 10 restaurants island-wide so you can't miss it!!

Texas Chicken

10 restaurants island-wide
http://www.texaschicken.com.sg

Operating Hours: 10.00am til 10.00pm Daily

The Chicken Rice Chronicles Part 3: Aspirasi

Harlow harlow harlow!
Is everybody ready for some Chicken Rice Chronicles?!?!

Well if you have no idea what we are babbling about then please READ THIS before you go any further!

Well our 3rd installment of the Chicken Rice Chronicles brings us to a far side of the island.
I say far because we live in the East and this place is located all the way at Harbourfront!
But hey... anywhere for good food right?

Chicken Rice ($3.50)

Another fan-favourite with our readers - Aspirasi Chicken Rice at Seah Im Food Centre!
I'll be 100% honest with you - the name Aspirasi was not familiar to me at all until our beloved readers responded to our call for their fave Chicken Rice places around SG. This was one name that popped up!

The first thing I noted is the very distinctive coating on the chicken.
Deep fried and crispy perfection, I can see why so many people love the chicken here!

I'd never really had chicken rice where the chicken was coated and fried this way before.
I guess the expectation is to have either Roasted or Steamed Chicken when you have your Chicken Rice but it seems like this type of battered and crispy chicken is really popular nowadays!

Well anyways, the crispy coating was quite a delight but I guess I still prefer the Roasted version. It's a pity that Aspirasi only has one type of chicken which the specialize in. But perhaps it's true when they say 'A jack of all trades is a master of none' because they've really mastered the fried chicken here.

I didn't really fancy the rice very much though.
I found it quite dry and lacking any flavour that you'd expect in a plate of Chicken Rice.

It's quite a pity though because the chicken was really nice and would have been great to have some tasty rice to go along with it.

Thank goodness the chilli rocks!
Nice and tangy and a very nice compliment to the crispy fried chicken. And one of the best things is that they are not stingy with their chilli! There's a big tub of it at the front of the shop so help yourself!

And they may have only the fried chicken but you can get that in a few versions including Sambal, Sweet and Sour, Lemon, Black Pepper, Penyet, Nasi Goreng Ayam and also Tomato Sambal. Maybe next time we'll try one of those...

Adam's Verdict:
Chicken Rice 3/5

This was the first time I'd tried crispy fried chicken with my Chicken Rice and it was definitely a good first impression. Guess it'll take a little getting used to. But the chilli was the bomb! Pity about the rice though.

Aspirasi

Seah Im Food Centre
2 Seah Im Road

Tel: 9297 2025
www.facebook.com/aspirasifoodgalore

Operating Hours: 9am til 9pm Daily
Closed on Mondays

Makan In Malacca Part 1: A&W

My earliest memory of A&W as a kid was having it in KL.
My Dad's brother was working for KTM and we took the train down to KL one day to visit. There was an A&W right at the train station.

The last time I had A&W in Singapore was at the Lau Pa Sat outlet.
I think that was probably around... 2000 or 2001 maybe?
It had become so unpopular (for some reason) that they resorted to gimmicks like selling Nasi Lemak and Chicken Thigh Rice (seriously!) which was actually really sad. A&W was always a place we could go and have waffles and chicken wings and Coney Dogs!

Well alas, there's no more A&W in Singapore but you can hop over somewhere nearby (like Malaysia or Indonesia) to get your fix if you'd like. So my darling wife and I could not resist when we spotted an outlet near our hotel in Melacca.

Chicken Coney Dog (RM11.65 for the combo)

Actually, A&W automatically loses points from the start because my wife asked for the BEEF Coney Dog and for some reason we ended up with the Chicken version instead... Tsk tsk...

Well anyways. The Coney Dog has got to be a fan favourite with most of you am I right? A nice, soft, tender sausage covered in beef chilli and onions all resting in a nice soft bun.

YUMMY!

In this case, we opted to pay an additional RM1.00 to get a small tub of Coney Sauce to add on to the sausage! Genius!
Anyways it's really cheap so it's well worth it to get that little bit of extra Coney kick! You can also use it on your fries!

I personally would have asked for more onions but hey maybe that's just me?

But I'm very sure most of you will agree with me - The Coney Dog rules.

Golden Aroma Chicken (RM12.65 for the combo)

 As for me, I decided to have something else that A&W was pretty famous for - Fried Chicken.

I'm actually not sure how many of you might have had back in the days in Singapore.
I remember seeing it but most of the time it'd be Coney Dogs and Waffles for me. Maybe once in awhile can whack some Chicken Wings but not very often I'd have to say.

Well let me say this - the Fried Chicken is good!
If you're not looking for any burgers or hotdogs then go for the chicken. It's tasty and it's got a nice coating on it. Nice chilli sauce to go along and you're set.

Curly Fries vs French Fries

With your combo order, you actually get fries to go along with your main.
A&W is definitely an icon when it came to the Curly Fries. In fact I think they might have actually pioneered the Curly Fries movement because I don't remember anyone else having it.

And they're still pretty curly today of course!

But.. don't let the normal French Fries fool you.
They may seem unsuspecting and you're more likely going to go for the Curly Fries but those normal French Fries are actually pretty tasty too!

Root Beer Float (RM2.00 top-up with combo)

And last but definitely not least - The Root Beer Float.

Well it's still refreshing but I have to say that a lot of the kick is lost when it's not in the frosty mug.
In fact, the last few times we've had A&W Root Beer Floats (in KL and Bandung), they've all been in paper cups. So I guess the signature frosty mugs have gone bye-bye and perhaps so has some of the appeal of the good ol' Root Beer Float.

Adam's Verdict:
Chicken Coney Dog 4/5 -- Golden Aroma Chicken 3/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Chicken Coney Dog 4.5/5 -- Curly Fries 5/5

I wonder how the Beef Coney dog would have fared...
Oh well. Maybe we'll go back again. On Tuesday. Because Tuesday is Coney Day!

A&W

Dataran Pahlwan Megamall (South Entrance)
Jalan Merdaka, Melaka, Malaysia
www.facebook.com/awmalaysia

Operating Hours:
10.00am til 11.00pm (Sundays - Thursdays)
10.00am til 12.00am (Fridays and Saturdays)

Image from Google Maps