KFC: Asam Pedas Zinger and Cheezy Zinger

I happened to chance upon a video that was uploaded on KFC Singapore's Facebook page once day and I could not believe what I was actually seeing...

The fast food joints in Singapore come up with all kinds of promotional items on the menus and sometimes they try to incorporate some local flavour into it. We've had the Rendang Burger (Burger King and McDonalds), Prosperity Burger (McDonalds) and even Chicken Rice (KFC) in the past. And now KFC has come up with something I reckon very few of us would have ever expected.

Time to meet the Zingers!

Asam Pedas Zinger and Cheezy Zinger ($4.50 ala carte or $6.90 for the meal)

Okay so maybe the Cheezy Zinger is not so shocking but Asam Pedas??
That's definitely something very adventurous I'd say.

Asam Pedas Zinger

As usual, it never ever looks like the promo picture am I right?

I actually expected to at least see some of the Asam Pedas sauce dripping off the sides or something.
In fact, some of our readers say that different outlets seem to have different amounts of the Asam Pedas sauce on the burger. Inconsistent!!

No wonder the sauce is not visible. The sauce is on the crown and covered with the lettuce.
Perhaps it would have been a better idea to have the Asam Pedas sauce directly on the Zinger patty instead of the bun. At least maybe the flavour would have been more intense.

The Asam Pedas sauce on its own surprisingly actually tastes like an authentic Asam Pedas!
Well, close enough anyways. I'd say it's a good effort and it's even got a bit of a spicy kick to it (but not much). Unfortunately the flavour of the sauce is lost when you take a bite of the Zinger as a whole.
Perhaps a case of too little sauce?

And what's up with the slice of tomato? I've never has tomato in my Asam Pedas before.

Cheezy Zinger

Looks a bit closer to the promo picture (but not quite).

This is basically exactly what the name implies. You know the KFC Cheese Fries? Well, this is the same thing but on a Zinger. The nacho cheese and mayonnaise on a Zinger patty instead of a bed of fries.

I actually found this one quite boring.
People love the Cheese Fries for the cheesy flavout but somehow that is also lost here with the Zinger.
Perhaps it's because the nacho cheese flavour is not very intense.

I can see how come people might like it but I guess if I wanted to have a cheesy something at KFC then I'd probably just stick to the Cheese Fries.

And speaking of Cheese Fries....

Cheese Fries ($4.50)

BONUS REVIEW!!

Awhile back, KFC decided they were going to change their fries.
This meant a "Thicker, crispier and tastier" french fry. Supposedly a step-up from their old fries?

Well anyways this also means that the fries used in the Cheesy Fries is also changed to the new one.
You can pretty much see the difference in the picture above. The fries are thicker and a lot more solid than the older version and they definitely look a lot more solid and crispy.

I personally feel that as a standalone french fry, the new version is not bad actually.
But in terms of Cheesy Fries, I actually prefer the older version. There's just something special about the fries getting soggy with all the cheese sauce and mayonnaise and starts hanging on your forks as you bring it to your mouth.

Based on the some of the comments on KFC's facebook page, it seems that quite a number of people feel the same way too. But then again, we are merely comparing the new fries to the old. Some people will still enjoy this new version. Guess we will just need to learn to get used to it.

But the Cheese Fries experience still rocks.

Adam's Verdict:
Asam Pedas Zinger 2.5/5 -- Cheezy Zinger 2/5 -- Cheese Fries 3.5/5

I'd say it was actually a pretty good effort with the Asam Pedas Zinger. Not so much with the Cheezy one.
But if I had to choose between all of them, I'd choose the good old original Zinger.

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)

Over 80 outlets island-wide

Delivery Hotline: 6222 6111
www.kfc.com.sg

Operating Hours: Varies with each outlet

Makan In Malacca Part 2: Restoran Hajjah Ruhana

One of the biggest surprises we got when we were in Malacca was how fiercely proud the locals were about the Asam Pedas there. I mean, I know Malacca has a lot of yummy food but I've actually never heard anyone say "Hey Malacca is the place to go for Adam Pedas!".

And the funny thing is that after someone told us about it, we suddenly noticed makan places all over proudly displaying signs touting their Asam Pedas.

Well now this was definitely interesting.

Well after a long session of walking and shopping, my darling wife and I decided it was finally time to try some 'Famous' Asam Pedas. The weather was hot. Out feet were tired. And we were bloody hungry.

Just beside Pahlawan Walk, we stumbled upon Restoran Hajjah Ruhana.
To be honest, it was the closest place where were and it had available seats. There was another makan place just opposite but it seemed like a giant family had swarmed the place so we settled down at Hajjah Ruhana.

As you can see, it's really a modest place.
Simple set-up and it's literally what you see is what you get!

There was a decent spread of vegetable dishes both cooked (like taugeh and bayam etc) and raw (like urap and kacang botor etc) so you should be spoiled for choice in that department. Don't forget to grab the extras like salted egg and sambal belacan too if you fancy!

Well we were here for the Asam Pedas!
They had like 5 or 6 different varieties there each cooked with a different fish. For those of you who are particular about the type of fish (like me) then you should be able to find at least one that you're agreeable with lah so no problem.

Asam Pedas (Ikan Sembilang) with Ladyfingers and Bayam

Asam Pedas (Ikan Tenggiri) with Kacang Botor, Urap and Salted Egg

I'm not really a catfish fan so my wife had the top plate and the bottom one was mine.

It's really simple.
You get your rice, get your mains and your veg and sit down. The lady will come and tally up later.
It's self-serve so you can take as little or as much as you want. And it's really reasonable priced too!

For those 2 plates of food PLUS 4 drinks (hot day so 2 drinks each) it came up to RM22.60!
That's like... $5 per person for everything!

And trust me, it's really good and hearty.

Asam Pedas Ikan Tenggiri

The Asam Pedas in Melacca is really quite unique.
We were really curious to know what was so different from the Asam Pedas we get back home in Singapore and there really is a difference. We can't quite place it but it's just... different.

It's definitely thicker in consistency and that kind of make a difference I guess.
Who knows what secret ingredients or techniques they employ in Melacca. Anyways I'm sure that everyone has their secret recipe. If we were to eat at a different restaurant, it might taste different probably.

Adam's Verdict:
Asam Pedas 4/5

Maryah's Verdict
Adam Pedas 4/5

But let me say this - my wife is not an Asam Pedas fan at all.
But she still says that this is delicious and she literally cleared her plate of food.
Maybe we were really hungry? Maybe it was damn delicious.

Restoran Hajjah Ruhana

Jalan PM3, Plaza Mahkota, Melaka
(Below Comfortable Inn Hotel)

Operating Hours: 10.00am til 10.00pm Daily

Image by Google Maps