Kacang Pool Special

I love Kacang Pool.

But because it can be.. well.. a little on the unhealthy side (with all the ghee and the egg and the what-nots), it's best eaten in moderation. So that means that it'd better be a damn nice serving.

When I was a kid growing up in Eunos, the original Eunos market had some of the best food ever.
There was this one stall that sold only 2 things - Rojak Buah and Kacang Pool.
But it was for some reason, closed most of the time.

Well that stall stuck it out after the fire at the old marketplace and shifted to the new Eunos Market.

Kacang Pool ($3.00)

Well the stall sells a few more than 2 things now but Kacang Pools seems to remain a firm favourite.

Along with your piping hot kacang pool (made up of mashed fava or broad beans), you get a fried egg (which has a slightly runny yolk) and of course the usual garnishes like chilli and onions plus some bread.

A lot of people have a lot of differing preferences when it comes to their Kacang Pool I'm sure.

Some people like theirs to be on the chunky side which means the beans are not mashed or blended too finely. You'll still have a pretty thick consistency that way.

On the other hand, you have the people who like theirs to be runny and smooth. This means the beans are blended till extremely fine and I guess you say a little more of a fluid consistency.

For me - not fussy when it comes to this.
Thick or fluid I'm still gonna whack until finish.

And as you can see from the picture on the left, this stall has it just in the middle. You can scoop it up or soak it up with the french loaf that comes with it or you can just have it with the egg and garnishes. It's gonna be delicious either way. Oh, and you'll still a few whole beans that missed the blender.

Salt and Lime for additional seasoning

This stall goes the healthy route and does not seem to include any ghee.
There's definitely a good dose of oil but not much or no ghee and minimal additives.

They'll give you some salt and lime to add as you please.

Now that's what I call comfort food.
And when that runny yolk breaks and starts running all over the place, grab some bread, mop it up and shove it in your mouth and go "Mmmmm".

And for the record, I cleaned the plate. Literally. (I used the bread)

Adam's Verdict:
Kacang Pool 4.5/5

My old neighbourhood market may have relocated but some of the old stalls definitely followed suit and I'm so happy that they did and this stall is one fine example.

Kacang Pool Special

Eunos Crescent Food Market & Food Centre
Blk 4A Eunos Crescent #01-03

Operating Hours:
7.00am til 9.30pm (or til the food finishes)
Closed on Wednesdays

Wendy's - Beef Baconator and Chili & Cheese Baked Potato

No beef bacon was harmed in the making of this blog post.
Okay maybe that's not 100% true...

Apparently in the 1990's, Wendy's was a pretty popular joint in Singapore.
I'm guessing it could rival McDonald's and A&W back then when it came to American fast food.
But then again, I'm guessing very few fast food joints were certified Halal.

Well in 2010, Wendy's decided to return to Singapore after about a decade away from the scene. When they first returned however, they were still not certified Halal.

But lo and behold! Suddenly one day a few months - they were Halal!!!

And there are actually quite a number of items on the Wendy's menu that seem like they're worth trying.
But I decided to review the top 2 on my list to official review.

Beef Baconator Combo ($8.05)

Have you guys ever watched that episode of Epic Meal Time where the guy goes an orders "Fifteen Baconators"? Well I've gots to have me a Baconator. Because I loves me some meat.

One of Wendy's trademarks is that its beef patties are square. That's right - square.
I'm guessing this doesn't affect anything other than the fact that it's a uniquely shaped burger patty.

So the Baconator is basically a beef patty with cheese, ketchup and mayo plus some beef bacon strips.
And I guess you can say that they really don't mess around because there are literally no vegetables in the Baconator (unless you count the tomatoes used in the ketchup).

The beef patty itself was actually pretty bland. I'm not sure if they used any seasoning at all on the patty when they cooked it. They do make it clear that they are using a "100% PURE BEEF BURGER" which is very commendable (All Killer No Filler) but I think it might have been nice to have a 95% Beef Burger and 5% Seasoning to give it a little kick. In the end, you're tasting mainly the sauce!

And maybe some veggies (eg lettuce) might have been nice. But then again I do see where they were going with this burger in the sense that it's really a meaty-meat burger.

As for the beef bacon?
Well, as always, I'm going to say that they should have been more. But then again when have I ever said that there's enough beef bacon on anything?

But the beef bacon is not like what you might expect. I'm sure most of you must surely have tried the beef bacon or turkey bacon which is served at Burger King or McDonalds by now right? Well they fry their 'bacon' which makes it very crispy and sometimes even tends to have a slightly burnt taste.

The beef bacon at Wendy's is different. It's not crispy (it's probably grilled not fried) which means it's not going to snap or crunch. I guess this is actually a very nice change and makes the beef bacon very delicious.
But because it doesn't snap or crunch, please make sure you take a nice and proper bite into the burger because if not, you're going to end up sliding out the burger from between the buns.

Not sure what I'm talking about? Just try it.

And as for the fries that come along with the meal? Let me just say that these are monster fries and they give you a monster serving. They sprinkle a little sea salt which is a nice touch but boy were these fries filling.

But if you're not feeling like some fries...

Chili & Cheese Baked Potato ($3.50)

Okay so the Baked Potatoes is something unique to Wendy's. You can't very well go to KFC or McDonald's and have a baked potato can you? Baked potato lovers rejoice!

And they have a wide variety of baked potatoes too!
Click HERE to see the Baked Potatoes Menu!

The one picture above is the Chili & Cheese Baked Potato.
It's basically topped with their signature Chili (beef and beans galore) and some cheddar cheese.
To me personally, the baked potato was nothing special actually. The potato itself was a little dry. I mean, it was okay but it's nothing I would swoon over. But the Chili was not bad.

All-Beef Chili ($3.20)

I guess that okay-okay thing about it was the chilli. We're talking about an All-Beef Chili mixed in with some beans, celery and tomatoes for a nice hearty bowl of yum-yum. So if you think the baked potato is enough then go for it. But if you're greedy like me, get both!

Well most of the things reviewed today were beef products but Wendy's does have quite a number of other items like Chicken/Seafood burgers, Fried Chicken (which is not bad!!) and even a breakfast menu (which I was not very impressed with (Just ask my friend, Andi)

Adam's Verdict:
Beef Baconator 3.5/5 -- Chili and Cheese Baked Potato 2.5/5 -- All-Beef Chili 2.5/5

Maryah's's Verdict:
Chili and Cheese Baked Potato 3/5 -- All-Beef Chili 3/5

So Wendy's is a little hard to get to with their few outlets spread out far and wide but I have to say that if you happen to be in the vicinity of a Wendy's, it might just actually be worth your while to step in and try something. Sure it may cost a little more than your McChicken but it's actually not too bad once in awhile.

Wendy's (Liat Towers)

541 Liat towers #01-01
Orchard Road
Tel: 6737 8036
www.wendys.com.sg

Operating Hours: 24 Hours