Satay Boy - SB Wings

So we received a Facebook message from one of our readers months upon months ago to check out this place called Satay Boy located in Bedok.

So what was the draw at Satay Boy? Well, the message said to try the "Kick To The Face Chicken Wings" aka #KTTF Wings and it was accompanied by a picture of some chicken wings. I have to tell you - when someone says there's a food that will "kick you in the face", we gotta try it right!!!

So we tried to pay Satayboy a visit but unfortunately, we dropped by on a day when they were unfortunately closed... :(
But no! We refuse to give up! We want to be 'kicked in the face'!!!

So finally, we made our way down one sunny afternoon.
And to be honest, almost tak jadi because of an electrical fault (no electricity = no oven = no wings) but I guess luck was on our side!

Kick To The Face Chicken Wings ($1.70 per wing)

Take a close look at that picture and you can see why it's called 'Kick to the Face Chicken Wings'.
Can you see the Chilli Padi seeds? That's right. The sauce that coats these wings is made up of Chilli Padi and we're talking about PURE Chilli Padi and no additives!!

When the wings arrived, we got a big whiff and the unmistakeable aroma of the Chilli Padi. It even smelled spicy!! Seriously!!

To be honest I think Mein Brudder and I can handle quite a bit of spice (thanks to our Mum) but even we were feeling a bit worried to be honest. These wings were really living up to their name so far.

One bite and we can safely say that you can definitely taste the Chilli Padi flavour. The wings were tender and so well-cooked that the flesh just tears easily off the bone when you pull. But prepare to get your hands dirty because the best way to eat chicken wings is with your fingers!! Just be careful not to wipe your eyes!

The sauce is definitely spicy! But the good thing is that is not overpoweringly spicy that it's not edible. We've heard about Chicken Wings that have levels of spicy but it's just heat with no flavour.
Glad to say that this is not the case with Satayboy because you get the heat but you can still enjoy the flavour of the chicken and the Chilli Padi.

The heat does dissipate after awhile but you know your mouth has been set on fire for awhile.
I was really sweating let me tell you that!! But when the heat went away, we were so proud of ourselves. Chey! Action like we power like that can tahan. And then we found out that what we had was not the spiciest level yet... Ooops!!

Sweet & Spicy Wings ($1.50 per wing)

But for those of you who are not such 'hantu cili', no problem! Satayboy has you covered!
You can still enjoy the tender and tasty chicken but with a sweet and 'spicy' sauce instead. I know it says 'spicy' but it's really not spicy at all to be honest!

A good choice for those who are not looking for such a spicy kick or maybe even a warm up for those who are looking to tackle the higher levels.

We were graced with Satayboy's aka Luqman's company as we chomped down on our #KTTF wings and we have to say it was nice talking to him. Someone with a good honest idea and looking to carry on a legacy but on his own terms. Good to see the new generation working hard and The Halal Food Blog is more than happy to support!

They have more stuff at Satayboy including their famous SB Mee Rebus which we will try and review in future. And of course - the higher levels of the #KTTF Wings!!!

PS be sure to check out updates on the Satay Boy Instagram page to check if they are open/closed or if the #KTTF wings are in stock. They are so popular that they sell out all the time!
http://instagram.com/satayboy#

Satay Boy

Inside Hawa Restaurant
Blk 537 Bedok North Street 3

Tel: 9690 4269
www.facebook.com/satayboy88

Operating Hours: 12pm til 9pm Tuesdays til Sundays
Closed on Mondays

The Chicken Rice Chronicles Part 4: Tang Tea House

Aha! We have finally reached Part 4 in our series for Chicken Rice.
"Series?? What series???" you might be asking... Well, you might want to read THIS first then...

Okay ready? This time we are at Tang Tea House!

Chicken Rice ($4.00)

Okay let me start by saying that that picture up there actually shows a HALF CHICKEN serving.
The normal serving for 1 person is definitely lesser chicken than that but you'll see why we ended up with half a chicken by the end of this post...

I think those who have eaten at Tang Tea House will probably know what I'm talking about...

What's so nice about the Chicken Rice at Tang Tea House?
Well, in our humble opinion - it's gotta be the Roasted Chicken!

The meat is well-cooked and super tended. I'm not sure what technique they are employing here but it obviously works wonders and we've never had a time where we regretted ordering the Roasted Chicken at Tang Tea House (sometimes we even order it as is and without rice!)

The meat is super tender and the skin has a nice subtle crisp to it if you're lucky to get that part.
Well, we always order a half chicken so we ALWAYS get that part. Yes seriously. We always order half a chicken. No joke.

And that nice salty gravy that comes along with it... Ooohhhhh... That's the best part to me.
I know I know it's salty and you should eat in moderation but I think I love it too much. It definitely enhances the flavour overall if you ask me.

The rice as just so-so to be perfectly honest with you.
Yeah sure you do get some of the Chicken Rice flavour that you'd expect but it's really a very strong flavour.
Nice and grainy I guess but we have tasted better rice.

But my darling wife did rather like it though... Maybe it's just me...

The chilli is where the team's opinions kinda differ a little bit...

My Mum and my darling wife both adore the chilli. My mum says it's the bomb and even goes as far as to say it's 'the real thing'. I'm guessing she's saying that because it's more on the spicy side and less sweet compared to other Chicken Rice chillies around. My darling wife says it was "just nice".

I actually didn't like the chilli very much.
I guess I'm more used to the type of Chicken Rice chilli with a bit more vinegar and/or sugar. But you can see how thick the chilli's texture is so you know it's packing quite a punch!

Adam's Verdict:
Chicken 5/5 -- Rice 2.5/5 -- Chilli 2.5/5 -- Overall 4/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Chicken 5/5 -- Rice 3/5 -- Chilli 3.5/5 -- Overall 4.5/5

Asmah's Verdict:
Chicken 5/5 -- Rice 2/5 -- Chilli 4/5 -- Overall 4/5

Well it looks like Tang Tea House is tops so far in our list of Chicken Rice stalls for this series...
But then again, this is only part 3... Many more to come!!

But hey... let me repeat again... The Roasted Chicken at Tang Tea House is really the bomb!!!
It's minimum half a chicken whenever we go... Seriously...

Tang Tea House

359 Bedok Road
www.tangteahouse.com

Operating Hours:
11.00am til 4.00am 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

The Chicken Rice Chronicles Part 2: Afghanistan

So we are on to the 2nd makan place in our series for Chicken Rice.
I am of course referring to our series called The Chicken Rice Chronicles where we go around sampling the favourite Chicken Rice stalls of YOU - our readers.

You might want to read our intro post HERE before you go any further though.

Anyways on to the food!
Here's another name that was recommended by quite a number of our readers...

Chicken Rice ($3.50)

Afghanistan Family Restaurant is a name that many people (especially those living in Tampines) will be quite familiar with I reckon. It's been around for ages and is known for it's favourites like Murtabak and Briyani. But we're not here for the Murtabak or Briyani this time are we.

It recently underwent renovations but it's 100% back on track now and many of our readers felt that the Chicken Rice at Afghanistan deserved a mention on our list.

But will it be as nice as most people remember it to be?

When I first saw the serving of chicken, I thought to myself "No ways is this going to be enough".
But surprisingly enough, it was actually just nice in terms of the portion.

The chicken comes with some special sauce over the top. I'm not really 100% sure what it consists of but just from the taste, I'm guessing it's made up mostly of onions and garlic. I have to say it definitely makes a difference in the taste department because the chicken itself is unfortunately not exactly bursting with flavour.

The chicken meat was pretty tender though I have to say.

I have to say I was actually quite disappointed with the rice.

It was quite dry actually. It was a little on the hard side which I actually don't mind but because of how dry it is, you're definitely gonna have a sip of drink after every one or two mouthfuls.

Here is where the biggest disappointment came - the Chilli.

This was the type of Chicken Rice chilli which was mostly vinegar so you have a nice sour tang to it. Definitely some sugar to sweeten and even it out a bit. But nothing much at all in the spicy department.
Please don't get me wrong. I love the vinegary type of chilli. But somehow I guess I was expecting the chilli to be the star since the chicken and the rice were not doing so well in my books.

Let me try and place this taste for you.
I'm not sure how many of you will remember this but bear with me okay.

When I still in school in the early 90's (I'm talking about the times when Chicken Rice cost $1.50), I used to hit Bedok Library pretty often with some school buddies. And either before or after, we'd have lunch at a nearby makan place called Alfiah.

Alfiah was located along the same row as where the current Bedok Central NTUC stands (but it's long gone now) and pretty much everytime I'd have the Chicken Rice because it was cheap and we got full.

The Chicken Rice Chilli at Afghanistan tastes exactly like the chilli I used to have as a kid at Alfiah.
Vinegary and sweet. So if anyone of you remembers the Chicken Rice at Alfiah, well, this is the pretty much the same taste for the chilli that you'll get at Afghanistan.

Adam's Verdict:
Chicken 2.5/5 -- Rice 2/5 -- Chilli 2/5 -- Overall 2/5

I have a very strong feeling that the standards have dropped at Afghanistan. I've heard people saying that about their Murtabak and other stuff and perhaps it seems the Chicken Rice too now?

My darling wife and her family mentioned that some of the stall owners have changed over the many years and maybe even after the recent renovations. And they would know because they live just across the street and have been eating here for ages as I'm sure quite a number of our readers have too.

I'm not even sure if this is the same people selling the Chicken Rice that the readers have recommended.
But it's still a nice place to have some makan with family and/or friends. I guess that when I do visit again, I'll probably order something else.

Afghanistan Family Restaurant

201E Tampines Street 23
Chicken Rice Stall

Tel: 6783 7746

Operating Hours:
7.30am til 11.30pm Daily
(Opens at 3.00pm on Friday afternoons)

KL Sedap Part 1: Grand Seri Garuda Emas

So we're going to begin our KL Sedap series!

I know a lot of us probably travel overseas to KL more often than any other city.
It's convenient, not too far away and is a modern city but still rich in history and culture.
AND HAS PLENTY OF MAKAN!

Let's face it, whenever we go to KL, confirm plus chop plus guarantee we're definitely going to spend a good amount of time eating. There's just so much to eat! From the street stalls to the restaurants, there's simply no end I tell you!

Well anyways our adventure begins at a place that my darling wife went to on one of her previous visits.
She kept raving about this dish she had called 'Ayam Pop' which was apparently the BOMB!
We tried a version in Singapore but it was a complete disaster so we've gone to the original source of my wife's fascination with this dish.

And since this was a family trip, my trusted brothers-in-law (and fellow foodies) Razali and Azim were along for this makan adventure in KL. Read more about them at our Bio page!

So Restoran Grand Seri Garuda Emas actually serves authentic Minang-style food.
We're talking about good old 'put everything on the table and we charge you for what you eat' kinda thing.

As you'd expect, they have the usual Padang favourites like Daging Salai, various seafood and vegetables.
They even have otak (brains)!!

And let's not forget the favourite Cabe Hijau (Green Chilli)!!!

Yeah we all know about Nasi Padang (or Minang) but what about this Ayam Pop eh?

Ayam Pop

 So what's so special about Ayam Pop anyways?
Apparently, the chicken is marinated then boiled in coconut water.

So the coconut water does nothing much for the flavour of the chicken but it surely makes the chicken meat very tender while retaining a moist texture. And let me tell you something else. Another thing it doesn't help is the appearance! But appearances aside, this chicken is really super tender and you DO get a hint of the coconut water and when you bite into it.

Well, anyways Azim wasn't buying into any of the coconut water talk and says it doesn't make much of a difference. But both he and Razali agree that.. it.. doesn't.. look.. appetizing....

They give you this special sambal to go with the Ayam Pop.
It's basically a mix of petis (fermented shrimp paste) and chillies. It's actually pretty spicy but the petis definitely kills any chance of it being overpowering.

I love me some petis so this was definitely a hit.

But for those of you who aren't interested in any boiled chicken...

Ayam Goreng

Great news! They also some pretty good Ayam Goreng!
(It definitely looks better doesn't it?)

Adam's Verdict:
Ayam Pop 3/5 -- Ayam Goreng 3.5/5

Maryah's Verdict:
Ayam Pop 4.5/5 -- Ayam Goreng 3/5

Razali's Verdict:
Ayam Pop 2/5 -- Ayam Goreng 3.5/5

Azim's Verdict:
Ayam Pop 2.5/5

Well besides the Ayam Pop and Ayam Goreng, the rest of the dishes are really good too.
I really enjoyed the fried beef dishes and the vegetable dishes like 'Terung Sambal'!
Worth the trip if you're in the area and hankering for some Nasi Padang!

Restoran Grand Seri Garuda Emas

No 176 Jalan Raja Abdullah
Kg Baru, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Tel: +60 0322027170
www.garuda.my

Operating Hours: 10.00am til midnight Daily

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