Badoque

So I've known about Badoque for a damn long time. Seriously long.
I have no idea what took me so long to visit because pretty much every single person who told me about Badoque has told me to visit ASAP cos it apparently rocks.

I guess maybe I was waiting for the right time? Or maybe that's just an excuse?
Well, I finally decided the time had arrived when the HungryGoWhere project came around and I thought what better time to finally visit Badoque.

And I know I only mentioned the pasta in my HungryGoWhere Guest Instagrammer feature but the truth is - I had more than just pasta!

Garlic Chilli Chuka ($7.50)

When they say "Chuka" here, they mean the baby octopus. Yes, it took me awhile to get it (I was thinking of cuka as in vinegar... I'm slow I know... LOL). But for those of you who love baby octopus (maybe in your sushi?), this is a must have.

The baby octopus was cooked to perfection and not tough or chewy at all. Had a great bite to it and you could definitely get the hints of the chilli without being to spicy. Scoop it up with some of the chopped garlic there for a great mouthful. If you're a fan of garlic like me, you're gonna wish they gave more garlic.

Smoked Duck Pasta Putanesca ($24.00)

This was the reason I made my way down to Badoque during Ramadhan to iftar on a rainy evening.
It was either this or the Squid Ink Pasta. I decided on the duck because I was feeling a bit quacky.

I'll be honest and say that the pasta and the accompanying tomato sauce was pretty okay. I mean, there wasn't anything wrong with it but I guess it was overshadowed by the smoked duck. That's right, the star of this dish is definitely the smoke duck (like duh it's in the name right).

It is not easy to find Halal duck anything these days let alone Halal duck that is prepared well. And this smoked duck is super duper in my books. Some might say it's a little tough but I think it's pretty okay actually and I really enjoyed the smokey flavour.

So if you're a fan of duck or smoked meats for that matter, you should try this dish.
No doubt, it may not be for everyone but I think quite a lot of people love this (especially judging by Badoque's Instagram page!)

And they are super generous with the serving of smoked duck and also the pasta. Actually, I guess they'd better be with a $24 price tag on this dish.

Iced Salted Caramel ($7.50)

To wash it all down, I decided on another item I kept seeing on Badoque's Instagram page.
And boy oh boy I found out why this was so popular.

If you have a sweet tooth, you're gonna love this. It's sweet and a hint of salty with the caramel flavour completely taking you in. Nice and refreshing and you're going to find it hard to just sip this slowly. I ended up taking bigger and bigger gulps each time.

And they are not stingy with the caramel either.

Adam's Verdict:
Garlic Chilli Chuka 3.5/5 -- Smoked Duck Pasta Putanesca 4/5 -- Iced Salted Caramel 3.5/5

I'd heard mixed feedback about the service at Badoque with some reviews online saying that the staff was top notch and the rest saying the opposite. Well, my experience was power! The crew were very friendly and even took the time to chat for a bit while waiting for my food, checking if everything was okay while I was eating and even after I'd paid and was ready to go. And it was a full house too and it seems like the managed pretty well.

I think one of the reasons for Badoque's popularity (besides the food) is that it's run by people who love what they do and they're not afraid to have some fun while they do it. They try to inject a light-hearted mood into your experience without being too irritating. One good example is the menu. Quirky quotes and making small jokes is a winner in my book. PS that's my uncle in the picture.

Lots more on the menu to try at Badoque so I foresee visiting lots more times. Next in my sights is their Ribs aka Monster Ribs aka Daging Gedegak!!

PS they have 2 outlets - one is Simpang Bedok and one in Thomson - and some items are available only at one store and not the other so check first.

And don't forget to read the article on HungryGoWhere.com!!

Badoque

298 Bedok Road (Simpang Bedok)

Tel: 64466928
www.facebook.com/badoquecafeSG

Operating Hours:
12pm to 10pm Daily

Popeyes - Chili Garlic Wicked Chicken

So I received this brochure with the coupons in my mail for some goodies at Popeyes.
As soon as I saw the latest 'promo' item on the front, I thought to myself (in the immortal words of my good buddy, Joseph) "Mmmm... I want somma that!!" (or something along those lines).

In all honesty, that looked like some mighty fine chicken and the thought of the 'Chili Garlic' flavour really made my mouth water. In fact, I was so eager that I stepped out for lunch one day and hopped over to the nearest Popeyes at Bedok Point.

And this is what I got...

Chili Garlic Wicked Chicken with Red Rice ($6.90)

Let's take a closer look at that from above...
Just to show you the whole platter in case you think you're missing the big picture.

Okay now scroll back up to the top of the post and compare those two pictures with the first one of the brochure. Does it look like the same dish in those photos? Because the name is the same so it has to be the same dish in all 3 photos right? But why do they look so different???

Listen. I don't mean to be nit-picky and look at all the small stuff but hey - the picture on the brochure shows the chicken completely covered in the Chili Garlic sauce and that's what I thought I'd be getting. Sorry but I'm the 'Sauce Guy' and I wanted to try this dish because of the sauce.

Anyways, the chicken is the type which is the flat chicken strips so it tends to be a bit dry. Which is why the sauce would have been nice. And to be honest - the sauce was not bad! Only too little!!

Maybe if they are finding it a challenge to completely coat the chicken strips in the sauce, they should just serve the chicken and rice with a bowl of the sauce on the side so that we can just dip it in ourselves and at least be content with the amount of sauce on our chicken.

Okay fine. Enough about the chicken...

Yes. The 'Red Rice' is white.
I read on Popeyes Facebook page that the 'Red' in 'Red Rice' actually refers to the spices and seasoning to give the 'Red Rice' it's unique flavour that will go well with the Wicked Chicken.

Well, the rice I got was neither red in colour nor the taste.
It tasted just like normal white rice!!

And then I read further on Popeyes Facebook page and realized that I was not the only one who had a problem... Plenty of other people were leaving comments and feedback about this as well. I guess maybe something went wrong somewhere because there didn't seem to be a whole lot of Red Rice anywhere... And that price of $6.90 did not even include any drink or side order...

Mashed Potato

Luckily for me, I opted to top-up $2.90 for a drink and a side order of Popeyes famous Mashed Potato which is probably the best mashed potato you can find in any fast food joint in Singapore.

Well, at least my whole meal wasn't too bad. A little too pricey for something where you're not satisfied at the end of it I say.

Adam's Verdict:
Chili Garlic Wicked Chicken 1.5/5

I used to think that Burger King was at the bottom of my list when it came to fast food standards but they recently redeemed themselves with their King Dogs.
Looks like Popeyes has a lot to do to buck up.

Popeyes

Bedok Point
799 Upper Changi Road
#03-06

Tel: 6448 9312
www.popeyes.com.sg

Operating Hours: 10am to 10pm Daily

Blue Diamond Restaurant: Naan and Butter Chicken

My Dad, Brother and myself went to Blue Diamond Restaurant with the intentions of having biryani for our next installment of the Quest for Briyani series (which will be posted soon).

But my Brother decided to try something else at the same time.

Garlic Naan ($2.50)

Oh I love Naan. And apparently so does my Brother!
There's something about freshly baked bread that just does it for us I guess. Fresh and hot!

The garlic flavour is not too strong on this one so those 'vampires' among you need not worry.
My brother says this one is a bit too dry though. And we LOVE our garlic so I guess this was a bit of a letdown for us.

Butter Chicken ($6.00)

When someone says Butter Chicken, I always imagine some pieces of chicken swimming in a butter sauce. Well technically, this is exactly the same description but definitely more vivid.

The butter sauce is delicious in my opinion. It's buttery and still have the spicy taste you expect.
It's not too spicy though so you don't have to worry. In fact, my Dad says it's sweet!

It goes really well with the Naan and surprisingly well when I paired it with my briyani too!

Adam's Verdict:
Garlic Naan 3/5 -- Butter Chicken 4/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Garlic Naan 2/5 -- Butter Chicken 3.5/5

Zain's Verdict:
Garlic Naan 4/5

I have a feeling we will be going to a few more places for Naan and Butter Chicken..

Blue Diamond Restaurant

24 Buffalo Road
(Across from Tekka Market)

Operating Hours: 9.30am til 10.00pm Daily