Pizza Hut - Squid Ink Linguine & Traditional Bolognaise

Yeah okay we know. Kinda unexpected to suddenly post about Pizza Hut when it's not a special item like the last time we posted on their special Hand-stretched Signature Series.

But hey. We passed by a Pizza Hut and ate there so we figured we'd post it.
After all, we love to eat right?

Squid Ink Lunguine ($15.50)

Okay I have to be perfectly honest and say this is not what I was expecting at all.
When I see pictures of Squid Ink pasta dishes, the squid ink is normally incorporated into the pasta during the actual making of the pasts which results in a black-coloured noodle.

I had no idea that sometimes, the squid ink was made into the sauce!
It was so unbelievable to me that I had to ask a few 'experts' who worked in restaurants that served Squid Ink pasta to confirm it. Yeah I know I'm a jakun. Anyways I'm not sure why I was making such a big deal about it since it was Mein Bruder who ordered it.

The sauce was very 'lemak' because of the cream but kinda lacked any seasoning. Maybe a little bit more could have been added to the sauce to give it some taste instead of just relying on the black squid ink.

There were some prawns and slices of squid to go along to for an extra bite by the way.
And a word of advice - the stuff stains your mouth and teeth so be sure to wipe to avoid any possible embarassment!

When they say Black Squid Ink, they mean BLACK Squid Ink!!

Traditional Bolognaise ($11.50)

I went for a safer bet and had the Traditional Bolognaise (said in my best Italiano accent).
Yeah I know. Kinda boring right? But I guess I just felt like going the traditional route for lunch.

The Bolognaise was pretty standard and it comes with 3 (kinda small) beef meatballs.
Serving was just nice for 1 and made for a pretty hearty meal. Meatballs were nice too and reminded me of the meatballs at Swensen's but without the black pepper kick.

Adam's Verdict:
Traditional Bolognaise 3/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Squid Ink Linguine  3/5

All in all a pretty standard set at Pizza Hut. I guess technically it's still fast food right?
A great tip is to go during lunch so you can have the Lunch Set Meals.

The cost between $9.90 and $13.90 (depending on your choice of dish) and comes with soup and a drink too! Well worth it! And for the record, the Traditional Bolognaise was part of the $9.90 set and the Squid Ink Linguine was part of the $13.92 set.

Pizza Hut

26 Restaurants Island-wide

Delivery Hotline: 62353535
www.pizzahut.com.sg

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

Ramadhan Special 2014: Gourmet Pizza To Go

So Mein Brudder and me actually passed by this shop in Bedok. It was a new pizza joint with some really power looking pizzas (and they were HUGE too!). But this was the week before Ramadhan and no way we would have enough time to try it before then so we decided to make it a point to try it once Hari Raya was over.

But lo and behold. My Darling Wife and I were walking along Geylang Serai Bazaar and I see this giant signage! Looks like we would not have to wait til after Raya after all!

Now do you see what we meant when we said HUGE?
And we were lucky enough that they were constructing a brand new pizza as we waited!!

First the base...

And then the cheese...

And last but not least - the toppings!!

So you see that they construct it from scratch here at the stall and that means it's gotta be fresh!
They dress it up there and they even have this special oven there so they can bake their pizzas and have nice and fresh and hot for us.

And more luck for us... a pizza coming out fresh!

Oh yeah a nice piping hot pizza pie!! Doesn't that just look yummy or what!
And I know how you all love Hawaiian pizza okay don't bluff...

But looks nice only... How about the taste??? Nice and cheesy?
Well, The Halal Food Blog proudly presents...

The 4 Steps To Enjoying a Pizza

Step 1 - Get your slice of pizza

Step 2 - Unwrap and let the awesomeness sink in

Step 3 - Bring the slice to your mouth and take a big chomp

Step 4 - Pull away, see the gooey cheese and go "Mmmmm"

So how? Not bad right? I'm sure you guys have already mastered the technique... Hehehe

Firstly let me again say how big this slice of pizza is. Sure it's cut into a shape we may not be used to for a pizza but you won't be complaining when you see how much pizza you're gonna be enjoying.
The toppings are generous (at least for the Hawaiian) and you can see they are definitely not stingy with the cheese. And have we mentioned how big it is?

The pizza is tasty enough but (like most things) we recommend eating it while it's hot!!

A slice will cost you about $6 but buy two for $10.
If you plan to buy a whole pizza, maybe you should call their hotline to deliver...

Al Taglio Pizza ($65)

You can order their Al Taglio Pizza which is a party on its own I'm telling you.
It's 60cm by 40cm. That's right. You go and measure and tell me if that's big or not.

It's so big that you can choose different types of pizza flavours and they'll combine it for you.
Perfect when you have some people who prefer one type of pizza while another group maybe prefers another type!! Smart right!!

You can call their hotline 6221 1666 or visit their website www.gourmetpizzatogo.com.sg

They've got 11 types of pizzas to choose from so you'll be spoilt for choice.
We haven't tried it yet. Just the Hawaiian for now. But we'll try it after Raya Insya Allah!

You can find the stall at the Geylang Bazaar just after you cross the street (Onan Road) from Mr Teh Tarik heading to Darul Arqam.

Gourmet Pizza To Go!

Geylang Serai Bazaar

Operating Hours: 12pm to 12am Daily

Domino's Pizza

So for pizza delivery chains, I've covered RITE Pizza, Canadian 2-for-1, Sarpino's, Pezzo and even Pizza Hut's Signature series. Now I'm adding another to the list!

 

Domino's is actually really popular but I guess maybe we don't really know the scale because they don't really put too much into advertising? I mean, how often do you see a TV commercial for Domino's Pizza am I right?

Domino's actually started out in America so I guess they've got the classic American pizza image going on for themselves.

But through advertising with flyers and word of mouth, Domino's still manages to have quite a big following through good pizza and also what they boast as the best delivery ever - 30 minute delivery!

Classic Pepperoni

As always, I like me a bit of Pepperoni when I have pizza. I know there are always plenty of other flavours to choose from and just Pepperoni can be considered a bit boring maybe?

As you can see, the Pepperoni slices at Domino's are the big type and not that mini-sized Pepperoni you might get at other pizza places. They are pretty thick too so you get a nice bite when you take a nice big chomp. The Pepperoni is beef by the way in case you were wondering.

Top that off with a nice layer of Mozzarella cheese and you have a great pizza!!

Simply Cheese

I think a lot of people are probably going "Wah! Your pizza choices so boring!!".
But hey what can I say. We've got simple tastes! :P

Actually, to be honest, I really love cheese and I really love cheese pizzas but I seldom get the chance to order because the majority will always order something like Hawaiian or some Meat Lovers thing and of course an All-Cheese pizza will most likely be left out so let me say I was really happy that I finally got the chance to order myself a cheese pizza!!

Domino's version has Mozarella and Parmesan cheese topped off with some Oregano. I know some other pizza places have like 5-cheese pizzas but this is a good pizza and a good start!

Both pizzas above are actually tomato sauce-based. The tomato sauce is generous but it does not overpower the taste/flavour of the toppings because it's not as sour as we might be used to.

Domino's also has some non-tomato sauce based pizzas for you to choose from. They have like 6 sauces for you to choose from! Then you have to choose from a really big selection of pizzas ranging from their All-Time Favourites Range, Classics and First Class. They have some interesting and even some really extravagant pizzas to choose from.

And of course, there's also the matter of the type of crust!!

Domino's is quite famous for their thin crust pizzas and you can see why...
When they say thin crust, they REALLY mean thin crust!! Nice and crisp too!

But if you're not a fan and want more bite, you can also choose the Classic Hand Tossed, New York Crust, Cheese Burst and the Cheesy Crust.

And what about pricing?

Adam's Verdict:
Classic Pepperoni 3.5/5 -- Simply Cheese 4/5

Azlan's Verdict:
Classic Pepperoni 3.5/5 -- Simply Cheese 3.5/5

Mein Brudder thought it was nothing special probably because he's used to ordering more fantastical pizza choices compared to these 'boring' 2 here. But overall you can see it's not too bad actually.

Best thing for you to do is check out their website and take a look at all the choices you have.
Sauce. Crust. Pizza choice. Take your time. I can tell you I'll probably be ordering from them a few times during this World Cup season!

And if they deliver your pizza later than the promised timing of 30 mins, you get a voucher to use for your next order with them!

Domino's Pizza

15 stores Islandwide
Delivery Hotline: 6222 6333
www.dominos.com.sg

Operating Hours:10.30m to 11.00pm 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