2-piece chicken set, S$6.90

Finally got to try Broaster Chicken at their latest (and, for me, the most accessible) outlet in Nex mall at Serangoon Central. After reading positive reviews in 8 Days and Soshiok, I was really looking forward to it. Imagine my mild disappointment at the two rather pathetic-looking pieces of fried chicken on the tray.

Finger lickin' good?

Although the chicken pieces weren’t as meaty as I’d expected, they made up for it in other aspects. The chicken pieces — thinly coated with flour — had delightfully thin and crispy skin. They were also significantly less greasy than Colonel Sander’s fried chicken. The meat was pleasantly tender and juicy.

But after a while, the briny seasoning got a bit monotonous, and I started missing the complexity of the eleven herbs and spices in Colonel Sander’s original recipe chicken.

As for the sides, the lumpy mashed potato was forgettable. But the coleslaw was seriously good! Fresh and chunky, the cabbage and carrot were tossed in creamy dressing that had the right balance of sweetness and tartness.

Would I return? Well, maybe if I was in the area. It certainly was a pleasant snack (yes, the entire meal wasn’t very filling), but not memorable enough for a deliberate return trip.

Broaster Chicken is tucked away in a remote corner in B2, next to McDonald’s.

Broaster Chicken (Nex)
23 Serangoon Central
#B2-02/03/04 Nex
Singapore 556083

Open: Daily, 10am to 10pm

Wendy’s seems to be on an aggressive expansion path ever since making a comeback to Singapore about a year ago. This was our first taste of Wendy’s since its return (yes, we’re a pair of mountain tortoises).

2-piece fried chicken

First, the good stuff. The fried chicken impressed us with its tender and super juicy meat! The exterior was crunchy without being too greasy. But it was very salty.

Baked potato with sour cream & chive

The baked potato was a welcome change from the usual fries and mashed potato. There were other toppings available, eg. cheese, chilli (the spicy meat sauce kind), and broccoli & cheese (seriously, who would order this?).

Fries

The fries were a bit cold, but thankfully, still quite crisp and palatable.

Wendy's 1/4 pound burger

The surprise disappointment of the night was Wendy’s signature burger. The square beef patty was so very dry! Hubby said it tasted just like McDonald’s hamburger, except that this had more veggies.

Rick and I both agreed on this: We’d return for the fried chicken and baked potato, but not the burger.

Combo meal for 1/4 pound burger (includes small fries+drink) + fried chicken (about S$5) + baked potato (about S$3) ≈ S$15.00

Wendy’s (Holland Village)
243 Holland Avenue
Singapore 278977

Is Korean fried chicken the new KFC? Click here to find out where you can find some of the best finger-lickin’ good Korean-style fried chicken in Singapore!

Why no spinach?

This was a quick dinner we grabbed before our night photography workshop at the Singapore Flyer. Rick and I got two combo meals to “share share”.

“Maxi Meal” (S$8.40) includes:

• 1 piece chicken (they gave breast)
• 2 chicken tenders
• 2 drumlets
• 1 biscuit
• 1 mashed potato
• 1 soft drink

“2-piece Chicken Meal” (S$7.40) includes:

• 2 pieces chicken (they gave breast + wing)
• 1 biscuit
• 1 side (we picked coleslaw)
• 1 soft drink

Our first impression: It’s very similar to KFC’s Hot & Crispy version, minus the spiciness. The coating is very crispy and relatively grease-free. Lightly seasoned with chilli powder, the breast meat wasn’t juicy, but at least it was tender and not dried-out.

If you want to pick more “premium” parts like thigh or wing, you have to pay an additional S$0.50!

The chicken tenders were non-spicy, boneless strips of fillet. The drumlets weren’t coated with batter; they were just seasoned and deep-fried.

Rick wasn’t impressed at all, saying there’s not much distinctive flavor, and that he much preferred KFC’s Original Recipe. Me too! I thought the quality of the chicken meat was better than KFC’s, but other than being salty and mildly spicy, there’s not much taste.

We also prefer KFC’s whipped potato. Popeyes’s spicy, heavy gravy didn’t go down well with us, and Rick didn’t like the gritty bits in the mashed potato. But the coleslaw was good. However, the biscuits (tastes like savoury, crumbly muffins) were much too salty!

Maybe my expectations were raised by glowing comments I read before coming, but we felt that Popeyes is rather over-rated.

30 Raffles Avenue
#01-13 Singapore Flyer
Singapore 039830
Tel: (65) 6338 8300

Sun – Thurs: 9am – 11pm
Fri, Sat: 9am – 12am

Half fried spring chicken (S$4.50).

This was a quick dinner we had. Located at a coffee shop next to Clementi Book Store, Golden Rooster is one of the stalls in an HDB coffee shop named VariNice (not a typo). Since there was a respectable queue, we thought, “Hey, why not?”

According to Ricky who used to regularly hangout at Clementi Book Store, Golden Rooster had long queues whenever he passed by. Well, I just don’t see why.

The chicken meat wasn’t very juicy, neither was it dry. The skin wasn’t crispy, but neither was it limp. To be fair, it was not sickeningly thick with batter nor too greasy. I wouldn’t say the meat was flavorful, but neither was it totally tasteless. In short, it was just average.

Half BBQ chicken with rice (S$4.50).

Same goes for the BBQ chicken. The grilled bird looked so yummy and succulent in the glass warmer, but it turned out to be forgettable. To summarize, both items weren’t very good nor were they very bad.

The next time I’m there, I’m gonna check out the famous Brothers Rojak. That stall has even longer queues. Hopefully, the queues there are justified!

Golden Rooster Clementi
Blk 450 Clement Avenue 3
#01-305
Singapore 120450