Launched on March 1, it is almost impossible to miss the massive marketing campaign that runs with the line “Make it Better, Make it Chicken McGrill” on TV, newspapers, and the internet. The fast food giant has even introduced an enticing limited period 1 for 1 offer that has spread virally on Twitter and Facebook.

TV Commercial

The new Chicken McGrill boasts a bakery-style sourdough bun and whole chicken thigh meat. Like many eager Singaporeans that bought so many of these burgers that they sold out on day one, I can’t help but get curious about this new menu offering. Is it as good as all the hype is making it out to be?

Unboxing the Chicken McGrill

The burger comes in a yellow and white box, printed with vivid details that really makes one salivate!

As advertised, the Teppanyaki Chicken McGrill contains a large cutlet of grilled chicken thigh meat, whole-leaf lettuce and a pair of succulent tomato slices sandwiched between sourdough bun. Sourdough is specially chosen for this burger apparently because the mouth-feel complements the grilled chicken.

Teppanyaki Chicken McGrill
S$5 – 5.50 depending on outlet / S$5.55 for McDelivery
Rating:

Seasoned in teppanyaki marinade and slathered in chargrill sauce, the meat is tender and thoroughly flavoured throughout. Yes, skin is included too. The lettuce and tomatoes are certainly fresh. My only gripe is that the large amount of sour cream does somewhat overwhelm the savoury flavours of the chicken.

Overall, this is a much-welcome new item on the menu, and I am looking forward to the rest of the Chicken McGrill series. Without the 1 for 1 coupon though, paying $5.50 for a burger ($8 for the meal) may be hard to swallow. Here’s hoping that McDonald’s would reduce the price of the burger eventually.

Honey Chipotle Shaker Fries

Honey Chipotle Shaker Fries
S$2.55
Rating:

A McDonald’s fast food meal would not be complete without french fries. So, we go for a portion of the crowd-pleaser Honey Chipotle Shaker Fries.

The orange-coloured seasoning salt comes in a separate sachet, along with a brown paper bag for you to shake the fries. Shake it up baby!

With the light dusting of the zippy spicy and sweet honey chipotle flavouring, these french fries have been transformed into a flavour bonanza! They taste absolutely delightful, miles ahead of regular fries. And let’s face it, they sure are fun to eat.

Have you tasted the new McDonald’s Chicken McGrill? Share with us in the comments!

McDonald’s ( Halal certified)
Website

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/mcdonalds-chicken-mcgrill/ | 2 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net

Mandarin orange! Now that’s an odd pairing. Gimmick or not, I know I have to try it. It’s not everyday you get to taste Mandarin orange egg tarts.

With a quiet determination, I scamper off to the nearest KFC outlet that I can find selling the newly fruity egg tarts. A box of half a dozen is yours at 8 bucks, slightly pricier than their regular egg tarts which cost S$7.50 for the same quantity. One box to go, please.

Mandarin orange egg tarts
S$2.80 for a box of 2 / S$8 for a box of 6
Rating:

The pastries look almost exactly like Portuguese egg tarts but with less burnt spots, and with morsels of tangerine added. Happily, these sweet treats retain the same delightfully crisp fluffy crust and creamy custardy goodness as the usual KFC egg tarts.

The addition of tangerine brings a tinge of tartness to the mix, which I reckon is about 30% tangerine, 70% egg custard. It’s a bold play with flavours that actually works. I like it. Amazingly, the sliced pieces of fruit are as soft as the custard, so the texture is consistently smooth throughout.

It may read like an odd pairing on paper, but once again, KFC has exceeded expectations with these Mandarin orange egg tarts. As Chinese New Year goodies, they sure make interesting snacks if you are having guests over at your house.

Update: Sparklette reader Avriila shares that she would really love to see egg tarts filled with nian gao (a Chinese New Year cake made with glutinous rice), describing the ones she had in Taiwan as “heavenly”. What would you like to see in your egg tarts? (Shameless plug: Don’t forget to ‘Like’ Sparklette on Facebook and join in the conversations there!)

What do you think of the KFC Mandarin orange egg tarts? Would you eat them or are they too weird? Have you had any unusual Chinese New Year food this festive season? Let us know in the comments!

KFC ( Halal certified)
Available at selected outlets
Website

Available until February 17, 2011 or while stocks last.

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/kfc-mandarin-orange-egg-tarts/ | 10 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net

]]> 10 http://sparklette.net/food/kfc-egg-tarts/ http://sparklette.net/food/kfc-egg-tarts/#comments Sat, 11 Sep 2010 08:05:28 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/?p=1006 When I first heard about the KFC Portuguese egg tarts, I was quite skeptical. Skeptical, but curious enough to buy a half dozen of these to try out. Surprisingly, the tarts turn out much better than expected!

These creamy egg tart pastries are not to be confused with the traditional egg tarts which have a crumbly crust and an even yellow custard top. For Portuguese egg tarts, brown burn spots crater the caramelised surface (like crème brûlée). They first came about in Lisbon, Portugal, and are known there as pastéis de nata.

Portuguese egg tarts
S$1.30 each / S$7.50 for a box of 6
Rating:

The KFC egg tarts have a puffy pastry casing that is thick, but delightfully light and fluffy. Even hours later (I did have 6 of these to finish), the crust remains flakey and crispy.

While the custard is not as soft as Madeleine’s egg tarts, it is still beautifully smooth. The egg flavour is quite apparent, tinged with the more subtle sweet taste of caramel.

I heard that these egg tarts are available in three flavours in KFC Taiwan. Can anyone confirm this?

While you can purchase the egg tarts individually, a half dozen of this costs slightly less, and are packaged in a nice carrier box with a handle on top. From the Chinese characters on the box, it seems that these egg tarts are a Mid-Autumn Festival promotion. You can also have them home-delivered in boxes of 2.

I have never been a fan of KFC’s fried chicken, preferring the likes of Arnold’s and Popeyes. But their Portuguese egg tarts have certainly exceeded expectations!

The KFC egg tarts are available only at selected outlets. So before you go running off to the nearest outlet, do check to make sure that the tarts are sold there.

Update: Also check out my review of the KFC Mandarin orange egg tarts, available during Chinese New Year.

Which type of egg tart — Portuguese or the traditional — do you prefer? What is your favourite drink to go along with these tarts? Share with us in the comments!

KFC ( Halal certified)
Available at selected outlets
Website

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/kfc-egg-tarts/ | 15 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net

Men’s Health Magazine recently published a list of 20 worst drinks in terms of calories, fats and sugars. Not surprisingly, many of these beverages come from well-known fast food chains and coffee houses. Some are just downright scary.

To find out more about each of these individual drinks and the more healthful alternatives, check out the original article. Meanwhile, here’s a quick overview of the 20 worst drinks in the world.

20. Worst Water: Snapple Agave Melon Antioxidant Water (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
- 150 calories, 0 g fat, 33 g sugars

19. Worst Bottled Tea: SoBe Green Tea (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
- 240 calories, 0 g fat, 61 g sugars

18. Worst Energy Drink: Rockstar Energy Drink (1 can, 16 fl oz)
- 280 calories, 0 g fat, 62 g sugars

17. Worst Bottled Coffee: Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino (1 bottle, 13.7 fl oz)
- 290 calories, 4.5 g fat (2.5 g saturated), 45 g sugars

16. Worst Soda: Sunkist (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
- 320 calories, 0 g fat, 84 g sugars

15. Worst Beer: Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (1 bottle, 12 fl oz)
- 330 calories, 0 g fat, 32.1 g carbohydrates, 9.6% alcohol

14. Worst Kids’ Drink: Tropicana Tropical Fruit Fury Twister (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)
- 340 calories, 0 g fat, 60 g sugars

13. Worst Functional Beverage: Arizona Rx Energy (1 can, 23 fl oz)
- 345 calories, 0 g fat, 83 g sugars

12. Worst Juice Impostor: Arizona Kiwi Strawberry (1 can, 23 fl oz)
- 345 calories, 0 g fat, 81 g sugars

11. Worst Espresso Drink: Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream (venti, 20 fl oz)
- 660 calories, 22 g fat (15 g saturated), 95 g sugars

10. Worst Lemonade: Auntie Anne’s Wild Cherry Lemonade Mixer (32 fl oz)
- 470 calories, 0 g fat, 110 g sugars

9. Worst Hot Chocolate: Starbucks White Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream (venti, 20 fl oz)
- 520 calories, 16 g fat (11 g saturated), 75 g sugars

8. Worst Frozen Coffee Drink: Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte (24 fl oz)
- 870 calories, 24 g fat (19 g saturated, 1 g trans), 112 g sugars

7. Worst Margarita: Traditional Red Lobster Lobsterita (24 fl oz)
- 890 calories, 0 g fat, 183 g carbohydrates

6. Worst Float: Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Soda (vanilla ice cream and cola) (large, 28.6 fl oz)
- 960 calories, 40 g fat (25 g saturated, 1.5 g trans), 136 g sugars

5. Worst Frozen Fruit Drink: Krispy Kreme Lemon Sherbet Chiller (20 fl oz)
- 980 calories, 40 g fat (36 g saturated), 115 g sugars

4. Worst Frozen Mocha: Così Double Oh! Arctic Mocha (gigante, 23 fl oz)
- 1,210 calories, 19 g fat (10 g saturated), 240 g sugars

3. Worst Drive-Thru Shake: McDonald’s Triple Thick Chocolate Shake (large, 32 fl oz)
- 1,160 calories, 27 g fat (16 g saturated, 2 g trans), 168 g sugars

2. Worst Smoothie: Smoothie King Peanut Power Plus Grape (large, 40 fl oz)
- 1,498 calories, 44 g fat (8 g saturated), 214 g sugars

1. Worst Beverage in America: Cold Stone PB&C (Gotta Have It size, 24 fl oz)
- 2,010 calories, 131 g fat (68 g saturated), 153 g sugars

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/foodbytes/20-worst-drinks-in-the-world/ | 8 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net

There are a couple of Arnold’s restaurants in Singapore, plus an additional “Express” outlet in Pasir Ris, which I suppose is for takeouts. We visit the City Plaza outlet which is packed to the brim with customers on a Saturday evening. They employ a system where you get a queue number and make your order first while waiting for a table. Not bad, we thought. Once a table’s available, we get our food soon after: a 2-person Combo meal comprising:

- 5 pieces of crispy fried chicken
- 2 buns
- French fries
- Regular coleslaw
- 2 regular soft drinks (top up 70 cents each for iced lemon tea)

Activity: What’s wrong with this picture?

2-person Combo meal
S$21.40
Rating:

With rather high expectations and a skeptical thought that this may simply be overhyped, I taste a piece of Arnold’s chicken for the first time. Immediately, I go “Whoa!” My partner arches his eyebrows at me, “Really?” before proceeding to taste it and give the same reaction.

The seasoning is perfect — flavoursome with a tinge of peppery spice. And the chicken is just tender and juicy, and freshly cooked to order. Yes, this IS yummier than Popeyes, thus deeming it better than KFC as well.

Coleslaw
Rating:

The fries and buns are average, and I still prefer Popeyes‘ Cajun fries. But the coleslaw deserves a special mention. In the Combo meal, they give a large bowl of it that we can never finish. It’s sweet and shredded very finely, and I like it better than the one at Wow Wow West.

If you have been following me around on Foursquare, you would see that I visited Arnold’s a second time after that. This time round, we check out the newer outlet at Hougang Green Shopping Mall, which is bigger than the one at City Plaza (above). The chicken tastes even better than before!

So what do you think? Do you agree with our verdict that Arnold’s is the place to get the best fried chicken in Singapore, or is there some other place we have yet to uncover? Share with us in the comments!

Arnold’s Fried Chicken ( Halal certified)
Delivery: Tel: +65 6276 6537 (6-ARNOLDS) | Website

City Plaza outlet

Hougang outlet

Pasir Ris outlet

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/arnolds-fried-chicken/ | 28 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net

]]> 28 http://sparklette.net/food/popeyes/ http://sparklette.net/food/popeyes/#comments Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:50:43 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/?p=864 Wanna feast on finger lickin’ good fried chicken? Well, you probably can’t get it at KFC these days. But I’ll tell you where you can. Popeyes!

No, not the spinach-eating cartoon character. Not exactly. I’m referring to Popeyes, the world’s second largest fast food chain specialising in chicken!

But hey, if we’re talking about food quality, Popeyes trumps its biggest competitor any day. Not only are the chicken and fries tastier and crispier, they are less oily, too.

3-piece chicken combo
S$9.80
Rating:

For the chicken flavours, you have the choice of New Orleans Spicy or Louisiana Mild. I haven’t had the chance to savour the buttermilk biscuits and mashed potatoes (they ran out), but I hear they are amazing!

Each time I eat the KFC fried or popcorn chicken, the breaded crispy skin is very thick and, frankly, not very crispy or appetising. After a while, I just feel like I am chewing on cardboard. Does anyone else feel the same way?

Popeyes’ chicken is different; the skin is light, crispy and simply a joy to eat. What’s more, it retains that amazing crispiness even long after I’ve taken a hundred photos of it!

Just as satisfying are the French fries. They remain surprisingly crunchy even towards the end of the meal, golden brown with the wonderful flavours of Cajun spices.

Seriously, nothing turns me off more than munching on soggy fries. There’s really no excuse when they’re already soggy when you’ve only *just* ordered them off the counter. That’s McDonald’s and KFC I’m talking about.

While the restaurant was originally named after the fictional detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in the movie, the French connection, Popeye the sailor eventually became the main character fronting the marketing efforts.

That’s also why you get to watch old Popeye’s cartoons while digging in! Very classic :) after Disney Naturally closed down, this is one other cartoon-themed eatery where parents can bring their kids.

Interesting titbit: the late founder Al Copeland amusingly claimed that he named the restaurant “Popeyes” because he was “too poor” to afford an apostrophe. Haha :)

I wish there were more Popeyes restaurants in Singapore besides the ones at Changi Airport and Singapore Flyer. For many people that need a quick fix of fried chicken, they have no choice but to head to the more ubiquitous KFC.

Update: New outlets have opened! See below.

Better yet, throw in home delivery, too! I’m sure Popeye’s killer biceps can handle that.

Where do you go when you want to taste the best fried chicken in Singapore? Share with us in the comments!

Popeyes ( Halal certified)
- Ang Mo Kio Jubilee Entertainment Centre
- Bedok Point
- Century Square
- Downtown East
- ION Orchard
- Orchard Xchange
- Punggol East
- Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3
- Singapore Flyer
- Square 2
- The Cathay

Website

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/popeyes/ | 64 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net

]]> 64 http://sparklette.net/food/aj-piri-piri-chicken/ http://sparklette.net/food/aj-piri-piri-chicken/#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:46:23 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/?p=851 How does this sound to you: a well marinaded and perfectly grilled chicken, drenched in a fiery hot African sauce? I don’t know about you, but that sure made me salivate!

As soon as I hear that the UK fast food chain, AJ’s Piri Piri Chicken, has set up its first franchise outlet in Singapore that promises to bring us the aforementioned chicken, I make a mad rush down to grab a piece. It’s on the 5th level of Iluma, the new shopping mall at Bugis.

So what is piri piri? It’s a tiny red chilli pepper that is found in Africa. The Portuguese blend it with various herbs and spices and voila! There’s your hot hot piri piri sauce!

The restaurant serves the Afro-Portuguese chicken in different tantalising styles like hot plate, burgers, wraps, pastas and more.

¼ Piri Piri Chicken
S$7.20+
Rating:

Of course, a virgin taste test should start off with the piri piri chicken in all its naked glory. So I order the quarter-chicken with fries on the side, but you can opt for sweet corn if you wish. With 3 different sauces to choose from — mild, very spicy and lemon herb — I go for the first. When unsure, always err on the safer side.

For S$7.20, the lone piece of chicken thigh sure looks puny! I tell myself that quality is more important than quantity. But disappointingly the sauce is nothing to shout about. It is more salty than anything else, without any hint of other herbs. This can’t be what the real piri piri sauce tastes like, can it?

On top of it all there is way too little sauce. It would help a lot if the dish comes with a small tub of the sauce on the side.

Super Slimmer chicken wrap
S$6.80+
Rating:

Thankfully, the Super Slimmer chicken wrap fares much better. Again, the chunk of chicken in the wrap is pretty small. But it also tastes very good, with the seasoned flavours penetrating all the way to the centre of the flesh.

This also happens to be a healthier dish, where the less fattening chicken breast meat is used and layered with vegetables.

Earlier on, I’ve asked for warm water as I’m nursing a nasty cough. Unfortunately they are unwilling to do that. (The staff asked the manager, who said no right in front of me.)

The soreness soon dissipates when I make my payment and notice a 25% discount on my bill. Suddenly the meal seems a whole lot more reasonably priced! They are “not sure” when this promotion would end, so do take advantage of the discount while you can!

Click to enlarge

Clearly, the restaurant’s isolated position in an already uncrowded mall does not work to its advantage. It is overshadowed by the Filmgarde cinema on the same level and an entire level of eateries just one floor down. Most people would simply head straight to the more accessible restaurants and miss it altogether.

I hear that Nando’s is the “original” fast food chain that specialises in piri piri chicken. Here’s my review of Nando’s in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Gotta check out the one in Singapore soon!

Is there any other eatery in Singapore that sells piri piri chicken?

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/aj-piri-piri-chicken/ | 28 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net

Anyway since we were too lazy to bring any food, dinner was at one of the many eateries at the park. First we checked out Big Splash. No interesting restaurants there, although we did find out that Mingles (which I’ve reviewed previously) had closed down, while the café next door was enjoying a thriving business.

We scoured the pub area for more dining options before finally settling for Kebab Station. It stood out from the sea of restaurants with its unusual offering — exotic Turkish cuisine!

Chicken Shish
S$10
Rating:

You can choose between chicken, lamb and beef for the kebab dishes. These are served in a variety of tantalising ways such as rolls, shish, baked rice and even pizza.

Fresh off the grill is our chicken shish kebab, an extremely colourful dish. The meat is perfectly seasoned, with flavours that still remain even when you get to the centre of the chunky breast meat. It also carries that smoky taste from the grill.

The kebab portion is quite substantial, and is accompanied by rice and pieces of warm pita bread. The greens, peppers, tomatoes and sauces on the side also provide a welcome reprieve from the meat. And colours, too!

Gravy Kofte chicken
S$12
Rating:

For our second dish, we were deciding between the gravy musakka or gravy kofte. In the end we opted for the latter, which is a tomato-based gravy that sounds more appealing than the eggplant-based musakka.

Served piping hot from the oven, the gravy kofte chicken is baked in a thick tomato cream sauce, with cheese too. Unlike the shish kebab, this one comes with a very teeny portion of meat. Instead, it comes with a whole lot of this:

Lots and lots of vegetables and shrooms! $12 is a hefty sum to pay for a dish that is more vegetable than anything else, don’t you think?

Well, for a place that brands itself as a fast-food eatery, the prices certainly don’t fit into the fast-food range. I guess in this case you are really paying for the experience of enjoying an unusual cuisine. There aren’t exactly many Turkish restaurants in Singapore. Even Turkuaz at holland village has closed down.

At Kebab Station, the food is prepared by Turkish chefs in an open-concept kitchen. The outlet is pretty small and cramped, so it does feel quite stuffy, especially in the sweltering month of June. In other words, this isn’t the kind of place where you would enjoy a long conversation with friends over a cold ayran or hot Turkish coffee.

But hey, with the beach just a stone’s throw away, does it really matter?

East Coast Park outlet

Parkway Parade outlet

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/kebab-station/ | 6 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net

]]> 6 http://sparklette.net/food/mcdonalds-wasabi-filet-o-fish/ http://sparklette.net/food/mcdonalds-wasabi-filet-o-fish/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:15:24 +0000 Veron Ang http://sparklette.net/?p=774 If you have passed by the Golden Arches recently, you may have noticed the new wasabi range of Filet-O-Fish and shaker fries. The fast food giant promises it would give you a “karai sensation”. So far, these wasabi items appear to be available only at McDonald’s Singapore.

But wait a minute, wasabi on a battered fish patty? Wouldn’t that taste kind of… weird? Well, curiosity got the better of me! For $4.10 I got a Wasabi Filet-O-Fish, complete with a lime green sticker on the box that screams “wasabi”.

Wasabi Filet-O-Fish
S$4.10
Rating:

The burger retains the same fish fillet, veggies and cheese, with the newly-added wasabi in the form of wasabi-flavoured mayonnaise. Okay, so that may not be the most beautiful burger in the world. But we’re not paying for food presentation here, are we?

The pastel green sauce looks and tastes pretty similar to the wasabi mayo prawns that have swam their way into many posh restaurants here in the past couple of years. What is surprising is that the wasabi is nostril-searing hot! I had expected to get just a slight hint of it, but this one brought tears to my eyes! Oishii!

So, if you love wasabi like I do, do give this one a try. If it’s like the other McDonald’s specialty burgers like the black pepper burger, rice burgers, or the Kampong burger that I miss so much, this one would only be available for a limited time period.

I have yet to try the Wasabi Shaker Fries. For those of you that have, let us all know if it’s any good!

McDonald’s ( Halal certified)
Website

View the original article and join the discussion at:
http://sparklette.net/food/mcdonalds-wasabi-filet-o-fish/ | 11 comments

Like on Facebook | Follow on Twitter | Download free iPhone app

© 2011 Sparklette.net