Hot Star Large Fried Chicken

Hot Star Large Fried Chicken (Hao Da Da Ji Pai) is here in Singapore. Located in City Square Mall, this franchise is the third country after Hong Kong to have Hot Star Chicken. Always excited by fried chicken, I checked it out as soon as I got news of it. (though the post is very late)


Ordered 
Hot Star Chicken

The main characteristic of taiwanese fried chicken is that these chicken pieces are huge. For Hot Star, their chicken is HUGE indeed. Take a look, bigger than an average women's palm.

There's 2 flavors available, Original and Spicy and I got both. My first reaction after my first bite was "Hot !". Well, this is due to their policy where the chicken is thrown into the oil only after you order, so you gotta wait a while to receive your fresh and Hot! Hot Star Chicken. The chicken breast fillet stays moist and tender beneath the super crispy coating. After 15-20 minutes, it's less hot but still as moist on the inside with the outer layer retaining its crisp. No sign of sogginess due to moisture from the environment or the meat within.

Spicy Side

One thing they will NOT do is cut your chicken. It'll be presented to you as how you see it. You can cut it yourself if you want to, but they do not cut it for you. To show that they are serious, they have no scissors in the shop.(Just my conjecture)


Personally, I prefer the Original to the Spicy variant for the original gives the original(duh)  fragrance and flavor of the chicken. But both are equally and exceptionally crispy and juicy.


Plum Fries

I'll just keep it short. The fries are sooo crispy that stayed that way even after 15 minutes with a seasoning that is just slightly sweet without saturating your tongue. This plum fries is really an awesome snack. Too bad the serving is a lil' small.



Hot Star Fried Chicken
City Square Mall
180 Kitchener Road, #B1-K7, Singapore

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Yoshinoya (Japan)

Gyudon (牛丼), or beef bowl, is a traditional and affordable meal in japan. Outside of Japan, arguably the most famous is Yoshigyu, or Yoshinoya's Gyudon. I love gyudon for its simplicity and good taste. However, I will be vocal in that this experience is highly volatile in Singapore, with it veering strongly to the negative side.


A recent trip to Japan have placed "Eating Gyudon" as one of the top on my "To do list". Thankfully I got to eat it. 


In Japan, Yoshinoya is not the only Gyudon Chain. There are competitors like Matsuya(松屋 - They call their Gyudon Gyumeshi(牛めし) which is essentially the same thing) and Sukiya(すき家). Here, I'm going to share with you what Yoshinoya is like in Japan.

24 Hours

Available in 3 Sizes: Reg, Large & Extra Large

Top - Gyunabe Don 
Mid - Butadon(Pork)
Bottom - Curry

 Ordered


Gyunabe Don (牛鍋丼) + Negitama (ねぎ玉子 - Leek & Egg)

Before anything you'll be served a cup of warm green tea (FOC).

So, what is Gyunabe Don? Nabe is hot pot/Japanese steamboat. So with Gyudon you have a bit of Nabemono(Hot pot dishes) along. As can be seen, in this bowl is a piece of tofu with some shirataki noodles(しらたき). A Negitama was added to go with my rice.

Just top the bowl with the egg

A generous helping of tender beef slices, white onions boiled to a sweet softness along with the nabemono, egg and leek. Whoa, This bowl of Gyudon is heavenly. Not to mention that it is very very affordable at 370 Yen(Approx SGD$6.20)

If you ever visit Japan, Gyudon is a must try for its good taste and affordability.

Here's a picture of the friendly worker who struggled to understand my japanese while I struggled to order and converse with him in japanese.

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The Ultimate Ramen Champion Part IV

Now for my return post, there is a second outlet of ramen champion in Singapore T3 now. Located opposite Kopitiam in T3, so it's not hard to miss. If you have your luggage+trolley with you, you will have to leave it outside the premise and the manager at the entrance will look after it for you.

Same concept if you've been to the one in Iluma, this time there is only 4 outlets- Ikkousha, Gantetsu, Riki & Gensuke. The 2 new ramen shops are very different from what was being posted on their facebook page initially. Anyways, lets get to the 2 new ramen :)

Riki Ramen - Nitamago Riki Ramen

You like veggies? You like garlic? If you do, you'll enjoy Riki ramen. The noodles are pretty tasty and every mouthful will have a crunch from the abundant cabbage and beansprouts. Crunch Crunch Crunch. 

The egg is done wonderfully here, the yolk is totally soft and gooey, finally an egg that looks like what was illustrated.

It does remind me quite a fair bit of Bario ramen back in Iluma. I'll leave it up to you which you prefer. Thumbs up for the nicely done egg :D

Gensuke - Ajitama Ramen

Dislike pork? Like Chicken? Gensuke specializes in Chicken Ramen. Everything in their menu have is targeted towards the bird lovers (or pork haters). Egg is done very well, so much so that the runny yolk was washed away by the soup.(Or did it run away?)

Case of the missing yolk

The noodles are very slippery and looks a little like instant noodles. Of course it is way better than instant noodles. Soup is distinctively different from the pork broth that you'll find in other ramen, the soup is a thick murky whitish color that is smooth and light on the tongue.Worth a try if you are looking for something different. 

If I'm not wrong, it is operated by the same guys from Ikkousha. Here's a picture of them posing :)

Overall

Another choice among the many other F&B choices in Changi Airport T3. Do check it out if you have the ramen cravings when you're in Changi Airport.

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Garrett Popcorn

What do you snack on when you go to the movies? Popcorn is one of my favorites and I am more inclined towards the sweeter variety. Otherwise, I see very little of popcorn in my life outside of theaters. That kinda changed when popular gourmet popcorn chain Garrett Popcorn started popping up all over Singapore. From Resorts world to Citylink mall to now... I kinda lost count. But you can find quite a few of them in one visit to town.

Storefront in Somerset 313

No, they do not sell it in that size

If I were to trim it down, you have about 2 choices. For the sweet toothed, Caramel Crisp Popcorn(or Caramel Crisp with your choice of nuts). For those who likes their popcorn savory, Cheese Corn. Feel free to ask for a sample before you take a plunge into getting a pack.

I think my choice of flavor is clear - Caramel Crisp!!!

It stays true to its name - Generously covered in caramel and crisp with every bite. It is a really good (and expensive) snack that leaves you wanting for more when it's gone.

I am not sure if you can finish the whole pack without feeling saturated, but I can't. If you can't, do take caution in storage for you'll lose the "Crisp" from the name.

Garrett Popcorn

313 Orchard Road, #01-38 313 @ Somerset                               2 Orchard Turn, #B4-46 ION Orchard

176 Orchard Road, #B1-09/10/11 The Centrepoint                      435 Orchard Road, #B1-50 Wisma Atria

4 Tampines Central 5, #01-32 Tampines Mall                            1 Kim Seng Promenade, #B1-06 Great World City

541 Orchard Road, #01-K1 Liat Towers                                     80 Marine Parade Road, #B1-83P Parkway Parade

26 Sentosa Gateway, #01-077, Universal Circle, Level 1 Resorts World Sentosa        

1 Raffles Link, #B1-26A CityLink Mall

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