Saturday 11 February 2012

KFC World Tour, Part 7: Singapore

It's been over a year since I returned from my KFC world tour, so I think it's about time I wrapped this thing up with a final post. It's long overdue, but worth the wait. The homeward leg of my journey saw me stopping off in Singapore for one last chicken banquet.

With only a couple of days to explore Singapore, I had limited time but made sure to prioritise a KFC visit. The branch I selected was situated at the entrance to Singapore Zoo which made for a grand final day including monkeys, tigers, snakes, crocodiles and some of the finest chickens I have ever seen - deep fried and kentucky style of course!

The Singaporean KFC menu was one of the more interesting and exotic I had seen on my travels.


Of note were the Fish Zinger, Cheesy BBQ Meltz and Bandito Pocket meals, all of which come served with a side of "whipped potato" and coleslaw. Although tempted by the Fish Zinger, I decided to try the Cheesy BBQ Meltz and went all out by adding a side of "cheese fries".


The Cheesy BBQ Meltz is essentially an exploded Wrapstar, but more closely resembling a taco laid on its side. Unfortunately mine had arrived cold, and due to language problems I was unable to seek a replacement product (although I'm sure this would have been no problem). My assumption was that the item had been assembled some time ago and wasn't particularly fresh, but the thin wrap would have also extenuated the problem. Inside the Meltz wrap lurked a spattering of chopped Original Recipe chicken, melted cheese and diced tomato; on paper a winning combination, but in reality, it missed that certain edge that you only get with zing or a peppery mayo.

Interesting to note, the cheese fries were topped with some finely chopped chives. A nice touch that gave the meal a high quality, gourmet finish (at least to look at, the fries were quite soggy).

The stand out success story of the meal was, again, the whipped (mashed) potato with gravy. Why oh why KFC UK have shunned this classic accompaniment I have no idea. I hold out hope that one day I will be able to replace my BBQ beans side order with a tub of delicious mash (or order both for an explosive combination of flavour and texture).


On my way out, I noticed an advert for the KFC Roasta, a roasted skinless thigh fillet in a "signature marinade" topped with creamy mayo, salad and all served in an oat bran dusted bun. This delightful concoction really seemed to push the boundaries, and I was very disappointed to have missed this ad on my way in as I definitely would have tried it. Sadly, I had to leave and catch my flight home, but I hope that the Roasta and its "signature marinade" make it to the UK.

All good things must come to an end, and after a 13 hour flight I was back in the UK. The colonel had some real surprises for me up his sleeves and I hope some of what I experienced finds its way back to our shores. All in all, my trip had been a resounding success, opening my eyes to a whole new world of KFC.