Among the many other new fried chicken outlets in Singapore, Texas Fried Chicken opens at the Singapore Expo, the airport, and United Square.

The Food:

Let's go straight to the main point. There's basically two kinds of chicken to choose from: original or spicy. The original was bland and tasteless though you have to give them credit for being crunchier than at Popeyes and KFC. The spicy? People with low tolerance beware! Texas Fried Chicken takes its spicy wings more seriously than the other joints.

Overall, the chicken's as fresh as the rest and less salty than those from Popeye. However, the flavouring which is what differentiates the various outlets is fares the worst. We are still with Popeye's and good old KFC.

Now to the sides, the mashed potato was gross and we are almost certain its made from powder. The honey butter biscuits, however, was delightful! Sweet and tasty at the same time. Their fries are great too.

Drinks-wise, there's quite a range at Texas Fried Chicken. Besides the usual soft drinks, there's Sjora juice, iced peach tea, hot chocolate, and a selection of coffee like latte, cappuccino, espresso and cafe mocha. I absolutely loved the coke float with soft serve ice cream.

For an overview, you could go for the Texas Sampler ($7.80), which consists of fried chicken, honey butter biscuits, a side and a drink. Otherwise, you go for the two-piece chicken meal ($7), three-piece chicken meal ($9.60), 3 wings meal ($6.40), 3 tenders meal ($6.40) among others.

The Mood:

Simple, no-frills fast food joint style. Expect no cushy sofas like Starbucks!

For photos and their website links, visit www.FreshGrads.Sg

Global burger joint Burger King (BK) has raised the bar with its new Whopper Bar in Singapore, the only one of its kind in Asia, and third in the world after US and Germany. The new upscale joint offers premium burgers and beer… but is it enough to keep its status as a bar? FreshGrads finds out.

The cheapest regular Whopper costs a whooping S$8.90 with a drink and either fries or onion rings. There are four new Whopper variants offered - the Angry Whopper, Western Whopper, Rodeo XXL and sweet Mexicana Whopper - on top of the usual BK Doubles Mushroom Swiss and Cheesy Bacon Tendergrill.

There are many more "premium" condiments and ingredients (S$1 each) - 24 to be exact and counting - than the typical BK joint customers can customise their Whopper with, and watch its assembling process from the counter. The Whopper Bar also offers beer for an upsize at S$2 for a 300ml can of Tiger Beer and S$4 for a 500ml can of Tiger Beer. For Heineken, add S$1 respectively.

FreshGrads dropped by there one evening and ordered a Mushroom Swiss Double. Alas, we forgot about the elevated status of this BK joint and did not do anything special with our burgers. Neither did the staff remind us. What we did remember to do as we always do at other normal BK outlets was to ask for extra pickles… and they forgot about our pickles. When reminded though, they gave a generous helping.

Nonetheless, we observed our well-researched neighbours, foreign exchange students from Australia, who fully utilised the bar for what it is - customisable. One of them added just a few more toppings but came up with a hefty bill of S$18 for his meal with a beer of course.

THE MOOD:

Options are displayed on 3 LCD TV screens and there is actually smoke rising up from the burgers, if you look carefully enough. Besides offering three new burgers, which are variants of the original, the standard sides and drinks are available too.

The Whopper Bar looks nothing like the typical one with its open kitchen, countertops and posh seats with areas customers may plug in ipods and groove to their favourite tunes, as well as a break away from the original colour scheme of red and orange to red, black and grey. The staff also wear different uniforms to match the bar's look.

All in all, FreshGrads found the experience to be disappointing after all the hype. After all, dressing up a typical BK bar with extra gadgets, serving a couple more burgers and condiments, and slapping them together in public view, BK Whopper Bar makes the bar to be a bar, not.

For images, visit: http://www.freshgrads.sg/index.php/articles/lifestyle/food/623-whopper-bar.html

Al Dente Trattoria is the only Italian offering at performing arts venue Esplanade for now. It boasts of a romantic dining experience with its scenic rooftop area that overlooks the Singapore river. FreshGrads checks the Italian restaurant out.

THE FOOD:

Al Dente is the only place for a number of Italian favourites such as wood-fired pizzas, risottos, and homemade ravioli in the Esplanade area. For starters, try the portbello mushroom infused with mozzarella and parmesan cheese, which is excellent and well worth the calories.

Fans of foie gras will also enjoy the foie gras risotto ($22.90). FreshGrads sure looked forward to it - a combination of two of our favourite foods of creamy rice and luxuriously sweet foie gras. Al Dente's foie gras risotto is a generous helping of smooth creamy rice, which adds to the richness of a medium-sized slab of pan fried foie gras. A bite of the coveted goose liver reveals a tenderness that almost melts in your mouth. The dish was well-executed but sadly leaves our stomachs for almost nothing else, which could well be an excuse why we were greatly disappointed by our wood-fired pizzas ($10 each). Both of which are soft and soggy when served and unworthy of any other descriptions.

For the grand finale, end the night with a cup of cappuccino instead of the Italian Tiramisu, which we found devoid of a good balance between coffee and alcohol. On the other hand, Al Dente does its cappuccino with a strong delightful aroma. A dinner for two costs about S$100 without wine. And for the grape aficionados, Al Dente offers an extensive wine list with mainly Italian and Australian wine.

But contrary to the many awards won by the restaurant, the standards must be have dropped by quite a significant bit - premium ingredients are used but the chef did not do them justice the two times we were there.

THE MOOD:

An al fresco sitting arrangement on the second level of the restaurant offers breathtaking views of Marina Bay and the rest of Esplanade. But it disappoints with dirty chairs that look weathered by rain, bad air ventilation that left us sweating and music nearby at Esplanade that was way too loud, not that it is their fault. Nonetheless, it is still hardly a good place for an intimate evening as promoted to be.

The courteous staff hails from various parts of the world, a practice taken up by many other restaurants on the island as well.

Al Dente Trattoria has two other branches in Holland Village and Boat Quay but if not for the scenic views offered at Esplanade, FreshGrads would say check out Glutton's Bay next door.

For images, visit http://www.freshgrads.sg/index.php/articles/lifestyle/food/630-al-dente-trattoria.html!

One needs a beer. Another wants an ice chendol. And the third is really craving a shot of espresso. With such difficult people to feed, Olio Café is the place for you.

The Food:

Olio Restaurant and Café prides itself on its paradoxes. The menu is one great example – offering an array of dishes like Thai Chicken Mango Salad alongside Moroccan Mixed Lamb Grill, Italian pizzas and pasta, and Japanese curry rice. The adventurous can also get a Beef Rendang Lasagne, a fusion of east and west.

I wondered though, how on earth was the chef going to get every dish perfect. But fortunately for him, my companions and I were there for Olio Café’s high tea.

Our favourite cake by far is the Olio Sizzling Brownie. For $6.50, enjoy a mish-mash of cold and warm delectable brownie drenched with hot fudge on a hotplate. A generous scoop of vanilla gelato and finely chopped nuts completes this definite must-try. A warning though: Finish it fast, before the chocolate sizzles away.

Another choice would be the Chocolate Mousse Cake ($6.30). Layered chocolate cake of fudge and deliciously sinful dark chocolate, topped with chocolate sauce and – you guessed it! – chocolate cream, it is a dream come true for chocolate lovers. Well, it was love at first sight for me.

To offset the chocolate, we also ordered an Apple Blueberry Pie. Though not on the menu, it looks so appetizing in the cake fridge that we just had to try it. However, the golden-crusted pie disappoints in the taste department – the fillings tasted like blueberry-flavoured apple sauce. My biggest grouse is that it lacks the homey feeling a truly good apple pie gives.

Coffee was no grand affair either. My companion complained that her Long Black lacks the aroma that a rich coffee would have and it was overly bitter. Being a fan of coffee and an ardent chocolate lover, I tried the Mocha. It was rather disappointing. Personally, I thought it tasted like chocolate drink Milo.

The Mood:

Olio Café is a comfortable place for soulful respite. Take a break from shopping (its Marina Square branch) or studying (NUS and Kaplan City Campus). The modern mirrors and glass panels are complemented with homey wooden counter and shelves. Clean minimalistic-looking booths paired with brown leather armchairs tucked against the wall.

One big plus point is the excellent customer service. The service staff is friendly and efficient – the staff serving me could actually make order-taking feel like a friendly conversation.
In all, Olio does deliver its promise of “Affordable Luxury”. Though its use of paradoxes in the menu still makes me worry about the quality, Olio has an appealing mish-mash of factors that can draw the crowd.

For images, visit http://www.freshgrads.sg/index.php/articles/lifestyle/food/820-olio-cafe.html!

Tonkichi, by the Pokka Food group, has been making news for its fried pork set meals. And with several outlets at Lido, Takashimaya, Orchard Central, Tampines Mall and Suntec City among others, we found ourselves conveniently having lunch at its Suntec City branch. Here's our take on the slightly above average Japanese restaurant.

THE FOOD:
First came the restaurant's signature dish: a delicious and freshly-fried hire and rosu (pork) set ($24.90), which comes with miso soup, rice and a small salad. The breadcrumbs-coated meat looked real thick but was tender and soft in the inside – easy to chew and cut into smaller pieces.

But we discovered something even better: the fried oyster equivalent is just excellent. Crispy on the outside and soft (or partially raw) in the inside; oyster-lovers should really try this.

We were also craving for curry so we ordered an ala carte curry ($6.90) as well as a chawanmushi ($3.50 with a set, $5.50 without a set). The curry and chawanmushi wasn't spectacular but neither were they bad.

Ramen is also available but I would advise diners against it. Tonkichi's ramen was too oily, its ni-tamago (soft boiled egg) was over cooked and the pork broth was way too salty with a strange pungent pork taste.

What would make a typical male return is this: unknown to many, the Japanese rice and salad with sesame dressing comes free flow! Ideal for the big eaters. But in all, the fried stuff is great but anything else is best left for other Japanese restaurants.

THE MOOD:

Tonkichi is a great lunch choice for busy office workers. There was no need for queuing during lunch hours as the restaurant – part of the roundabout basement – occupies a pretty large area. The decor is simple and looks as if it's catered for the mass. Service is fairly fast and attentive as well.

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