I just got off the airport from Phuket when my Aunt suggested meeting me up for lunch at City Plaza. I always thought of the mall as a place for cheap fashion finds and not food, so I was surprised to learn that the place we will be eating at City Plaza was famous for its fried chicken.

Located in the corner on the second floor, Arnold’s already has a long queue by the time we got there around 1 p.m. The menu was largely heavy on fried chicken, battered-fish, crisp fries, and fresh offerings; I was pleasantly delighted with the comparability it had to the southern restaurants I’ve been to in the States. It was a nice alternative from KFC and Popeye's.

Chicken
My order was a half-spring chicken, battered fish, a heap of fries, and a side of cole-slaw. The chicken is the focus, hands-down, as it was served hot and the skin was still crackling from the oil. With a bite, the juiciness of the meat really came out, as the juice ran down my chin. Forget about utensils, get your hands in there! The batter was very well-seasoned, with a subtle spiciness, and the color just right.

Fish, fries and Sauce
As for the fish, it wasn’t anything spectacular that you couldn’t get a local fast-food restaurant. It tended towards the oily side, and with some tartar sauce on it, I definitely felt a little slower after taking one piece. The fries were great, crisp and flavorful as the chicken, but be warned, be sure to eat these quickly, as the sogginess monster definitely attacks these after a while. My team loved the fries with the chili sauce on the table, but as for myself, I’m definitely a Spartan and could appreciate it on its own. The cole-slaw was excellent, but if you’re more of a purist than the sweet sort, I’d be sure to skip on these.

Service and Ambiance
Overall, the experience is definitely that of the cuisine. There’s no ambiance, as the servers promptly brought out the food and cleared tables, in an effort to cater to the lunch-time queue that’s formed outside. It’s fairly noisy inside, but if you came for a romantic dinner, you’re definitely in the wrong place. Great food, decent price, I would definitely stop by again for any fried chicken cravings again. If you're on a diet, you can jolly well forget about it when you step through it's colorful inviting doors.

It was Mother’s Day and I had it all plan out: I’m gonna bring my Momma to Illuma to try out Manhattan Fish Market. You know, that spacious restaurant with luxurious red sofas? Known for its fresh American-Style seafood?

On our way there, we passed by Bugis Street and saw several restaurants, including the famous QQ Noodle House and the nondescript Koo Kee Dumpling and Ramen House. We had a change of hearts and decided to settle for some Asian food instead. Naturally, if you’ve never been to both places before, your first instinct was to try out QQ Noodle House because 1) It was more crowded and we assume crowded = good food, and 2) Their entrance was fancily adorned with their Award Winning Certificates and features in newspapers.

However, my Mom thought the wait at QQ was ridiculous and besides Koo Kee’s Roasted Chicken with Homemade Sauce on the display photo started talking to our stomachs. We went through the non-descript entrance to be greeted by a slightly rowdy, Hong Kong Style ambience with wooden chairs and warm lighting.

For only $11.80, we did as demanded by the headless chopped up chicken, whose crispy skin is a thinner, less fatty version of Peking Duck’s. I love the homemade peanut sauce, but my boyfriend found it a little too sweet. Then again, he is a fitness freak, so “too sweet” for him is normal for most people.

We tried out another Chef’s Recommendation: Spicy Beancurd With Shrimp. The dish was served hotpot style mixed with carrots, bell peppers, plump shrimp, tofu, eggs and crisp vegetables with umami gravy. The picture on the menu did not fully capture the tasty glory of this dish.

Since we’re at a Dumpling and Ramen House, with a further promotion going on ($4.50 per bowl) we gotta try the Dumplings and Ramen right? My boyfriend’s a Ramen fanatic (I wonder if there is a correlation between Ramen and Manga considering the awful lot of love he showers on them both. Grrrrrr.) I wasn’t a fan of the noodles and thought it was rather bland (no, it is not jealousy at talk here), but my boyfriend found the Japanese style dish refreshing, with a generous serving of cucumbers, bean sprouts, mushrooms and minced pork. It was served differently from the other ramen dishes he had tried so far.

Service was prompt (although some would argue that it feels rushed, but isn’t that so with all such road side restaurants?). All dishes were served in 10 minutes on Mother’s Day. Patience wasn’t a trait my mother possessed, so this restaurant was perfect for that special day.

FYI, you have to pay for the wet towels and the pickled vegetables served before the meal.

All in all, Koo Kee Dumpling and Ramen House is great for a quick and affordable lunch time fix without sacrificing taste before a movie at Illuma or after a tiresome shopping trip at Bugis Village.