Mad Jack

Situated along a stretch of bungalows and shophouses rests an Australian themed restaurant designed to ensnare young buckaroos like myself who are hopelessly in love with the country and food while endlessly hoping to get the same fare in Singapore. Mad Jacks is part of a chain of restaurants under the same name which have been around for a couple of years. The question one begs to answer is normal. Does it do justice to the country and food it supposedly represents? Answers in a short while.

Location: 242 Jalan Kayu Singapore 799466

Contact: 62575951

Website: www.madjackgroup.com

Price Range: $10 - 15 per head

Nice tree?

Mad Jack

No Service Charge, GST unavoidable sadly

The fabled continent

The interior is simple with a serving counter not unlike fast food chains while the tables and chairs are simple wooden decors. Walls are simple and drab with interesting signs filled with humor. The are no service charges which explains the lack of service i guess, gst is still a must however.

Coke and mushroom soup

Coke is well....coke so there's nothing much i can add on about that. The mushroom soup is pretty terrible really. No doubt there are mushroom bits inside but the cream and soup is so salty, it makes the sea taste bland. I'm exaggerating of course, but truly, the soup is not something anyone can finish easily.

Fish and Chips ($11.90)

My gf had the fish and chips and well, i'd say it was more or less hawker standard with a thick batter, sub par fish and generally oily exterior. Nowhere near the sweetness, freshness and crispiness of the actual offerings in Australia.

Blue Mountain Beef Burger ($9.90)

Another Look

On the menu, it was billed as one of the biggest burgers in this side of town. Well, to be honest, i can think of quite a few burgers bigger then this, take for example Aston's I Eat Superburger which is a little more expensive, but a hell of a lot more tasty. The fries are worse then Burger King's while the 3 patties that make up the burger seriously needs a new recipe. Reason being, the beef is practically indisguishable, it could be chicken or lamb for all i know. The meat is soggy and overly mashed and lacked any taste whatsoever. The bottom line? Never order this again.

The Bill

The final bill turned up at $23.30. A little too much for a fare less then ordinary.

Final Score: 4/10

Last Word:
To be fair, its not a terrible place. The food is in dire need of some help and new recipes however. I honestly don't see how else this can bring back repeat customers without a new recipe. On the flipside, i never tried their desserts, which looked great but looks can be deceiving. Sad to say, i won't be back to try it until i know the food has improved. Australian food is leaps and bounds better then this, so be sure not to judge this as what you'll get down under. Its a world of difference.

Kobayashi Hangul

Being the little blue collar worker that i am, its only natural that i have less lavish lunches and meals as the economy falls like a cut pendulum. Its a sign of times and a sign of my diminishing pay check that brought me to consider cheaper meals but of course, i'm exaggerating a little here. The truth is, it was a boring work day and i was once again at Simei for lunch alone which thus prompted me to have something more economical. And this will be discussed below.

Location: #02-50 East Point Mall

Price range: $4-6 per head

Menu

Tempura Set

Another Look

Bill

Lets talk about the bill first today, first of all, its not expensive. Costs only a mere $4.50 for a tempura set lunch with drink. The store itself is an open concept with generic plastic tables and chairs and the ordering system is reminiscent of fast food chains. You place your order at the counter, pay and take a seat. The selection of food is a decent variety of korean hot pots and japanese bento sets. Everything's fine so far.

Still, the actual set had me taken aback actually. No fries, a very small rice ball and a few fried potatos, fish and chicken. Thats it. The rice is especially saddening since its supposed to be the only thing to fill you up but its too little for anyone i suppose. The fried items were obviously oily as well. Taste wise, without the white sauce which tastes like a mix between tartar sauce and mayonaise, it would have been difficult to finish.

Score: 4/10

Last word: Perhaps i'm too harsh or i've ordered the wrong stuff, after all, many people patronize this place during lunch. In fact, it actually seems to be quite popular but they all had the Korean hot pot meals which i simply cannot take. My verdict? The place doesn't cost much and the hot pot seems popular, maybe its worth another try for hot pot lovers. I emphasize "maybe" here. So take your own risks.

Aston's (Tampines)

Aston's is no newcomer to the food scene and i was delighted to see a new branch opened so close to my workplace and so close to the east. In true Aston's fashion, this is located in a the heartlands in a simple kopitiam.

Location: Tampines Street 11, Blk 139 #01-08 Kopitiam

Contact:6285-8839

Price Range: $8 - 10 per head

Being my first visit, its only natural to go straight for the beef steak while my gf had the chargrilled chicken.

Prime Sirloin Steak ($10.90)

Inside Look

I had the sides of pasta salad and whipped potato which were rather below average this time. The pasta tasted a little hard and uncooked while the whipped potato had a pasty firm texture which is either liked or disliked easily. The steak itself was thankfully done well. Medium rare, juicy and at a decent size, this is still what Astons excel in.

Chargrill Chicken ($5.90)

This came with sides of seasonal veggie and potato salad. The seasonal veggie is uncooked and tasted raw while the potato salad is a little too soft. Lacking the crunchiness of the Seragoon branch outlet. The chicken itself was tender, juicy and quite fragrant with spices albeit having a little frozen taste within. It still clocks in at a decent size though.

Bill

Overall, i'd say the meal is still above average for a kopitiam but they really need to work out the kinks for the kitchen before they can really take off.

Second Visit - Well, we were running out of cheap good places to visit so it was back to Aston's again to try it out. Hopefully, the standard has risen.
This time, we ordered a grilled fish with herbs and a Astons, I eat Superburger. And to sum it up, this visit was a much better.

Grilled Fish with herbs ($6.50)

Now this is a classic, my gf had it the first time we visited Aston's and now she's having it again. Not as good as the first time around but still, it was done soft and fragrant as it should be. The sides this time included a potato salad and french fries which were both way better then out first visit here. Service is still bordering on bad though.

I-eat Superior Burger ($12.50)

Another look

Side View

Its my personal mission to always try a beef burger and i must say, i was not disappointed this time. The burger was huge for its price, neighboring tables were angling for a look at my burger. Yeah, its pretty big. And i had sides of the potato salad which retained its former glory of being slightly soft and yet crunchy. The burger itself had loads of stuff in it. Apart from a rather large beef patty which was done really well i might say. There were tomatoes, lettuce, bacon, cheese and including, an onion ring or crown which really just made the burger irresistible. The meat was done medium rare which let it retain its juices and chewiness while the rest gave off a beefy fragrance which i loved. Top stuff, i'd say try this once you are there.

Bill

This bill came up to $19 for a meal i thoroughly enjoyed and can heartily recommend to anyone in the vicinity.

Overall Score: 7/10

Last word:

Overall, the second visit made my confidence for this branch increase a little. Its still green in the service but otherwise, its definitely looking like a good new Astons for the east to me.

Carl's Junior (Big Splash)

Living in the East side of Singapore has its perks, being close to the East Coast is one of them. Thus it was that it was another random day after work that me and my gf visited the coast in search for food. Our choices were aplenty as Mingles, Sushi Teh, OldTown White coffee and many more are located at within the vicinity. However, we settled for some fast food instead. And do forgive me if i sound utterly weird as this is the first time i've eaten at Carl's Junior. To say the least, it surprised me.

Location: 902 East Coast Parkway Blk C #01-14/15/16/17

Contact: 6348 6988

Website: http://www.carlsjr.com.sg

Big Splash

Tissue Box?

Chili Sauce and Chopped Garnishing

Located at the Big Splash, this branch is the newest of the bunch and boasts a rather nice, quiet and relaxed atmosphere that is easy to appreciate. The relative lack of being totally packed during dinner time helped alot since squeezing and waiting for food is not something i can grow accustom to in a jiffy. Service was fast and friendly while the place looked spic and span.

2 Meals (around $18)

Onion Rings and Cross Cut Fries

Western Bacon Double Cheeseburger

Portebello Mushroom Burger

The advertising campaign for Carl's Jr is totally hit or miss in my opinion. The tagline of "Its Gonna Get Messy" carries a pun which they have ran with to signify everything from sex to murder whereby the burger sauce is splattered across different mediums. Now that i've tried the burger, well, i must say, they aren't too far off the mark.

I had a Western Bacon Double Cheeseburger meal with my fries exchanged for onion rings. Now, the onion rings were huge compared to Burger Kings rendition and that's not supposed to be a good thing by the way. Why is that so? Because the upsize only gave me 6 onion rings in all. The rings themselves also felt overfried because it was way too dry and didn't have the same moist and fragrant onion ring taste from BK. The burger however, managed to redeem the situation because its definitely huge. Size wise, this is pretty much on par or bigger then BK's double whopper. The beef taste is extremely strong as well, thus you might either like it or hate it with a passion. Fillings were also generous as bacon slices, cucumbers, cheese and meat fight to gain control of your taste buds. And sooner or later, something will spill from the burger whether you like it or not.

My gf had the Portebello Mushroom Burger with cross cut fries. Her order was much better since the fries were infinitely better then my onion rings. The fries were thick, nicely fried till golden brown while still remaining moist inside. The only gripe is that you can practically see the oil you are consuming. Her burger also had a char broiled beef patty within which is accompanied by greens, cream, tomatoes and mushroom. She enjoyed it but wasn't a fan of the strong beef taste. I had a go and found it a little too salty due to the soaked mushrooms but otherwise, its decent as well.

The bill came to about $18 or $20.

Overall Score: 6/10

Last Word:
Fast food is something that has permeated everyday life to the point that if a brainless food decision is needed. Any fast food joint will simply pop into mind. Carl's is more or less vying for the niche market that is currently dominated by BK and i must say, it is a pretty strong contender in that field. Price wise, its quite steep for fast food but the burger more or less blows away doubt of what you are paying for. Give it a go at least once to see for yourself.

SuperDog

Fast food in Singapore has always been dominated by a few big names and now, competition is on the way. Well, competition has been on the way forever but never quite caught up. Its the niche that these new places are fighting for and somehow, SuperDog, which i've passed by so many times, finally got me to step in for a trial. Is it even close to being in the race? Read on for my take on the issue.

Location: 1 Pasir Ris Close E! Hub, #04-101

Website: http://www.superdog.com.sg/

Price Range: $10 - 12 per head

Eating Etiquette SuperDog Style

Its good to see that the company has a sense of humor from their eating etiquette. Nothing too fancy but it gets a few facts right. The philosophy also does a good job of telling consumers their main selling point, which is that their ingredients and items are fresh, never frozen. Sounds good enough for me.

The cost of the meal

Iced Chocolate and Pineapple Sensation

Beverages of fast food joints are hardly the stuff of legend and yet, this one managed to be a notch above the usual. Instead of boring reruns of coke and what not (which they do serve), we got ourselves a healthy dose of iced chocolate and pineapple sensation. The iced chocolate was rich and pretty much rivaled Starbucks or Coffee Bean if you ask me. The pineapple sensation was also pretty good with its sourish sweet taste which felt like actual pineapple juice instead of reworked extracts. Most surprising.

Breaded Fish And Chips

Nice up was the bread fish and chips which looked suitably bland since its an item that has been done to death by numerous and uncountable hordes of copycats. And yet, it managed to taste better then the likes of Long John Silvers, Coffee Club and Swenson's. This is probably because it had a taste of herbs mixed in with its crispy breaded skin and expertly done fish which managed to retain a sweetness the others simply did not offer. Another surprise.

SuperDog

This is the dog that started it all. The SuperDog, wholesome pork bratwurst with a piece of bacon, cheese, garlic and their own special chili concoction which made each bite easier to take. In terms of the bratwurst, maybe i'm no expert but i found it rather tasty albeit bland. The chili managed to salvage that however and taken as a whole, its was quite good. The chili isn't the spicy variety as well which had a tangy and mildly sweet flavor.

Bacon Chili Cheese Dog

At first glance, this is pretty much the same as the Superdog but a little smaller. The only discernible difference was the hotdog which was smaller and had cheese in it. The good thing is that the cheese was hot and flows well with each bite. In fact, i prefer this to the SuperDog. The bread in both versions were lightly buttered and toasted on the inside for a crispy texture which served it well.

Overall Score: 6.5/10

Last Word:
Surprise. That pretty much sums it up. The place has never looked appetizing to me but i find myself drawn towards it now. The food isn't cheap and is priced above its competitors but the taste is different and surprisingly good. The service was also friendly enough to commend. To me, i find this fast food chain up there with the big boys and maybe even surpassing them on some levels. Try it, it might surprise you.

Popeyes

Located in Changi Airport Terminal 1, Popeyes is a simple fast food restuarant in the vein of Macdonalds and KFC. Given its location, one would deduce it to have a relatively short queue and waiting time. However, that would be grossly wrong since queues are generally LONG and waiting time will usually be about 20-25 minutes. Well, i hated queuing and i was there with my gf to just take a stroll, dinner here was more or less ad hoc.

Location: Changi Airport Terminal 1, level 3

Price Range: $7-8 per set meal

I've always loved the cartoon Popeye the sailor man. I guess its all about muscles and who would have thought spinach gave you superhuman powers? Its just a really funny cartoon at the time and age. So the draw for this place was simply nostalgia for me as they had a corner doing constant reruns of the show. No spinach on the menu though.

Popeyes!!



The Queue

Ok, this was the queue that greeted me which i joined to begin my 25 minute journey to the counter of friendly, tired staff and slow moving staff.

Fries

Nothing spectacular but it does have an additional herbish taste (maybe spinach?) that makes it taste slightly better than others. It did come across as a little too dry though.

Mashed Potato

The mashed potato came in a small serving thats only slightly bigger then KFC. The sauce however tasted better in my opinion as its less watery and less salty compared to KFC. The potato also had small chunks in it which i suspect is yam but i'm not too sure on that.

3 Piece Chicken Meal ($8.65)

Its called Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits so obviously, this should be its main draw. Its biscuit is nicely fragrant and warm which does differentiate it from usual fast food chains which give horrible tasting buns. The chicken was fried to a crisp and yet managed to maintain its juiciness unlike KFC which usually comes off as a tad dry or sometimes undercooked. The seasoning is not unlike its mashed potato sauce which made it fragrant with each bite. I like the fact that the chicken meat was firm and tender at the same time which was surprisingly uniform throughout the 3 different chicken parts. (Please note that requests for specific chicken parts result in a 50 cents charge each)

Seafood in a basket ($7.95)

For this meal which i ordered for my fish loving girl, we're actually quite torn about our opinions for it. I liked the fish and the shrimp because this was usually served piping hot unlike its "left to cool in warm container chicken". I felt the fish was tender and reasonably good tasting but she felt it was less tender nor fresh than other offerings. Also, she commented that the fish was fried after being taken out of the fridge which gave it a 'frozen' taste. The shrimp was relatively small and so is the serving. It was crunchy and like everything here, is full of batter and flour which may or may not appeal to everyone. For the shrimp, our debate is mostly on whether the crunchiness of it is chemically enhanced or naturally preserved. But you can't fault that it tastes better the way it is now.

Suggestions

Oooo...this piece of paper is so important. I'd only hope they take a look at the suggestions written into serious consideration. Firstly, they need to have another outlet. Secondly, they need more counters and faster serving staff. Thirdly, chicken parts should be given by request and not chargeable.

The queue when we left

Yes, this is the queue throughout our entire meal. It never quite diminished and i doubt it will reduce by much anytime soon. Management needs to look into this soon, for the customers sake and for their staffs sake.

Score:

Food : 6/10
Value for Money: 6/10
Overall: 6/10

Last Word:

In all honesty, this place isn't half bad. The chicken is actually better then KFC in many ways and tastes a notch above the other fast food chains. However, queuing and its location didn't really make me enjoy the experience much. The price was on par with about every other fast food restaurant (the meal cost $16.60) so the only weak links are its queues and its obscure location. Do try for yourself and find out if you like it.