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.