Just One Food - McD's Sweet Chilli Fish Burger

When it comes to McDonald's, I don't eat (or hardly ever eat) their meat burgers for the simple reason I don't like their meat patties.  So, it has always been the Filet-O-Fish burger for me when it comes to McD burgers.

I've been aware of this McD's Sweet Chilli Fish Burger for a while now but wasn't tempted to try as I initially thought it would be a fish burger with some sort of Thai sweet chilli sauce (based on its name and I find Thai sweet chilli sauce to be overly sweet), so I never wanted to try.

But one day, I got sick and tired of Filet-O-Fish and decided to finally give McD's Sweet Chilli Fish Burger a try (this burger has been around since 2019 but I'm only trying it now...lol).

Well, first of all, you have a piece of crispy fish fillet that's more heavily battered and crumbed than the Filet-O-Fish while retaining that same light crispiness.  The Filet-O-Fish is made with Alaska Pollock Fillets but McD doesn't mention what fish comes with this fish burger but you certainly get a much bigger piece of fish with the Sweet Chilli Fish Burger.

Couldn't detect any difference in the taste of the fish itself as both had that soft, flaky texture though the Filet-O-Fish is slightly softer but the Sweet Chilli Fish Burger gives a better bite because of the batter and the size of the fish ultimately. 

The difference between the two lies in its sauce, of course.  While the Filet-O-Fish is topped with zesty tartar sauce (and a slice of cheddar cheese which I always ask for it to be omitted) between soft buns, this one is supposedly topped with a sweet & spicy sauce but I tasted only spicy...and it was very spicy! >_<  The sauce is somewhat like a very spicy version of Thousand Island or a chipotle sauce.

There's the usual mixed vegetables of shredded lettuce, purple cabbage and carrot to give it that crunch factor.  The set comes with the usual fries and a drink.

I did enjoy the flavour of the sauce even if it was rather spicy for me....this is my new go-to McD burger for now.  For one, it doesn't come with cheese, so I don't have to request for it to be omitted coz sometimes they forget to do that (and I've to tear it off my burger when it arrives). >.<

For those who like their food spicy, they would definitely prefer this spicy fish burger as it brings some serious heat!  I can't handle overly spicy food and this is just about tolerable for me...nothing a few gulps of water (in-between) can't fix! ;P

And hehey, guess who's back?  My favourite peppery prosperity patties!  Even though I hardly ever eat their meat burgers, this is one exception I'm happy to make...and it's always the Prosperity Beef Burger for me.

Though the black pepper sauce can be too much and a bit overpowering at times, I love the taste of the hot peppery sauce together with the meat and crunchy onions...so I just scrape some excess away if there's too much (but this time, the quantity of the sauce was just right).  And oh, McD just got on ShopeeFood too! ^.^

Just One Food - Burger King's Salmon Burger

I didn't get to try Burger King's Hokkaido Salmon Mentaiko Burger the first time round when they were launched in 2019.  So, when they made a return in February this year, I made sure I didn't miss out this time since I do enjoy eating fish burgers.

Even though I have a Burger King branch in my neighbourhood, I decided to order via foodpanda but opted for self pick-up.  That way I don't have to wait for my order on-site + not only is the delivery fee waived, there's usually a discount attached (at least 25%) for self pick-up.  On top of that, I don't have to pay parking (yes, Burger King, unfortunately, is located in an area where parking attendants will descend on you like flies the moment you step out of your car.  You have to pay the minimum one hour parking (RM1) even if you tapau food from eateries there....so annoying, right?  With self pick-up, they'll alert you when your order is ready for pick-up...which usually ends up faster than I can reach there...lol.  So, I'd zip in and out of there in under a minute and if I'm forced still required to pay parking, I'd surely make known my annoyance to Burger King's staff.  Luckily, nothing like that happened.

Anyway, let's get back to our burger, shall we?  My Salmon Mentaiko Burger (a la carte, RM15) cost me only RM12.54 in total (with a medium fried onion rings included, RM5.90) at a 40% discount (RM8.36).  Not bad, eh, for self pick up.

Well, if you want to look at visually attractive burgers, you better look here....at the photoshoots where the burgers are painstakingly presented at its best with not a smudge on the box or a drop of sauce in sight...haha! :D  Otherwise, they'll probably look more like the mess above! >_<  

One problem with ordering online is that they tend to forget my special instruction of 'no cheese'...haiz! :(  I did my best in trying to peel/scrape off the cheese.  This fish burger features a salmon patty (supposedly imported from Hokkaido) with American cheese, crunchy sliced onions, juicy tomatoes, fresh lettuce and savoury mentaiko sauce, of course.  If you're thinking it tastes like mentaiko (similar to those in Japanese restaurants), you'll be sorely disappointed.  This one tasted like a lightly spiced version of Thousand Island sauce...that's about it....and also there wasn't enough of it rendering the patty on the drier side.

As for the salmon fillet, it was neither drool-worthy nor tender (as advertised)! >.<  The texture of the salmon patty tasted more like fish paste, lightly chewy, certainly not flaky...it's something with a frozen feel than freshly-made.  I'd rather eat McD's Fish Burger (or their Fish & Fries) anytime to this.

When it comes to Burger King's burgers, I'd much rather stick to my usual order here, the Whopper, which is my favourite fast food beef burger for now...that's near me.

This Whopper (Medium Set) of a flame-grilled beef patty with onions, tomatoes, lettuce & pickles, finished with mayo & ketchup, on a well toasted sesame bun cost RM13.58 (RM20.90 with a 35% discount of RM7.32) that comes with fries and a drink option of iced teh tarik (extra charge).

I really like the beef patty for the taste (and smell) of its smoky, charred flavour....and, surprisingly, the ketchup too.  I don't usually like ketchup but this one tastes more like some kind of barbecue sauce (or maybe that's a result of it combining with the grilled patty...hehe! ;)

And the best thing is that this burger comes with an option without cheese...yay! ^.^  So, no need for special instructions to omit the cheese which may fall on deaf ears or be overlooked.

So, that's it.....no more salmon burger for me...although I've taken a liking to self pick-up now...more so for the no waiting but also for the discount (not sure if prices are better when you order on-site with promos though)! ^_~

A&W @ Sunway Velocity

It's been so long since I've had A&W...and that's because most of their outlets (closed to me) closed down one by one...finally even their iconic first drive-through outlet in PJ is closing this year after more than five decades in operation (perhaps the pandemic had delayed such plans).  I, too, went with my family one last time just for old times' sake (not that I frequent the outlet all that much since it's far from where I live) but just to savour a piece of history before it's gone forever.

Under a new ownership, the new owner has vowed to make the oldest fast-food chain great awesome again. I'm rooting (pun intended) that he does as he plans to open more than 100 A&W outlets in the next few years.

Now that I can get A&W on the delivery platform (or many other food for that matter since the pandemic struck), it was time to revisit an old and familiar flavour.  These deliveries also come with two stories.

Since food delivery platforms prices are higher than in-store prices, we usually try to look for those restaurants that offers discounts (and we had this when there was a 25% discount).  The first time we ordered A&W delivery, it came from an outlet in EkoCheras Mall.  

My all-time favourite order from A&W has always been their Beef Coney (RM12.20 a la carte, RM10.80 for Chicken Coney, all prices quoted here are delivery prices and before discount).  We've got fried chicken and burgers from other fast food restaurants here but none offer hot dogs.

And A&W's hot dog is no ordinary hot dog, it comes with their signature meat sauce with onions.  I always go for the Beef Coney (I don't think I've ever ordered Chicken Coney before or, if I did, probably only once).  It's like burger and pasta, who wants a chicken burger or chicken bolognese when there's a beef option...hehe! ;D

Their signature coney sauce with minced beef and diced onions is the very reason why I go for their Coney Dog coz the meaty sauce is what elevates this ordinary tasting hotdog, one that tastes just like any commercially produced hotdog out there.  I wouldn't mind if there was a bit of relish to top it all off but, luckily, the oniony flavour of the crunchy onions made up for it.

You can also get this coney dog in a set which comes with Large Curly (or French) Fries (RM7.10 for curly fries, RM6.60 for french fries) and a 600ml bottle of Root Beer.  Their latest promotion is the Satay Coney & Burger...but the idea doesn't entice me (I think I'll leave the traditional taste of satay sauce alone and enjoy it with satay instead).

My next favourite item from A&W is their Onion Rings (RM7.70).  I can't remember if they were the first to offer onion rings before the rest of the fast food chains but they certainly offered the best tasting one for me.  It's their recipe of a super crunchy batter on the onion rings while keeping the onions juicy on the inside that made them better than the rest.

I try not to indulge in sweet drinks but if I did, their Root Beer (RM4.90 for 600ml, RM11.90 for a 2L pitcher) would definitely be the third and final thing I'd indulge here.  Nothing quite like having a root beer or root beer float on site in one of their frozen, frosty mugs as the chilled mug made the drink even better.

We also ordered the 2-pcs Golden Aroma Fried Chicken (RM12.70, RM18.60 for 3-pcs) which comes coated in a thick and very crunchy batter...a bit too thick and crunchy for me though....and the chicken meat was a bit dry (my favourite fast food fried chicken is still Wendy's).

Glad that foodpanda gave me the option to pick my favourite chicken parts (thigh and drumstick, of course).  The chicken pieces were of a good size, at least bigger than KFC's.  They also offer a spicy version.

Noticed Fried Mushrooms on the menu (can't remember the price but it's no longer on the menu) so I ordered it only to realise when it arrived that they were shiitake mushrooms.  The flavour of shiitake mushrooms (whether fresh or dried) is too intense.  The mushrooms were so chewy that not even the batter can save it. Worst fried snack ever! >_<  They're not suitable in a western-style dish.  For me, they taste the best when braised in a Chinese-type dish.

Coming back to the stories of these deliveries.  Well, in our first order (from A&W EkoCheras Mall), they forgot to pack one of our mains.  A burger was left out though the sides of curly fries and drink came.  A call to foodpanda later and we were given a credit voucher as compensation.  We used that credit voucher for our second order with A&W again (it can be used for other restaurants too if we so choose).  This time it was A&W Sunway Velocity.  And, lo and behold, they forgot to pack yet another item (this time they left out our order of a large bottle of root beer).  So, we got yet another compensation voucher.  Can't remember the exact value of the vouchers given but the amount is always higher than the missing item (as it should be since it actually means we're kinda forced to make another order).  We didn't know if we'd be third time lucky, so we chose to use the second compensation voucher for another restaurant instead....lol! :P

On a side note (sorry to digress), if you're a fan of Texas Chicken's biscuit, make sure you get your hands on their new herb & garlic biscuit.  I liked it better than their usual honey butter biscuit as this one comes with a fairly strong hint of garlic (but only if you or your other half like the flavour of garlic, of course).  I'm sure you know which one of the two (above) is the herb & garlic one.  A little tip: If you're having your biscuit a little later, reheat it in a toaster oven for a few minutes and it'll be even more fragrant.  And oh, the Prosperity Burger is back...yes! ;)

My Personal Opinion

I still enjoy eating A&W but I only like 3 things here....their classic coney dog, onion rings and root beer since there are better fast food fried chicken and burgers out there.  For some of us, eating A&W brings back nostalgic memories...and now you can have a bit of that '60s, '70s and '80s vibe at their first ever retro concept store (at PJ's Seventeen Mall) complete with jukebox, bar seats and checkerboard floor!

A&W is an old but timeless flavour.....and I think they're still AW-some in some ways after more than half a century! ^_~  But they seriously need to improve on their SOPs...and, by that, I don't mean the SOP due to the pandemic, I mean their SOPs for service and delivery (there are complaints even at their newest retro outlet). >_<

A&W

B-21A Basement 1 Sunway Velocity

Lingkaran SV

55100 Kuala Lumpur

Just One Food - KFC's Nasi Kari Atuk

KFC may not be among my top choices when it comes to fast food fried chicken but I do eat them from time to time....especially when they have new specials on their menu.

Like the recent Nasi Kari Atuk from their Ramadan menu which was made available from 30 April onwards.  Don't ask me why it's called Nasi Kari Atuk....perhaps Colonel Sanders looks like a grandfather (atuk)?  And they've dressed him in sarong dan songkok sempena Ramadan/Hari Raya...kekeke! ;D

The fried chicken set meals come with the new Kari Atuk and Sambal Atuk.  You have a choice of three different set meals consisting of a 2-pc or 3-pc Nasi Kari Atuk Combo or a Kari Atuk Rice Box.

This is the Nasi Kari Atuk 2-pc Combo @ RM16.30 (a 3-pc combo will set you back RM19.90).  This set comes with 2 pieces of fried chicken (choice of original or hot & spicy), Colonel rice, coleslaw, curry potato sauce & sambal and a drink.

I chose KFC original fried chicken...and got a piece of drumstick and a piece of chicken rib. :P  From my experience, if you don't specify the cut you want, they'll always take advantage of the situation and 'dump' a piece of chicken breast on you (and when you specify no chicken breast, they'll give you a piece of chicken rib which also has breast meat...haiz!).  Let it be known that KFC's chicken is not the juiciest, so imagine if you've gotten a piece of chicken breast! >_< I don't think they should to do that coz it's only a 2-pc chicken. They should only dump those unpopular cuts when people order say 5 pieces of chicken and more, don't you think?  Can't they just give the more favoured parts of drumstick, thigh or wings?  After all, it's only a 2-pc chicken set! >:(

The rice (which looks like chicken rice) is similar to Colonel's rice (that you get when they have their rice sets).  The only difference is that it came wrapped in fake-looking daun pisang (banana leaf) paper! ;P

The coleslaw was the only thing that stood out like a sore thumb as it didn't quite belong in a dish of nasi lemak cum chicken rice but, then again, it's understandable that they include it as it's their only veggie dish + it was already existing in their menu.  When I ate it together, it wasn't all that bad as it offered a relief from the spiciness of the sambal atuk.  Come to think of it, I've had some one plate meals (with rice) that came with coleslaw as the veg component.

One of the new items in the set is their kari atuk, of course.  The thick curry potato sauce with hints of curry spices (but not overwhelming) and santan (coconut milk) was rather nice...but I found only two small chunks of potato in it though (nothing like their promo pic which showed it brimming with potatoes).

The other new item is their sambal atuk, a sambal sauce that was more spicy (but tolerable) than sweet.  Dig in to reveal small pieces of ikan bilis.  It was an ok sambal that paired well with the curry.

Price of RM16.30 is about right since the snack plate combo is around same price.  You may not get the whipped potato but you have the rice instead + the additional curry and sambal.

If you want a bit more variety, you can go for the Kari Atuk Rice Box @ RM19.90 which comes with kari atuk rice bowl, 1-pc chicken (original or spicy), 3 crispy tenders, coleslaw, whipped potato and a drink (oops, they ran out of 'atuk' packaging...kekeke!).

The only new item in this box set is the kari atuk rice bowl which consists of crispy chicken bites (similar to Zinger chunks) doused with kari atuk (this one has a bit more potatoes).  It reminded me of their previous promotion of sambal rice bowl except that one was doused in sambal instead of curry.  Everything else in the box we're already familiar with.

You see what I mean when you don't specify the chicken part you want....even when there's only one piece of chicken in the set, they still dump a chicken rib on me! >_<

I don't specify the chicken cut I want as I don't want to come off as picky but my experience with the KFC store in my neighbourhood tells me otherwise.  Ok, no more Mr Nice Guy from now on....now I specify the cut I want...and I finally got myself a drumstick and thigh! ^o^

Between the two kari atuk meals, the kari atuk rice box is probably the set with more value (and variety too) coz you get extras of chicken tenders, whipped potato and a rice bowl (but just one piece of chicken).

So, if you wish to try the Nasi Kari Atuk or the Kari Atuk Rice Box, you better hurry to the nearest KFC near you coz it probably won't be around once Ramadan is over.

Keep calm (during this conditional MCO) and eat chicken! :D

There's no place like home.  Stay home to stay safe.

Just One Food - KFC's Dunk & Dip Crispy Tenders

KFC's Crispy Tenders is not something new, it has been around for a few years now (since the beginning of 2016 as per their Facebook).  The only thing new is that they would periodically introduce new sauces to go with the crispy tenders...like the recent sour cream & onion or sweet mustard.

But even more recently (I don't know when exactly, maybe a month ago based on a promotional video on their Facebook), they introduced yet another dip to go with the chicken tenders....the new KFC Dunk & Dip Crispy Tenders.  I think this is, by far, their best dip yet! ^_^

You start off with 3 good-sized boneless chicken meat tenders that have the same decent taste of KFC chicken but without the bones...how wonderful is that!  I actually prefer to eat these hot & spicy chicken tenders as they're super crunchy and not too dry.

And then they're paired with a Smokey Zesty Dip and Crackling Rice Pops for you to dunk & dip your crispy chicken tenders into.  Happy days! ^_~

The Smokey Zesty Dip is a smokey BBQ onion sauce that tastes somewhat similar to some kind of BBQ sauce (not sure of the smokey part though) that has some sweetness (not overly sweet) and tang (really tangy).

The Crackling Rice Pops consists of rice pops with a spicy curry flavour that has a real kick to it (but tolerable, even for me).  First impression, I thought the rice pops were mixed with fried curry leaves but, on closer inspection, the spices looked rather similar to a bottle of mixed spices (of possibly rosemary, thyme, oregano and parsley) with probably additional paprika and cayenne for spiciness.

So, I dunked (to coat the crispy tenders with the sticky sauce).....

...and I dipped (to get the super crunchy rice pops to stick to the chicken tenders)....

....and then I ate!  The hot & spicy chicken tenders were already tasty, spicy and crunchy to begin with...and the rice pops made it tastier.....spicier....and crunchier! ^.^

The rice pops were really, really well spiced and so, so good...it tasted like one of those pre-packed Indian savoury snacks with super crispy thin murukku, flour crisps, nuts, peas and curry leaves.

Pair that with an Original Go Bowl for just RM3.70 (good value indeed) with crispier fries and crunchy Zinger chunks drizzled with their signature gravy (which is the same brown sauce that you get with the mashed potatoes) and finished with a sprinkling of chilli flakes (similar to bottled chilli flakes) to give it a bit of heat...and you have a meal fit for one.

This is exactly how it was packed to go...open at the top like that!  I wish they'd packed the gravy separately for us to pour over at home as the fries can get soggy by the time we reach home.  Of course, I liked it more when I got well fried fries like in the earlier pic.

You can order this Dunk & Dip Crispy Tenders with smokey zesty dip and crackling rice pops as a 3-pc a la carte @ RM6.90....for now.  But I don't know how long it'll be available as an a la carte item since the Shrimp Nuggets which was originally available a la carte for RM5.90 is now no longer sold on its own except in a combo meal with chicken starting from RM28.50 (I finally asked the KFC worker when I found the words 'sold out' twice when I tried to get it.  I guess I waited too long to try the Shrimp Nugget). 

This Dunk & Dip offers fragrant, crunchy goodness in a bite!  I didn't care for the tangy BBQ sauce but the crunchy dip I loved...I can eat that just on its own! ^o^  You know how (sometimes) the actual products can end up being 'what you see is not what you get'...well, I'm glad to report this is not one of those times! :P

If you happen to be hungrier or greedier, have it in a set (Combo A) with 1-pc chicken (OR or HS), 3-pc crispy tenders, 1 Smokey Zesty Dip, 1 Crackling Rice Pops, 1 coleslaw (R), 1 whipped potato (R) and 1 Iced Lemon Tea (R) for RM13.90 or pay RM17.90 for an extra piece of chicken (Combo B) if you're extra hungry or greedy.

Just dunk....dip.....crunch!  But, hey, don't wait too long...go get it now before it disappears from the menu as it may be for a limited time only (or it becomes only available in a combo meal like the Shrimp Nuggets and not sold separately).  I've had it twice already...in one week!....kekeke! ;)