Wendy's on a Whim

Hubby and I are fans of Chili's. Ever since it opened in Tanglin Mall last year, we've been going there for our fix of nachos (with guacamole dip) and chili almost once every fortnight.

Unfortunately, being Eastlanders, Chili's is quite a far drive away for us and Orchard Road traffic on weekends can be quite a turnoff. We thus have to contend with perpetual Chili cravings all the time.

This week, after a particular draining workday, we experienced Chili pangs again. Out of the blue, Hubby suddenly suggested Wendy's -which is only a stone throw away from my office in Raffles Place. Wendy's doesn't have nachos and isn't a fine dining restaurant but at least it serves chili. Plus we hadn't visited the place since its much publicized opening in Lau Pat Sat.

Even at 9pm, the place was almost full, resembling a typical fast food outlet. The Wendy's mascot is cute but looks a tad out of place with her fire-engine red hair.

I ordered a bowl of Chili, a 3-piece nugget set and a half pounder cheese burger meal (comes with fries and a drink) for both of us. Service was brisk and efficient. Better still, the final bill came up to under 14 bucks- which is really great value.

The Chili served at Wendy's was definitely inferior to the one served at Chili's- but it was a decent substitute nonetheless (and much cheaper at only SGD2.50 a serving). I enjoyed picking out the stewed beans and savoring the richness of the stock.


Hubby's burger came all wrapped up in a silver foil, which made it look like a bar of Willy Wonka Chocolate with a golden ticket hidden within.

The final product didn't look anything like what was featured in the adverts but it was tasty nonetheless.

Hubby thinks that the burger can give Carls Junior a run for its money

Fries were thick and slightly soggy. Even a fry-lover like me had difficulty finishing the whole portion. I wonder if I could have substituted the fries with a baked potato instead. (I heard Wendy's version is pretty good).


We left with a good feeling in our bellies. Whilst Chili's still remains our favorite joint, we do not mind visiting Wendy's again for a quick fix.

Wendy's
18 Raffles Quay
Unit 46, Lau Pat Sat Festival Market
Tel: 62258335

Once Upon A Milk Shake

Ice ice baby

I'm glad some bigwig has decided to convert Maxwell Chambers into what it is today. The ground level is now lined with promising food outlets, all waiting to be slowly explored and savored.

One such gem is dessert haven Once Upon a Milk Shake". Everything about the shop squeals cutesy.

The walls are splashed with cheery purple and white hues, the menu board resembles a slab of grass and even the milkshakes/ice creams sport strange sounding names (all trademarked!) like:

Agent Strawberry: 100% fresh strawberries
Grumbling raisins: Flavorful rum with rum soaked raisins
Chocolate Truffle Castle: Mouth watering chocolate with truffle bits
Nutty Peanut Butler: Smooth and creamy peanut butter with crunchy peanuts
Spooky mocha: Aromatic coffee beans with chocolate
Cerious maple: Maple syrup with crunchy maple cereals
Vainilla pot: Simple and rich vanilla flavour
Sir Cookies & Cream: Rich vanilla with good old (did they mean ol?) Oreo cookies
Pirate Queen Prach: 100% real peaches

The owner(s) must have pretty big plans for the shop. Check out the pretty milkshake containers (which come in mini and regular sizes). Even the serviettes are embossed with the restaurant's logo!

My only grouse? The seats are boxy, low and rather uncomfortable. Pricing also seems a little too steep for my liking- I paid abt 3 bucks for a mini (really mini!) 210ml cookies and cream milkshake which was gone in under 4 slurps. Nonetheless, it is evident that the shop uses quality ingredients for all its products. The vanilla ice cream used in my milkshake was studded with pretty little vanilla bean speckles and was sufficiently rich and smooth.

To ramp up patronage on weekends, the shop is running an "ice cream by candlelight" promotion every sat from 8-9pm where one can enjoy milkshakes and ice cream under candlelight (free parking!)

Given the dearth of good ice cream hangouts in the CBD area, this is one place I will definitely be returning to every time I need a quick ice cream fix after lunch.

Arinco King (CLOSED DOWN)

Rin(g) my Bell

I was trembling with anticipation as I made my way down to Ion Food Hall on a Monday morning to pay homage to the much raved about Arinco King.

Good news. No queue! Arinco Fever must have finally died down.

After randomly scanning through the list of items available (sandcakes and rollcakes), I decided to order the salt caramel rollcake, which is touted to be the best selling item in the shop.

The rollcakes. Choose from vanilla, salt caramel and matcha. Each flavor comes with its own unique box, complete with ice packs that can last for up to 3 hours.


The equally pretty but not so sale-able sandcakes, which are much cheaper (but purportedly less tasty) than the rollcakes

At SGD18 per roll, the salt caramel rollcake is no cheap treat. The store doesn't sell individual slices (so its one whole roll or nothing). Each roll ain't that long either- it can comfortably feed 5 people at most.

A life size salt caramel rollcake strategically placed on the counter to tease us rabid foodies....

Consumed by greed, I decided to dispense with niceties and ask for a slice of the roll to be cut for me a la minute . The service staff obliged and proceeded to do so with utmost precision and finesse. I was suitably impressed.

The roll was every bit as scrumptious as it looked, with a sinfully rich cream centre spiked with hints of bittersweet caramel, encased in a velvety sponge exterior. This was unlike any other roll I had ever eaten. Everything about it was fresh, exquisite and delicious.

Due to the open concept of the Food Hall, seating is highly limited. It was a mean feat trying to gingerly cradle my handbag in one hand whilst eating my precious roll with the other. Nonetheless, with the JPY skyrocketing at such high levels against the SGD these days, this is a small price to pay for a piece of Japanese heaven right here in Singapore.

News Alert for Eastlanders

For Eastlanders out there with a weakness for fried chicken and cajun fries...Popeyes has opened an outlet in Century Square (#05-14)

Now that's one less reason to trudge all the way to Changi Airport for your Popeyes fix.

The holy grail

Some trivia about Popeyes (taken from their website)

1. Began in 1972 in New Orleans
2. Named after the character Popeye Doyle in the movie "The French Connection" (Oh..and I always thought it was named after the cartoon...)
3. Has beaten KFC before in a nationwide taste test
4. On facebook and twitter (!)