Jollibee, the largest fast food chain in Philippines with over 800 stores worldwide, has rocked the local fast food scene and brought fried chicken to another level. In fact, I read in the news some time back that their first outlet in Singapore, started only in March this year at Lucky Plaza, is their top performing outlet of all. Impressive, isn’t it? I just wonder how much fried chicken we consume in this small little island of ours!
The famous Jollibee Mascot
From Krispy Kreme to Jollibee, we are just too fond of queuing, aren’t we? This is probably the longest queue I have ever encountered in a fast food outlet but it’s not surprising since this is the one and only Jollibee in Singapore. Good thing is, the logistical operations are very organised. There is an usher at the door telling customers where the queue starts while queue poles form a neat zig-zag line inside.
Spacious 300-seater space
There are a number of counters serving the never-ending influx of customers so the long queue is able to move quite quickly. There is also a service staff near the front of the queue who goes around taking pre-orders from customers. She will then hand you an order slip which you can just pass to the counter staff for easy processing.
And because food turnover is so high that the kitchen staff has to prepare everything in advance constantly to meet with the demand so everything from ordering, paying to receiving our food order all fall in place seamlessly in quick mode.
The staff at the outlet are very polite and always carry big smiles on their faces. To be honest, there’s really nothing I can fault on in terms of service level. Jollibee is an established brand and I’m glad the same standards are also maintained here.
Here’s what we ordered…
2-piece Chickenjoy with Rice & Gravy and one soft drink ($6.60)
It’s my first time eating white rice at a fast food place. Normally, fried chicken is served with mashed potato or fries but yes, over here, it’s served with steamed rice instead which is not a bad choice. It is much healthier than eating deep fried, greasy fries when you already have enough to clog up your arteries from the deep fried chicken!
There is no choosing of chicken parts as all the chicken have been pre-packed in boxes. Not a big problem for me since I have the wing and the thigh which are already my favourite parts. Every piece of chicken is lightly battered and fried to a perfect crisp. I am amazed how these chicken do not make my lips and fingers feel oily. It is light on texture but BIG on flavour. I love the seasonings that go into the flour coating. This reminds me of Arnold’s Fried Chicken or simply those fried spring chicken at western food stall but this is really much much better. This is lip-smacking and finger-licking good!
It’s a pity the rice is a little soggy. I guess it’s because it’s wrapped up in paper so it gets soaked up by its own moisture.
The gravy is not great either. I’d still prefer the mashed potato gravy from KFC. So what I did was to squeeze chilli sauce (Kimball brand of chilli sauce is so not nice! Jollibee, please consider changing brand to Sin Sin!) into the gravy and then drizzle the concoction over my rice which made it more palatable. For the chicken, just eat it naked! It’s good on its own.
Look how juicy the chicken is!
Here’s a picture to show the juices oozing out between the layers of meat on the chicken thigh. Every bite of meat comes with moisture. Yet there are hardly any fats present on the meat or underneath the skin. If you ask me where to get the best fried chicken in town, it has got to be Jollibee. I’m a convert now. So is my husband. Farewell KFC. Goodbye Popeyes.
Jollibee
304 Orchard Road
#06-048A, Lucky Plaza
Tel: 6735 5117
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Open: 9.00am to 9.00pm daily