Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen (Chicken & Seafood) @ Taman Tun

If there was anything that could match Bubbagum’s signature shrimp dishes, without the hefty cost and all, this would be it. And if the shrimps were already this good, Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen is more so famed for its Southern Fried Chicken, according to a friend who resides in the US. This fast food concept restaurant is however new in town, opening to the public just a mere 24 hours ago much to the delights of TTDI residents.

It just so happen that I was blessed to be invited as one of the test tasters for a private function last Sunday. Go me 😛

Among the variety of food they serve, I personally liked the shrimps the most. Each bite-sized morsel is a tasty piece of bouncing flesh, without too much batter just to make it look big.

Peeling off the fried better outing, you can see the freshness of the shrimps themselves. I don’t think there is any need to describe the springy-looking, succulent shrimp in greater detail. Firm and bouncy, each bite is truly a delight to be salvaged.

My, how I’ve missed my fix of Southern Fried Chicken! Back in my London days, I used to have this fix every now and then for SFC thanks to its really cheap price and it’s always guaranteed to be tasty! Definitely a must try, very different compared to KFC’s or McD’s! I think the mix of herbs partly attributes to the sinful taste, though I can’t really be sure… They do keep their seasonings a secret 😛

A bite of my drumstick shows the tenderness of the flesh, just how I like it; so juicy and tasty that a combo set just isn’t enough to satisfy you. I thought it was a tad salty but as I remembered it, SFCs were always meant to be this way 😉

&nsbp;

Besides shrimps and chicken, Popeye also sells Fish strips. Interestingly the fish used seems to be Catfish, pretty uncommon seeing that most fast food restaurants uses processed fish patties instead. Now this one’s a unique one; I personally love the soft and moist taste of catfish but it may not be for everyone. The translucent meat is very appetizing to me, being obviously a huge sashimi fan! Comes with a small portion of tartar sauce.

Signature side dishes in Popeye’s include their special mashed potato that comes in some unique sauce I haven’t encountered before. Unlike the normal thick pepperish sauce usually found in other fast food restaurants, this one seems to be a blend of spices including chilli to produce a savoury, not so thick gravy poured on top perfectly mashed potato to give you what you see above. Thrilling, I would say, certainly another interesting taste to explore.

&nsbp;

Coleslaw. Now. This is AWESOME! I’m sorry la but I’m not particularly a fan of coleslaws, but the moment I had this one I knew I found my favourite! It’s not that it uses a different mix of vegetables (or maybe it does) or that the sauce used is any different compared to others, but the simple fact that they put in finely chopped pickles into the mix to give the extra oomph in taste! Don’t worry though, the sourness in the pickled mix is so very subtle, lending a stronger hand towards the sweetness of the coleslaw, just the way I like it 🙂

Interestingly enough, what made Popeye stand out from the rest in the states was their unique “Biscuit”. Now noticed I had the word cleverly wrapped within quotes, and for a very good reason too. This is mainly because, get this, I don’t know why it’s called a biscuit in the first place. Looking like scones and having a very undefined texture (sort of like a baking work gone wrong) this “biscuit” looks as if it’s a hybrid between bread and biscuit, a texture that most will not have tried before. You should give it a try because I’m obviously not doing very well in describing it. Could you do better?

A look into a half-eaten “biscuit” shows that the inside doesn’t have the usual biscuity look. Lol.

Let’s move on to the burgers. For me the burgers is none other than our three main ingredients slapped into two pieces of conic bread, filled with assorted vegetables and sauces for the main sake of being mobile. As you can see the options are clearly printed onto the packaging.

Upon opening you’d see an oddly shaped bread, which I think is meant to make biting easier for us. Decently sized too as you will see later.

This one here is the catfish burger. Three slices of pickles, mayo and a fillet of breaded fish is all you see, though one might say, it’s simplicity at its best.

The fillet looks pretty fresh, as I made a slight cut through it. I really love it like this, though if you ask me I still cannot choose between the Fillet-O-Fish and this one. Maybe I should do a personal review on the both of it one day. Haha. Oh, don’t get me started on KFC’s burger selection, the only one worth mentioning is the Tower Zinger, the rest just suck I’m sorry.

Picture tells it all. NGAUM!

Some may find a half-eaten burger digusting but I must insist on show you how even the burger is as you take a bite off the longer end. Does it look appetizing to you? 😛 I think it does! Just test to see if you’ve drool all over your face by now haha.

This is the innards of the shrimp burger. Ok la got lettuce 😛 Otherwise it’s really that simple, as if it’s just meant to be a mobile version of the usual combos.

I’m a pig and I go NOM NOM NOM!

To end the meal, they serve desserts that you won’t find in normal fast food restaurants (and we’re talking about those within the same pricing okay, no Wendy’s or Carls Jr!) The one above is my favourite, strawberry cheesecake. Loved the texture, loved the taste, perfect ending.

I’m no fan of chocolate so I left this one out, but apparently it’s good as well.

After tasting through the somewhat limited variety of food I had to give suggestions and apparently they take all suggestions seriously. The partners insist that feedbacks are very important even in the fast food industry, to perfect the dishes and cater for their customers. Service is also excellent and comments were made on that. Then again, it’s really new. Let’s wait and see after a period of time goes by, shall we?

Here’s what you’ve been waiting for: the pricing. Check it out, pretty decent if you ask me. Cheaper than KFC? McDonalds?

The second menu.

A snapshot at the counters shows hygiene was kept at an optimum level. Hopefully this will remain true over time, and I’ll make it a personal task of mine to do random spot checks, not unlike what Michelin inspectors do. You don’t know what Michelin inspectors are? I suggest you do a google on it because chances are, you’re missing out a lot on the gastronomical world.

Random fact of the day:

Kai Mayfair’s at London (near where I used to live), touted to serve the world’s most expensive soup (Buddha Jumps Over the Wall) at £108 (RM606) per bowl, is a Malaysian-owned restaurant who had just receive a Michelin star award after vigorous inspection by the Michelin team. Kudos to Bernard Yeoh and Head chef Alex Chow for achieving such a prestigious award, which is really, really tough to get! Read about it here.

Quite an bold and attention seeking design on the top board to entice your eyes to view it worked pretty well. Strong colours helped of course 🙂

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The rest are miscellaneous pictures depicting the restaurant’s interiors, feel free to view them.

Baby chairs for family use.

Quirky but nice toilet signages!

Beautiful poster for your eyes to feast on.

The view inside the restaurant. Non-smoking.

And the outside. For smokers. I think you can sort of guess the location of Popeye now. Easily found opposite KFC. Talk about rivals!

Thanks Dato’ for the invite! Hopefully there’ll be more like these from now on… Though I doubt I’d get anywhere near KY’s fehmesness in a loooong long while, hor? 😛

Do visit his blog for lots food places to visit, his maps are a thing of genius haha.

Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, serving Chicken and Seafood. Do give it a try with your friends and family, certainly something unique to experience. Located at Taman Tun, same road where Secret Recipe is along Jalan Fuad, you’ll find it hard NOT to find 😀