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There have been some complaints by regular readers about not having enough cheaper food options, so this is in response to you. First, I apologise, actually no I don't. HA! Believe it or not, this is not my first "cheap" or "local" option that I have reviewed. You can see earlier reviews on
John Thai and
881 XO Fish Head Beehoon which I think are quite reasonably priced local places. There's no video for this review as ... well I was too lazy and couldn't be bothered to film anything. Instead you will just have to put up with photos.
In the review on my
revisit Yan Ting, I mentioned that I did indeed have cheaper options on the table (no pun intended), just that I needed to go back as the photos from my first visit weren't all that great - this was the place. The things I do for you guys!!
Arnold's Fried Chicken was recommended by a friend, but being located in City Plaza it was a bit far away from a convenient public transport stop. I takes me a good hour to get here on public transport. I just don't think it's worth taking a cab when the price of the meal is so low. In fact going to this part of Singapore was forced on me. I had to pick up a parcel at the SingPost at One KM Mall (don't get me started on that!) and City Plaza is located in the mall right next door.
I took a few photos of the inside of the mall, but it really isn't anything special. Right next to a new mall like One KM means that City Plaza frankly looks tired and run down. But as they say, it's not what on the outside that counts.
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Once you are at City Plaza, just walk through the doors and the escalators are right in front of you, just take those up one floor and AFC's is on your right hand side.
Arnold's Fried Chicken has been around for a long time, they say 30 years on the website, but who knows? And really providing good food and affordable prices means that it is not surprising that it has been around for so long. Put it in perspective, Singapore is only 50 years old. I have heard that, because of the prices they offer, Arnold's Fried Chicken is a favourite among the cheap student crowd.
So how does it work? Well you can't reserve a place. And actually unless you know exactly what is going on, it can be a bit confusing. There are actual a number of stages from getting in line to order, to actually being able to sit down and eat. Here is a reasonably quick and painless version.
The first queue, is to get your order. You just join the back of the queue by the restaurant and wait until you get to the counter. During this time, you should be planning what order you want. If you check out the menu, they don't just serve chicken, they also serve chicken pieces (like they do at KFC).
Let me take a bit of time out to decide what is good at Arnold's Fried Chicken? Well, like the name suggests -- the chicken!!! And to top it all off, it's so cheap!!
Second, once you get to counter, you place your order and they will give you a queue number. After this point you just hang around, looking at everyone else and feeling a bit stupid. In fact, if you go in a crowd, this is a good opportunity to go wandering around the mall. You may well have another 30mins to wait. When you go around, there is a lot of shops selling odds and sods, but basically I couldn't see much there that I found appealing. Though I suspect, like AFC's, the main selling point of shops in this mall is the cheapness!!
Third, after waiting for what seems like an age, your queue number will pop up on the big screen. Time to eat! No. Time to pay. You go back to the counter and pay up. At this point, your food is probably just hitting the fryer. Once you pay and get your receipt, you will also get a buzzer.
This may well be the time you get a seat.
Once you sit down, you wait for the buzzer to .... errr buzz, and then go collect your food.
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If you want to clean your hands before you eat, this is the time to do it, as they do not really provide cutlery that is effective in cutting through the chicken, only a plastic fork. The sink is on the left hand side and behind you as you look at the counters.
Once your food is ready, you can rush to the counter to pick up your food and admire the hot deliciousness that is Arnold's Fried Chicken.
As I mentioned previously, I had to go to Arnold's Fried Chicken more than once as the first time I let the team down. This picture was from my first visit, when I had a 1/2 Spring Chicken Meal; at S$7.10 one really can't go wrong.
The chicken is really really moist, all the way through. Even with that other perennial favourite, KFC, the meat can taste a bit dry after a bit. Not AFC's
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Now I realise regular punters at AFC's will notice my big big faux pas, for which I apologise. Yes, that's right, I made the newbie error.... I took the food on the tray ... and didn't take the tray back to the counter. In fact, what I observed was that you use the tray to bring the food to your seating area, take the food & drinks off, and then take the tray back to the counter so other customers can use it. It was only when I got up to hand my dirty plate back that I realised my error. I don't think it's a real problem, but no one else kept the tray after picking up their food .... *hide in corner*
Did I say: you can't really go wrong? Well I'm sorry, that is wrong in itself. I should have gone for the whole Spring Chicken Meal for only S$11.90. Which is what I did on my second trip there! As they say, I brung it (translates as: I brought it).
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Yeah, that's right. Your eyes do not deceive you. One whole chicken, french fries and coleslaw, all for S$11.90; including the S$2.30 drink (root beer if you're wondering); it comes to a grand total of S14.20.
In fact I came for lunch this time on a Saturday and I was genuinely surprised that I was able to get a seat almost immediately, which was awesome. I rocked up to the counter and there was no one in front of me. I ordered my whole spring chicken for one person, to eat in, and the lady behind the counter led me directly to a seat. SWEET!!!!
20 minutes later?
Well this is all that is left. Because it is a spring chicken the bones are much smaller so don't forget to work all the way in there. You'll be surprised where to find additional crispy spots. Yum, yum, yum!!!
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This really isn't the sort of place to spend time chit chatting. You really are here just to eat. Also, to be considerate to future diners, don't hang around too long after your finish, as there is usually a queue. Make sure you give everyone an opportunity to share the joy of the chicken.
Even there was no queue when I arrived, only 30mins later there was a now a line of people waiting to get in.
I am still writing up a review on another local restaurant. So hopefully I can return to the more expensive places shortly
Keep your eyes peeled.
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