Monga Fried Chicken Opens Ion Orchard Outlet, We Try New Spicy “X'mas” Flavour
Does Nono's new chook get a yes-yes or a no-no?
Taiwanese comedian Nono's chicken business is cluckin' — the towkay of the Monga Taiwanese fried chicken cutlet chain was in town two months ago to launch his first franchised Singapore outlet at Jem shopping mall in Jurong. He is now opening a second Monga outlet, this time in the central area at the basement of Ion Orchard (perhaps he heard the folks who complained that Jurong is too far and ulu). The outlet opens tomorrow (November 28).
No need to schlep to Jurong
Like the Jem outlet, the Ion Orchard branch is a takeaway kiosk. It's located opposite upcoming Japanese cream puff joint Croquant Chou Zaku Zaku. It also takes over the space vacated by fellow Taiwanese snack chain I Love Taimei (we patronised the stall for our Taiwanese fried chicken cutlet ranking just weeks ago — such is the cutthroat world of F&B in Singapore).
There's a new 'Christmas' flavour
The menu here is identical to Jem's, with Monga's thick, 280g honey-marinated chicken breast cutlets ($6.90 each) offered in three flavours: The King (salt and pepper), Hot Chick (chilli powder) and Taiker (seaweed seasoning). There's also a special limited-edition Christmas flavour available from December 1 to 26 at Monga's two outlets, called Fiery Chicken Fillet ($7.90). We're not sure if Santa Claus eats spicy fried chicken, but a brand's rep tells us the chook has a bright red hue that's reminiscent of, er, Christmas.
Nice or not?
The Mexican-inspired Fiery Chicken Fillet is slathered with a "secret" Taiwan-imported proprietary sauce that includes tomatoes, jalapenos, chillies, onions and pepper. It's then baked for two minutes to allow the sauce to permeate the cutlet thoroughly. The chicken is still satisfyingly succulent, but despite its feisty moniker, it’s not spicy at all (not even for chilli wimps). The sauce tastes more like a tangy tomato sauce with a mildly peppery, herb-infused kick. Fairly yummy, and we find the chicken cutlet easier to finish than its counterparts with powdered seasoning, which inevitably tend to feel dry on the palate after a while.
