As part of the National Day celebrations, many local food outlets have injected local flavours into their menu. Qaisara Batrisyia Zulkifli puts together a 3-course meal perfect to get into the NDP mood.
As National Day comes around every year, many food joints begin to tweak their menu to incorporate a uniquely Singaporean flavour. This year, one such addition was the sell-out Nasi Lemak Burger from McDonald’s. To get into the mood to celebrate Singapore’s 52th birthday, we could put together a 3-course meal from similar offerings.
Appetiser: The Satay Puff, Old Chang Kee
The Satay Puff is back again. On the outside, it looks like a typical curry puff from Old Chang Kee. Bite into it to taste the difference: chunky pieces of chicken satay, with hints of the peanut sauce we’ve come to love with our satay. I was a little sceptical at first. But, I was pleasantly surprised that the marinated chicken chunks tasted exactly like how you would expect from a real satay. The crusty Old Chang Kee curry puff exterior compliments it well. The satay puff was perfect enough to be a snack on its own.
Rating:★★★☆☆
Main course: Hainanese Chicken Burger, Burger King
We Singaporeans just can’t get enough of our chicken rice, including the Hainanese chicken rice. But a Hainanese Chicken Burger? I had my doubts. The patty is Burger King’s signature tender grill chicken but coated with a thick layer of Hainanese sauce. At first sight, the burger didn’t look pretty. It looked soggy and flat. The strong smell of ginger threw me off, as it’s not something you would normally associate with a burger. It also failed the taste test. The sweetness of the sauce, overpowered by the ginger smell, was really not to my liking.
Rating:★☆☆☆☆
Dessert: Kueh Salat Cake, McDonald’s
To end my 3-course meal, I picked the kueh salat cake from McDonald’s. A traditional Malay delicacy, the kueh salat is a custard-glutinous rice dessert. McDonald’s fused this flavour into their cakes, which is three-layered: a glutinous rice layer sandwiched between two layers of fluffy pandan cake. The cake was topped with pandan custard frosting and coconut shavings. The cake was not overly sweet and the glutinous rice complimented the cake layers very well, giving it a bit of texture. A sweet ending to the meal.
Rating:★★★★☆
Drink: Pandan Coco Frappucino, McDonald’s
To pair my meal, I had the Pandan Coco Frappucino from McDonald’s. The frappe went well with all the food. Expectedly, it was very sweet and with a good amount of pandan flavour in it. There were grass jelly bits at the bottom of the drink that give the ice-blended drink its texture. It tasted even better when the ice has all melted.
Rating:★★★★☆
