Waffles with fried chicken is one of those dishes I watch people eat on cable TV and wonder how it'll taste like because it just looked so incredulously sinful and awesome both at once. I learnt that it came from America's southern states, and was considered a 'soul food'. They usually have it for breakfast as well, which is something we Singaporeans will never have, despite chomping down copious amounts of fried carrot cake and greasy bee hoon with chili. I wonder who's the first guy or gal who decided fried chicken is so delicious, it can be paired with just about anything, and what better than some fluffy waffles lying there on the breakfast table? [Turns out Wikipedia said it's the other way round -- chicken came before the egg (waffles)].
Well, enough of food trivia. To taste that bit of oddity in American culture, visit the relatively new Southern Kitchen & Bourbon Bar - The Beast at the Haji Lane district. Comfortably decorated and rather authentic was the impression I got when I visited on a lazy Sunday afternoon with @ms-skinnyfat.
We started with the most famous Southern dish of all - the humble Cornbread ($6) or Corn Muffin as Kenny Rogers would have us believe. It was light, fluffy and corny. Drench it with maple syrup and you have a winner! I loved this and would have finished it if not for what's in store ahead...
The Chicken and Waffles ($20) is the highlight of the meal, as you can tell from my ode to this odd pairing. It comes with a bourbon maple butter sauce to drench over the lightly fried and juicy chicken! The waffle was light and not burnt, though it could have been a bit more moist. This was compensated by the fried chicken though. My curiosity (and appetite) for this dish has been satiated - its every bit as good as I had imagined. I'd definitely recommend anyone to order this when you visit The Beast.
The Pulled Pork Hash ($18) was also generous at the price (Southern portions y'all) and bursting with flavours. The pork had been 'pulled' for 10 hours - and the bbq sauce over the poached eggs and home 'fries' aka potato cubes was a surprisingly delicious combination. The mix of textures and flavors does very well. I wished I had some bread so I can mix everything in and have it as a sandwich. This dish is huge, so it's best shared among two or more!
We also had a true Southern favorite which was probably not as famous as the Chicken Waffle combination - the Sausage Biscuit ($18) made with buttermilk biscuit, sausage patty, truffled mushrooms, swiss cheese and a sunny side up. It was funny how they used 'biscuit' to describe that particular ... thing, started by Popeyes' when they came here. Every time I hear "biscuit" I think of this:
I don't get it. But I eat it anyway.
The Sausage Biscuit was delicious - the Swiss Cheese gravy was thick and luscious - and slathered all over the biscuit and meaty sausage patty. The salad was a pithy gesture when placed beside all the indulgence going on, haha. Order this if you have a hankering for biscuits and sausage, maybe. But try to limit it to once every couple months if you want to watch that waist.
The Bacon Maple Glazed Donut ($5) was part of our dessert. It was a bit too doughy for me (spoiled by all those Krispy Kremes!) This must be quite authentic though and whoever thought of bacon glaze is a genius.
I had some Southern Sweet Tea ($7) to accompany the meal. Rather pricey for some iced tea, if you asked me. It might be a better deal to have their One-Hour Bottomless Mimosas ($20) during their Boozy Brunch Sundays from 10am to 5pm!
Lastly, even though it looked pretty small in this photo rest assured that this Mississippi Mudpie ($14) is also Southern portioned. It's made with Oreo crust layered with vanilla bean & triple
chocolate ice cream topped with chocolate fudge. Very sinful, but quite delicious as well. I'm not sure if 2 people can have chicken and waffles and then THIS for dessert after. It might be illegal according to the Ministry of Health. Haha.
The Beast definitely opened my eyes to what real Southern food is like without me having to take a 25 hour flight to wherever. I definitely recommend for anyone who's curious about this particular cuisine to check it out. It's already proving to be a hit among families and friends who are thronging the place during weekends, so get yourself a reservation and have some patience with the staff!
The Beast
17 Jalan Klapa, Singapore 199329
+65 62950017
Mon - Thu: 5pm to midnight, Fri - Sat: 5pm to 1am, Sun: 10am to 5pm
Hey there, loved your post........... wanted to just say fyi, what we call a 'biscuit' here is referred to as a 'cookie' in the US. So yes that scone looking Popeye thing is called rightfully a 'biscuit' over there.
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