Thursday, May 7, 2009

Fried Chicken Buffet @ Dallas Chicken & Ribs

One weekday when the both of us had some free time, we took the opportunity to try out something we had heard of some time ago. Over in Chinatown, there is a place called Dallas Chicken & Ribs which has a fried chicken buffet for $10 from 3.00pm-6.00pm, presumably because it's slow at this time of day.

As we stepped inside the nearly empty restaurant, we were greeted pleasantly by one of the staff. Looking around, we noticed a framed kalimah in the corner, revealing Dallas' to be owned by a Muslim. The 'kalimah' literally means 'the phrase' and is central to the belief of Muslims. 'The phrase' is: There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is Allah's Messenger. So do expect Halal food when you come here.

The menu looks like a fast-food restaurant, only much cheaper. But what we came for was the fried chicken buffet which serves chicken thigh, breast, wing, nuggets, and fries. The fries are the thick kind, not the skinny ones you find in McDonald's. Each customer also gets one free drink (use sparingly) and one rolo or burger which can contain chicken or fish. We stayed away from this because bread takes up space. Incidentally, the chicken rolo is nothing but pieces of chicken wrapped in a roti prata.

Buffet customers need to take note that you may not get what you order, because the buffet is subject to availability. Hence, we didn't get the chicken wings we ordered, but we could order anything else. We settled for 5 chicken breasts, 1 thighs, 3 drumsticks, 6 nuggets, and 2 packets of fries. Granted the fries are potato and hence not really worth the space, they're pretty yummy and we figured we needed a break from all that chicken.

If the oil is too much for you (it's deep-fried chicken after all), try going for the chicken breast as it doesn't absorb so much oil. All in all, this meal will be healthier than a KFC meal as the chicken served doesn't contain so much fat, and the portions served aren't dripping with oil. But it's only going to be as healthy as any deep-fried chicken meal.

Order as much as you want. If you have time, just sit there until 6.00pm when you can make your last order. Personally we find that we do get gelak after a while. Gelak is a Malay word meaning... er... there's no English equivalent. Nevermind, just get over to Dallas Chicken & Ribs, order a buffet, and eat fried chicken until you can't stand the thought of eating any more fried food. That's gelak.

Dallas Chicken & Ribs is located at 12 Upper Cross Street. It's at the row of shophouses diagonally across the junction from China Square Central, and directly opposite Hong Lim Complex. It's open from 11.00am to 8.00pm but the buffet is available only on weekdays from 3.00pm-6.00pm.

The best day to go on is Friday because, as my Catholic friends always like to say, "Meat tastes best on a Friday."

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