Oven & Fried Chicken 오꾸닭 & 쌀통닭 - new branch at Tanjong Katong

Kentucky’s “Finger Lickin’ Good” Chicken and Singapore BBQ Chicken Wings have always been popular in food loving Singapore. It is thus not surprising that Korean-style Fried Chicken finds a ready following here. Eateries offering Korean fried chicken have invaded many parts of our island. Oven & Fried Chicken (OFC), a combination of OKKUDAK and SSALDAK – two of the most popular chicken restaurants in Korea, has a new branch in Tanjong Katong. It is located right next to 눈송이 NunSongYee Korean Dessert House.

The interior decor of Oven & Fried Chicken (OFC) in Tanjong Katong is rather modest but it looks warm and pleasant. The walls feature a few quirky art pieces, miniature robots and salvaged fittings. There are a few seats in the non-air conditioned front porch for those who like al fresco dining in humid Singapore.

The menu of Oven & Fried Chicken is quite straight forward – there are roasted oven-baked chicken and deep fried chicken and a few side dishes. Don’t get confused by their “rice chicken”. It is not chicken rice like Singaporeans know it but fried chicken coated with rice flour. If you must have rice you can order steamed rice separately. Currently they have a special lunch menu offering rice and noodle dishes at very affordable prices.

We went to OFC in Tanjong Katong for dinner and wanted to try their roasted chicken. We were warned by the friendly staff that we might have to wait for about 30 minutes. We decided to try the fried chicken instead. We ordered Half a Fried Original Chicken ($18) and a bowl of rice ($2). GST and service charge would be added to the bill.

Unlike many Korean restaurants that serve a range of side dishes to you, whether you want them or not, OFC only serves a small dish of pickled radish. Our half chicken was neatly cut into pieces and served in a tray made of wooden beer barrel. The fried chicken, using rice flour as coating, had thin crispy skin and moist tender meat. The skin felt crunchier and less greasy than most other fried chicken we had tried before. The little cubes of pickled radish went really well with the fried chicken.

There is also a chicken with rice set, which comes with a soft drink, priced at $10.

On the whole we enjoyed our quick meal of fried chicken at Oven & Fried Chicken in Tanjong Katong. The service was friendly and efficient. The staff seemed like a bunch of hip looking young Koreans. OFC has quite an extensive drinks list – from Hite beer and soju to drafts and bottled beers from various parts of the world. Happy Hour is every day from 11.30 am to 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm to 9 pm. Good fried chicken with good beer and soju and happy hour everyday – there should be many happy people in Tanjong Katong!