KK Western Food (Beach Road)

KK Western Food is probably one of the more recent F&B tenants to have moved into Golden Mile Food Centre — located at the second floor of the food centre, KK Western Food is fairly recognisable considering how the stall had chosen to use bright yellow for its signage that makes it especially attention-grabbing when it is being lit up; the stall is also located to the notable Wen Li Taiwanese Food 文礼台湾美食 that is best known for their braised pork rice. Considering how most of the Chinese-run western cuisine stalls at Golden Mile Food Centre serve up quite a variety of dishes on their menu, KK Western Food’s menu is probably the leanest of the lot at the said food centre — its offerings being limited to the more commonly available grills and chow that one can often find at neighbourhood western cuisine stalls at hawker centres, coffee shops or food courts; this includes various fried and grilled meat options, which patrons can choose to opt to have with rice or fries. There are also dishes which patrons can order and share across the table; these would be the classic items such as the Fried Wings, Nuggets and Cheesy Fries — just to name a few. Those whom do not prefer rice or fries can also find a fish / chicken burger on the menu at KK Western Food as well.

One thing that is worth noting about KK Western Food is how they are a newly-opened western cuisine stall that seemingly doesn’t follow the trend of how western cuisine is being served at the new-style of western food stalls situated in the coffeeshops, food courts and hawker centres in neighbourhood these days. While the idea for establishments to allow patrons to choose between two different sides dishes to go along with their choice of meat is a fairly common operating model for western food stalls around, KK Western Food serves up their western fare the old-fashioned way; with fries, baked beans, coleslaw and a slice of garlic toast, or with rice and coleslaw — the sort of western food that really resonated with us well that reminds us of simpler times. The Chicken Chop that we opted for would be the one that comes served with fries, baked beans, coleslaw and a slice of garlic toast — those whom prefer grilled chicken chop to come with rice and coleslaw can go for the Chicken Chop Rice instead. Considering how the folks at KK Western Food needs time to prepare each order, the folks will issue an electronic buzzer which patrons will be paged to collect their order once the food is ready for collection at the stall. As mentioned, the Chicken Chop at KK Western Food is as classic as it can get — and this goes all the way down to the default sauce that would come with the chicken chop as well; a rather starchy-looking brown sauce with specks of pepper atop. Going back to the slab of chicken first, we found that the grilled chicken here was exactly the sort that we are looking for in a satisfying chicken chop that would appeal to our tastebuds; not only does the chicken come brined for a slight savouriness, we like how tender and juicy the flesh is on its own.

What we especially liked about the rendition of the chicken chop here is how the skin comes with a slight crispness for an added texture — the way we like our chicken chop to come with, an hinted of a very slight hint of smokiness that really hit the spot. The brown sauce drizzled atop might look a little intimidating to some considering how it is speckled with black pepper; that being said, our worries were unfounded given that the sauce only comes with a whiff of spiciness from the pepper that tickles the tastebuds for a bit of flavour — should work fine for those whom are less tolerable to spiciness even. Much of the spiciness seemed to have been tuned down by the thickness of the sauce; no doubt gloopy, but the sauce did exude a nice hint of savouriness with a slight richness that rounded it off nicely — not too heavy-tasting. KK Western Food’s choice of thick-cut fries can also be described as yet another element that brings back some nostalgic flavour for their western fare; these were crisp, free from grease, and aptly salted. Meanwhile, the slice of toast with garlic spread is also an old-school touch that was carried a prominent garlicky note; well-executed considering it is crisp and didn’t seem to have soaked up much oil despite the thinness of the toast. Other elements like the baked beans was a crowd pleaser; decent, though nothing much to shout about, while the coleslaw comes served chilled — the mix of vegetables giving a good crunch without being too creamy. Overall, quite a good variant of the Chicken Chop at a decent price (i.e. $7.50) that we would actually crave to have again — Chicken Chops served at western cuisine stalls are aplenty these days, though very rarely they are this well-executed. Might also give their Chicken Cutlet with Rice a go another time as well; interesting to see many of the folks ordering the item from KK Western Food despite an older stall specialising in the same being in the vicinity as well.