#CerrasGastronomicalAdventure: 2017 Ayam Lejen
WHAT:
·A fried chicken festival featuring 8 top local restaurants specialising in tasty fried chickens.
·Ticket is priced at RM 58 per entry and entitles you to 8 fried chicken samples.
·You can also redeem one free sparkling drink upon installing the Boost app which will be guided by one of the many eager part-timers at the event.
·Only 500 people are limited to each session.
WHERE:
Ara Damansara LRT Station (the event takes place right below the station)
WHEN:
Saturday, 18 November 2017
Slot 1: 10 AM to 2 PM
Slot 2: 4 PM to 8 PM
Sunday, 19 November 2017
Slot 1: 10 AM to 2 PM
Slot 2: 4 PM to 8 PM
*Tickets can be purchased from the following link:
http://ayamlejen2017.peatix.com/?lang=en-my
We came, we saw and we conquered eight samples of fried chicken from eight different brands. Safe to say, my friend and I returned with our bellies full and our hearts satisfied!
I was so glad that I suggested to my bestie that we go during the first slot, which was from 10 AM to 2 PM because I wanted to avoid the afternoon crowd and at least we would be able to take our own sweet time visiting one stall to another without pushing and squeezing through the throng of people like what happened when I attended the 2014 Nasi Lemak Festival.
Considering that I bought the ticket at the early-bird rate at RM 48, I'd say it was more than a reasonable price to try the fried chicken sold by eight top vendors; hand-picked by the organisers. Some of them were even generous with the portions! Apart from that, I was more than pleased to find some of the stalls displaying their source of chicken supply; which are from Halal suppliers and have been slaughtered in accordance with the Islamic teachings. Both Ana and I felt relieved that we were able to enjoy the food with the peace of our minds.
The photos are arranged in the order of the stalls that we visited!
1. NOMMS
I ordered their latest flavour of the month, Mexicana, whereas Ana ordered the normal spicy one. I was beyond excited when Nomms first made the announcement that they would be participating in the event and that excitement was accelerated even further when I found out that they would be serving Popcorn Chicken at their event. I've always been a HUGE fan of their popcorn chicken ever since I first tasted it a few months ago. And of course, their popcorn chicken tasted amazing as usual; even for their latest Mexicana flavour.
Verdict: ★★★★★
Instagram: NOMMS
2. KGB (KILLER GOURMET BURGERS)
I've only tried their one of their burgers that one time in MidValley and I thought the patty was actually pretty good. I've never tried any of their sides before apart from the fries I shared with my friends previously so I was very eager to find out how their chicken wings would fare. Salted Chicken Wings is one of my favourite snacks and I'm actually pretty particular about how they taste. Safe to say that KGB passed this one with flying colours and my palate was more than delighted with just the right amount of saltiness in their salted chicken wings. The jalapeño slices added just the right touch to the overall taste of the wings, apart from making it look aesthetically interesting.
Verdict: ★★★★★
Instagram: KGB (Killer Gourmet Burgers)
3. BROASTED CHICKEN KING
This was one of my favourite individual fried chicken piece I had for the day; simply because of its "crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside" concept. The meat was so soft that it was easily deboned in a matter of minutes. Another reason this was my favourite was how it came with a tiny tub of sour cream; which is common in most Middle Eastern dishes. Sour cream is often eaten with shish kebabs or even shawarma and this was the first time I have had one with a fried chicken. Surprisingly, the taste went very well and I actually enjoyed the combined taste of the sour cream and the crispy texture of the fried chicken. I could definitely get used to having sour cream as a dipping sauce!
Verdict: ★★★★★
Facebook: Broasted Chicken King
4. SWEETREE
The classic Korean fried chicken. While I enjoyed the taste of the chicken very much, I was not very keen on the presence of the tiny bones that kept disrupting my dining experience. I suppose it would've been much better if they had served a single piece of wing or drumstick or boneless chunks of chicken instead as opposed to the tiny chunks of chicken that consisted more bones than meat. Nevertheless, I was very pleased with how it tasted.
Verdict: ★★★★
Instagram: Sweetree Restaurant
5. myBurgerLab
myBurgerLab is no stranger to a majority of foodies and perhaps to some non-foodies alike and it's no question as to what they specialise in: burgers. While I absolutely enjoyed the crispy texture of their chicken patty, I found their salted egg sauce a tad bit sweet for my liking. But at least it was not enough to disrupt my entire dining experience. The chicken patty was absolutely delightful and went well with the sauce; though I would've preferred a slightly less sweet version of it.
Verdict: ★★★½
Instagram: myBurgerLab
6. GERAI AH KOW
Initially, I had some reservations on trying this one because I was rather skeptical about the source of their chicken. But after Ana and I went to their booth and had a closer look at the statment displayed; stating that they acquired their chicken from a Halal source and the chicken was slaughtered in accordance with the Islamic standards, all our worries vanished and we decided to help ourselves to a sample. We actually ate this at my home and we were both surprised as to how the crispy sesame fried chicken remained crispy even long after we left the event. The portion of chicken rice was simply adequate as a sample and I love the starchy texture of the rice.
Verdict: ★★★★★
Facebook: Gerai Ah Kow
7. NASI LEMAK AYAM GORENG KHORA-KHORA
This piece of fried chicken remained crispy too even after an hour we left the event. I love the blend of spices used in making this fried chicken; apart from its crispy texture. The taste of the chicken was further improved when I dipped it in the leftover sour cream I had from Broasted Chicken King.
Verdict: ★★★★
Instagram: Ayam Goreng Khora-Khora
8. ZAINUL NASI KANDAR
While I genuinely love the taste of their fried chicken, I felt that the portion for the chicken was too little and it consisted of more bones rather than meat. Like Sweetree, it would've been more preferable had they used boneless chicken chunks or a single piece of a chicken rather than chunky bones.
Verdict: ★★★
Facebook: Zainul Nasi Kandar
WHAT CAN BE IMPROVED:
·More seats and picnic tables at the venue.
·Providing portable sinks because let's face it, fried chicken is best eaten with hands.
·Putting the speakers at the other end of the venue instead of at the entrance where the tables are at because that made it hard to relax and chit-chat.
·More make-shift rubbish bins.
·Serving meals in ready-to-go containers.
The overall experience of the event was exciting for both Ana and me and we couldn't be anymore excited that we had the rare opportunity of sampling eight different types of fried chicken under one roof. As if our gleeful smiles couldn't be anymore obvious.
So, any upcoming foodie event to recommend?