Chir Chir finally arrives in Singapore, after having over 100 outlets littered around South Korea, China and Taiwan. Yes, they specialize in fried chicken. Not too surprising because all I read when I see Chi is, chicken.
Chir Chir, pronounced as Chi-ruh Chi-ruh, gets its name from the bubbling sound that oil makes when the chefs drop the chicken into the deep-fryer. Can you almost hear it? That’s how you pronounce it. Not cher-cher or chi-chi. Riding on the Korean Fried Chicken wave in Singapore, what differentiates Chir Chir from the rest, is its innovative use of whipped cream in its dishes. They also pride themselves with using only FRESH, not frozen chicken, which is fried upon order! Besides, did you know that, to ensure consistency in flavor, ALL SAUCES AND MARINADES ARE IMPORTED FROM SEOUL! Wow.
And, I was lucky enough to be invited to Chir Chir for a media tasting earlier this week!
The Place
On Google Virtual Tours, contact The Red Marker
OOH CHECK OUT THE 360 VIEW OF CHIR CHIR AT 313! SO COOL, like playing counterstrike!
The very first outlet of Chir Chir Fusion Chicken Factory is finally here in Basement 2 of Somerset 313! Right smack in town, now you know where to get your korean chicken fix! I don’t think you’ll ever be bugged with snaking queues when dining at chir chir, or encounter really long waiting times for seats because this outlet is HUGE. Dining in a large group will definitely not be a problem! And to ensure prompt service in such a huge outlet, there is a buzzer fixed on every table which alert the wait-staff immediately so they could attend to you. Tested and proven. The design of the Chir Chir outlet is inspired by.. A chicken run. Look at those wooden crate-like walls, fences and eggs! I guess they really have to put on all stops to prevent their fresh chicken from running out of the kitchen.
The Food
Of course, Chir Chir prides their menu in serving Korean Fried Chicken, and unique twists on their chicken-based dishes. No fret for the non-chicken lovers though, they do have food like Mac and Cheese, Seafood soup as well as their very own rendition of salads.
On the menu, the prices for their chicken-based dishes range from $24.90 to $32.90. A tad expensive, but the portions are HUGE, and recommended for 2 pax and above. I wish they had single servings for loners like me though.
Drinks!
Chir Cream Beer (350ml: $13.90 | 650ml: $18.90): This drink is inspired by a “latte kiss” between the lead actors in a hit Korean Drama, Secret Garden. (I can almost hear you guys squealing in excitement..) This consists of draught beer topped with freshly whipped cream, which would supposedly leave a mustache on your upper lip, just for your partner to clean up with a tender kiss. :j Yes, now you know what to order on date nights! On a serious note, this was actually pretty good! You should let the whipped cream sink and mix with the beer for a smoother finish! Tok! Tok! (Non-alcoholic: $14.90 | alcoholic: $18.90): This is the Passion Yellow, a passion fruit mocktail! Real pretty colors on this one, and this dish caused a buzz on our table because a soda charger is being used to fizz the drinks up at our table before it’s served! We were all so excited because we have never seen soda charger before! So, remember to get your video cameras ready!
Blue Marine: Green grape, the color transformation on this one was the prettiest, however I didn’t manage to get it cause I was too engrossed with eating my chicken. These mocktails can be converted to cocktails with the addition of soju at an extra $4! I frankly thought these 2 drinks were too sweet for my liking, perhaps some soju would have helped. You’ll love it if you’re a fan of F&N drinks, cause it tastes just like them!
They also have a Lady Killer ($16.90) on the menu; jumbo-sized mojito slushie comes with a downturned bottle of beer so that the drink refills itself as it’s sipped. Sounds like heaven to me in this hot weather!
Salads!
Honey Grape Salad ($18.90): Really, how often do you grapes as your greens in salads? I’m sold. This is a unique rendition of salads that Chir Chir has to offer! Now, I can finally get my brother to eat a salad. Sweet, plump seedless grapes, with an array of nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, and almonds – in cause you’re allergic to any!), dressed with ricotta and whipped cream, served with 2 crispy baked-tortilla drizzled with honey and sprinkled with minced garlic. My favorite part of this dish were the baked tortillas! SWEET and SAVORY at its best! Mango Salad ($11.90): Greens topped with mangoes, blueberries and yogurt dressing. A dish to be ordered for any mango lovers, because the only complaint that I had was that, it’s.. “too mango-ey”.
CHICKEN!
We were all intrigued by this claw looking thing on our tables. Apparently it is provided so that you don’t have to dirty your hands! BUT, it needs quite some skill to maneuver it.. I stuck with using my (nimble) hands. Crispy Fried Chicken ($26.90): All the chicken at Chir Chir are fried at order, and so, it may require some time to come! These are marinated in the housemade seasoning for SIX hours before being battered and deep-fried! You could choose to have them all as Fried Tenders ($24.90) or Fried Wings ($26.90 for 7 pieces)! I GO FOR TENDERS BECAUSE IT IS SO MUCH EASIER TO EAT! Each serving comes with salsa and honey mustard sauce too! Mmm.. I find it amazing on its own! SO juicy and succulent! Garlicky Chicken ($28.90): The hands down favorite on my table that night. These are fried chicken that comes with house made soy sauce, sprinkled with minced garlic and fried garlic cloves. My salivary glands are already stimulated while typing this. It was so, so good. There are options to switch them to tenders ($26.90) or wings ($28.90) too! Oh, these were served with roasted sweet potatoes and fried toppoki too! Ah.. Spicy Chicken ($28.90): Chicken, sweet potato cubes and toppoki served with sticky sweet-spicy chili sauce. NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED. One of us found it so spicy that she teared so hard, as if she was watching a korean drama serial. But it’s really good if you love your spicy stuff! Garlic Roasted Chicken ($32.90): This consists of a WHOLE chicken marinated for 12 hours then oven-roasted, and coated with spicy BBQ sauce. To ensure consistency, they actually pan-fry the chicken again to make sure that they are evenly coated. This hotplate is also accompanied with salsa, a while-salt baked egg and a baked potato with sour cream.
One tip: Peel your egg while it’s still a little hot if you don’t wanna get just the yolk.
Like this! HAHA!
Nest Snow ($32.90): Saving the best for the last. This was my personal favorite. Spicy Cajun chicken tenders perched on top of a bed of sweet potato puree, and complemented with a sea of cream sauce at the base with various greens. This dish is also topped with Chir Chir’s freshly whipped cream and shavings of parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar. CHICKEN WITH WHIPPED CREAM?! OMG. Exceeding that calorie count there, but seriously, who cares?!
Look at the sweet potato puree shyly peeking out from the stack of chicken tenders! One amazing dish. If there’s a must-order at Chir Chir, I would definitely recommend this!
Closing Remarks
I am personally not so huge of a fan of fried chicken, however, Chir Chir changed my life. Their take on fried chicken and their innovative twists to the dish, elevated the flavors of the chicken, and I’ve never tasted such well-marinated and succulent chicken in a while. I am also blown away by the salads that they had too, which showed me how Chir Chir could excel in the non-chicken department as well. I am looking forward to try their Mac and Cheese, and Seafood Mussel Soup, after seeing how their salads fared.
I would recommend Chir Chir for anyone who loves KFC, and it’s also a great place for a large group gathering because of its space and portions. A place I would definitely look to for a school or company gathering in the future!
And you lucky East-siders, Chir Chir would be looking to open their second outlet at Bedok Point by the end of March 2015!
How to get there?
313@Somerset
#B3-04/05/06
Opening Hours
Sunday to Thursday: 10am – 10pm (last order: 9.30pm)
Friday and Saturday: 10am – 11pm (last order: 10.30pm)
Contact
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chir-Chir-Singapore/
Instagram: @chirchirsg
Once again, thank you Rachel and Chir Chir for the invite!
Had this the other day, ordered the nest snow. Found it quite overpriced as it came with only like 6 pieces of chicken tenders, surrounded by some cream sauce with a few vege bits. Saving grace was the sweet potato mash. But so much for it being for 2-3 people.
Hi anon! I hope you still enjoyed your experience at Chir Chir nevertheless! Nest Snow is a sharing dish meant to be ordered together with other items as well! I guess they don’t want to tax your bellies too much with the mash, cream sauce and the chicken altogether! Do give their KFC a try too!
[…] (4 pcs for $16) I actually thought this was pretty affordable, because ever since my visit to Chir Chir, I assumed that all prices of Korean Fried Chicken were about $20-ish. Haha! Then I realized that, […]