Valentine's Day Part One- Botak Jones got no hair? :)

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. To some, it's a day of love. To others, it's a day of 'commercial gimmicks'. Of course depending on which category each of us fall into, there are other subcategories wherein each of us embrace different philosophies and attitudes towards Vday. For some, it's a day to remember their love, to celebrate and appreciate, for others, it's a day of rejection, and yet others, it's a day where good money is wasted on girls, flowers and food.

But then again, everyone should consider this line of "What you give is what you get". Spend good money and see it as an investment in your future? OR save the good money and spend it on your oldage fund (since you are most probably going to be a nice spinster/bachelor)? Then again, it need not go to such extremes. Perhaps there ARE people out there who really believe that Vday, is a commercial exploitation of the average men, and as such should be eschewed. I do have many good friends who believe in this philosophy, but my belief is that no matter the amount of $ you spend, it's a day to remember your love ones and friends.

Happy Friendship Day to all!
_______________________________________

SH and I decided not to celebrate Vday since firstly, he can't stand crowds, and secondly, he believes that everyday is a Valentine's Day. *So cheesy!* haha. Anyway, we decided to have lunch at Botak Jones. For those out there who are clueless about Botak Jones, it's actually this Western Food store run by this Ang Moh guy at our friendly local coffeeshops. For my clueless non-Singaporean friends out there, Ang Moh= Caucasian.

Apparently, it sells really famous fish and chips. In fact, it was apparently so famous, that everyone seemed to know about it, except me. Fantastic. So SH and I decided to finally check out this stall, since, the last time we went there, it closed pretty early and punctual at the stroke of ten o'clock. I was rather skeptical, since all this publicity (word-of-mouth thing and the tonnes of newspapers adorning the stall) could actually be a result of the Ang Moh in Coffeeshop phenomenon rather than a case of genuine good food.

The first sign of Botak Jones.

Botak Jones in our typical Coffeeshop! Tucked away in the corner of a Clementi Kopitiam (Coffeeshop).

But to order you can't go to the stall. There is a special standalone booth just to take orders! You see newspapers clippings of Botak Jones plastered around on the booth and at the stall.

Chili, Malt Vinegar and Tomato Sauce.
When do you get your condiments on your table?
And it's not everyday you see Malt Vinegar for your average fish&chips! But I dislike having Vinegar... ewww... Ang Moh taste so weird.

Ferrero Rocher for Valentine's Day! (Free!)
Which Coffeeshop gives you chocolates for Vday? Well Botak Jones does! It's really a special feeling because their staff (apparently BJ is such a big thing there are loads of staff!) went round giving chocolates to the females in the coffeeshop (regardless of whether they were ordering from their stall or from the other stalls)! Now, that's a way to win loyal customers for sure! I'm a happy camper! :)

Botak Jones' Cajun Chicken- $6.50
The portion was hugemongous. Big fat chicken, loads of salad, and a pileful of fries.
I had to seek help from SH to finish this.

The chicken was drizzled with cajun sauce and cheese. A yummy combo!
I really like how the chicken was very aromatic and tender. The cajun sauce and cheese went really well with the tender chicken meat, and it was a pleasure to savour every piece.

A close up of the yummy chicken.

I would have to say that the only minus side was that the chicken meat was breast meat? The kind of white meat I dislike to eat. Basically, I adore fatty meats with succulent juices and loads of fats. The good thing was that the chicken was marinated well so it wasn't too dry. But I tend to prefer chicken thigh or chicken drumstick meat. Dislike chicken fillets usually because of the white meat. Haha.. I am really very fussy.
The salad was good too. I love this kind of salads because when I was in Canada, it was really hard to find salads drenched in mayonnaise sauce like this! Apparently the KFC there only had potato salads... not this kind of white, creamy, salad! Keg in Vancouver had great salads too though!
The fries were nice too. It tasted different from the usual fries you get. The seasoning was different from the normal salt-seasoning fries get.
3/5 for the chicken meal! (Could have been 3.5 or higher if it wasn't white chicken meat!! :P)

A closeup of the fries.

Fish & Chips- $5.50
When Western food is mentioned, 'fish&chips' is often uttered along the same breath. You get this everywhere, anywhere and 24 hours everyday.
Yet SH loves fish & chips! I'm not so fond of fish&chips because I've eaten it at least a thousand times in my life. SH loves fried stuff AND fish. So I guess this was a perfect combination for him. The fish was really fresh and tender. The fried batter was a crispy, tasty shell for the fish. SH kept raving about this dish (he's still raving about it!) and he just loves the taste! Plus the price gives you a better quality than most restaurants. The mayonnaise that came with this dish was the highlight for me. It tasted different from the usual mayo, and it gave the fish a refreshing taste. Rather than cover up the taste of the fish like most cloying sweet mayo do, the mayo went well with the fish.

See, the texture of the fish shows how fresh it is.
(Because unfresh fish has a slimy texture, unlike the smooth, firm texture of fresh fish)

Another closeup of the fish.

My only gripe was that I didn't like this dish as much as SH did because I always think that frying your meat covers up the taste of the meat. I prefer my meats to be left untouched with the original taste intact, so I can savour the freshness of the meat.

I would give this dish 3.5/5, but SH would surely rate this dish 4/5 (or 5/5 if he has the password to this blog)!

Verdict: All in all a nice place to have your meal. It beats paying fifteen bucks to go to some restaurants.

Ambiance: 2/5 (What Ambiance? It's your average daily coffeeshop!)
Service: 3/5 (A very fast, efficient service. Plus they gave out free chocolates to the ladies! Your friendly Kopitiam server! Go there to get to know them better!)
Food:3.25/5 (Go back for the food! It's cheap and good!)

I heard that the burgers are famous too, and that the fried Jalapenos are good.

I took the operating hours and location off from their website at Http://www.botakjones.com
Apparently there are 3 branches!

Hours and location for Botak Jones Tuas

32 Pioneer Sector 2, Sungei Kadut Eating House
at the junction of Pioneer Sector 2 and Pioneer Sector 1
Phone / Fax: 689-89-225
Monday - Friday 10:00 am til 7:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am til 5:30 pm
Sunday closed

Hours and location for Botak Jones Ang Mo Kio

Yue Hua Food Place
Block 608 Ang Mo Kio Ave. 5
Phone / Fax: 6755-1-225
Tuesday - Sunday 12:00 noon til 10:00 pm
Monday closed

Hours and location for Botak Jones Clementi
Block 325 Clementi Ave 5 (Kopitiam) #01- 129 Singapore 120325
Phone / Fax: 677-41-225
Tuesday - Sunday 12:00 noon til 10:00 pm
Monday closed

We visited the Clementi Branch.
It's just next to Clementi MRT station actually.
Facing the MRT control station, it's on the right side of the station.
Cross the overhead bridge, get down to the covered walkway (you should be on the side opposite the Clementi Bus Interchange), and you will see the Blue Botak Jones sign at the first coffeeshop you see (the first picture posted).

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