McRib @ Munich

Is there a reason to visit McDonald's in Munich? Yes - Germany is the only country where McDonald's reserves a permanent place on its menu for the McRib, the infamous barbecue rib-shaped pork burger. It's a pretty tasty treat that's only occasionally spotted as a promotional special elsewhere - even in the U.S., where it's been a pop culture conversation point over the years on The Simpsons, How I Met Your Mother & The Big Bang Theory.

McRib at McDonald's, Munich

Daro Crispy Chicken @ Telawi, Bangsar

Cluck three times if you like chicken: Fans of fried fowl have a new reason to rejoice, thanks to this week's launch of potential fast-food franchise Daro Crispy Chicken on one of Bangsar's most prominent streets.

Peanut butter alert! One of Daro's selling points might be the sauces that are coupled with its chicken. Six wings (RM7.80) come with a choice of peanut butter or honey lemon. Or if you're not into sauces, then simply order them as 'originals' or 'spicy.'

On the plus side, Daro's chicken isn't too noticeably greasy. But it's still ultimately a quick-service, mass-market outlet, so the guilty-pleasure food is predictably saltier than some folks might prefer. The sauces are thick & flavoursome but taste processed.

 Boneless chicken chop for convenient eating, partnered with honey lemon sauce (RM7.30), lives up to Daro's 'crispy' description. Fried chicken balls will also be available by this weekend, stuffed with fruits & cheese (RM7.05 for six pieces).

 In the end, the original recipe works well enough, without sauces. It's all right for fried chicken; not discernibly different, but not disastrously disappointing either. Tastes like fried chicken, nothing more, nothing less.

 'Uniquely Canadian, Distinctly Asian' is DCC's tagline; the staff says this restaurant has Canadian roots, but it might be under a separate name in the land renowned for Mounties & maple leaves. The service team is friendly at this Bangsar branch.

 Wrapping up with something special at Daro: The Signature Sandwich (RM4.95), featuring grilled chicken with kimchi & cucumbers with fried mantau buns. If you think you'll like this, you'll likely will.

Daro Crispy Chicken

38, Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur. Open 930am till at least midnight.

Check out the latest edition of Eat Drink KL: 100 Favourites, featuring 100 recommended restaurants for July-September 2014, including more than 20 new entries for this quarter. 

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Sausages to sambal. Muffins to marshmallows. Peanut butter to mango chutney. Cornflake ice cream to honey aloe yogurt. Lavender-laced lemonades to lychee-&-guava juices.

Eat Drink KL: Small Businesses, Huge Flavours is the first eBook to help customers navigate the diversity of independent F&B entrepreneurs who bake & boil in their own kitchens, offering some of Malaysia's finest, most fascinating food products.

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Pommes Frites

Pommes Frites has had lots of media attention, but is the hype justified?

The mussels cooked with mushrooms, shallots, garlic, parsley, butter, cream and white wine were satisfactory but unremarkable.

The pumpkin fries were crisp & piping hot. Not bad for snacking. We tried the "samurai" dip, containing sambal, egg yolk & olive oil, and the chocolate dip. Both went well with the fries.

The Belgian fries were too oily. Tasted like thin versions of KFC's potato wedges.

Pommes Frites,

Sunway Pyramid.

Popeyes @ Taman Tun

We've been eager to check out Popeyes' first branch in Malaysia. This TTDI outlet seems to be pulling slightly more customers compared to KFC across the street. Service is efficient and friendly.

The fried chicken was crunchy and tender in all the right places and tasted less oily than KFC. But it lacked a distinctive flavour. We actually preferred the mashed potatoes and coleslaw, which had a surprisingly non-artificial taste.

The fish and shrimp platter. Pretty fresh-tasting catfish and shrimps, though the small portion size left us craving more.

Popeyes,

TTDI.

Tel: 7710-1198