4 Fingers Crispy Chicken

4 Fingers Crispy Chicken at Westgate,
on a weekday before lunch hour

4 Fingers Crispy Chicken burst onto the Singapore scene four years ago.

I first heard about it when my sister ranted and raved about the ‘Korean fried chicken wings that tasted so good even when dapao-ed back’. It tasted really good, she stressed for emphasis.

Hmm. I was sceptical. Until she bought back the chicken wings back one night, and indeed, they didn’t let her down.

Not being much of a foodie and having heard about the legendary queues at the stall, I never tried to buy the chicken wings myself. I was contented to leech off my sister whenever she bought any back, not that she did too many times. In my recollection, I’ve only tasted it twice prior to my personal visit today. Both times were indeed finger-licking good.

Thus I was delighted to see an outlet at Westgate. Now I could buy the chicken wings myself if I feel like gorging myself with unhealthy fried food. The catch is…there is always a queue too at this outlet!

The ever-present queue

Apart from the MacDonald’s Hello Kitty dolls in 2000 or when I’m overseas (where the chance to sample the food is gone if I don’t queue, given how unlikely it is for me to go back to the country), I generally don’t queue. To make me queue in Singapore, the food must satisfy two criteria:

1. It must be good; and

2. It must be cheap.

4 Fingers may be good but it ain’t cheap, not when its combo meals start from almost $10, compared to $7-ish meals from its rivals like KFC and Popeye’s. That’s a premium of 50%.

The Westgate outlet has opened for about a month but each time I go past it, there’s a long line in front of the shop. Good thing that Westgate has got great ventilation, so it doesn't get unbearably hot when you are stuck in the queue.

Until today. I intentionally went to Westgate in the morning, hoping to beat the crowds. Wishful thinking. When I reached the outlet at 11.30am, there was already a line snaking out through the glass doors. Sigh. As the line looked relatively shorter than the other times I passed the shop, I thought it might not take that long to be served.

Sigh. Wishful thinking again.

I think I’ve discovered why there is a queue at all times outside 4 Fingers: the staff are really slow. There were 5-7 people in front of me but it took more than twenty minutes for me to be served. Then of course I had to wait for the food. I only got to tuck into my lunch at 12.15pm. 45 minutes! And I thought it was fast food.

The deafening music probably contributed to the slow service as staff taking the orders and customers couldn’t hear each other clearly over the booming K-pop songs and had to repeat their orders and questions.

Still, Singaporeans don’t seem to mind the wait, judging from the never-ending crowds. Clientele was a good mix of students, working adults and aunties (no offence, aunties, I’m one too).

The line got even longer after I placed my order!

After ordering my food, I was given a circular disc. This is actually a buzzer that lights up and beeps when the food is ready, so that I would know when to go and collect it. Good idea for labour-starved Singapore.

A great idea for eateries

If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, then 4 Fingers passed muster.

I ordered the 1 Drumstick and 3 Wings set, mixed (drumstick and one wing came in Soy Garlic flavour while one drumlet and the other wing were Hot), with kimchi fries. Cost: $9.95. A bit pricey.

The 1 Drumstick & 3 Wings Combo, S$9.95

The chicken was indeed tasty, although the intense sweet and salty flavours may put people who are health-conscious off (then again, what would health-conscious eaters be doing at a fried chicken fast food outlet?). I prefer the Soy Garlic flavour as it was more fragrant than Hot. What particularly impressed me was the drumstick. The skin was deep-fried to a satisfying crunchy crisp, yet the meat managed to retain its succulence and wholesome chicken flavour. Well cooked!

The fries on the other hand were bleh. Could be me but I felt that the kimchi powder didn’t go all that well with the skinny fries. They were a tad dry too. Had to wash them down with a steady stream of chilli sauce.

If you aren’t in the mood for chicken, there are non-chicken items like tofu, shrimp and calamari. Chicken is also available in the form of burger, chop and katsu sandwich.

Would I come back again? I wouldn’t mind, if I don’t have to queue. And I would probably skip the fries and only get the chicken.