Wind In My Head: Pepsi or Coke
Wind In My Head
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Pepsi or Coke
The world is pretty neatly divided into two. People who like Coke and People who like Pepsi. People who like Obama and people who like McCain. People who like Survivor and people who like Amazing Race. People who like Original and people who like Crispy.In Singapore, there is yet another clear division that cuts right through race, age and income. It's people who like Botak Jones and those who like Aston's. They sell pretty much the same thing. They run on the same concept. Cheap American styled diner food in the heartlands and in coffee shops. We discovered Botak Jones when I was pregnant and in dire need of French Fries. Strangely, it was the only thing that I could stomach and the Botak Jones fries did it for me because they were fat and seasoned with chicken salt which sounds terribly unhealthy and most definitely is but when nothing can be kept down, whatever works is good.
So, Botak's got good associations. Packrat loves it because at round the same time, the manager of the outlet we went to came up and told him about their Christmas menu which included Deep Fried Southern Turkey, Gammon ham cooked in whiskey and goodness knows what else. Packrat couldn't stop thinking about it and even though we didn't have it that year (the upchucking took precedence) we had it a year later and there was much joy all around.
Anyway, recently, we discovered Aston's, just down the road from where we live. We thought perhaps it would be a worthwhile alternative to Botak, just for variety's sake and it was indeed closer than our nearest Botak. On top of that, there was a burger that our friend B wanted to take out for a test drive. While waiting for him, we decided to do a test run of our own.
Problem is that's where our hopes and dreams died. Here is how Aston's failed.
- We waited 45 minutes for a take out order. At Botak, sometimes that happens too but we get apologies and once a food voucher to compensate for the wait.
- They got our order wrong. How difficult is it to NOT butter the corn?
- Their fries, while seasoned like Botak, were shoestring fries and hard. Even though I'm not pregnant and therefore less fussy, it still did not make it for me.
- Their grilled fish, there's no comparison at Botak because the fish there is all fried in batter, tasted rubbery and raw even though Packrat swears blind that it was cooked and I believe him. It just tasted that bad.
- The service sucked. Botak has got peppy, generally well spoken wait staff. Aston's had sullen servers who could hardly speak English.
Technorati Tags: Singapore, Botak Jones, Aston's
Ondine tossed this thought in at 20:55
2 thoughts...
-
At 2:43 pm
Tym said... Aston's opened at Katong a year or two ago. It was supposedly quite good at the start, but seems to have gone downhill lately. Stick to Botak Jones, or come east and we'll go to Big D's!
-
At 4:55 pm
Singapore Short Stories said...
I love Astons!
But have to go there early else cannot get a seat!