Swensen’s – the legend.
Admit it – Swensen’s has been the go-to place to get your solid fix of Western food for as far back as you can remember. Fish & Chips. Chicken in a Basket. Clam Chowder in that amazeballs Bread Bowl. And let’s not forget the Earthquake Sundae. Plus if you grew up in the 80s and 90s, then you will probably remember going to the iconic Swensen’s at Changi Airport Terminal 1’s Viewing Gallery all those years ago.
Well, over the years, Swensen’s has made a few updates to their menu. Some hits and some misses here and there but it’s great that they’re coming up with new and interesting ideas. We’re pretty sure everyone can find something that they like lah right 😛
We dropped in recently to try some of the more interesting new additions to the menu including some ice-cream that you’ll be able to enjoy without worrying too much.
But let’s start with something for breakfast 😀
If you’re up early at Swensen’s, they’ve added some new breakfast items to their menu. One of the more interesting ones is the Avocado Honey Toast.
In between Ciabatta Toast, you’ll find a nice slice of butter and a generous serving of Avocado that’s been mixed with a little bit pf honey. This gives the Avocado a nice hint of extra sweetness that goes really well with the butter and toast. Some scrambled eggs, a hash brown and some greens complete this dish.
And in case you’re wondering – YES we think it resembles the classic Kaya Toast too 😛
Oh by the way, this particular dish is available only between breakfast hours (8am til 11am) on weekends and PH at most Swensen’s outlets but if you buay tahan and wanna eat it every day, it’s available daily between 3am til 11am at their Changi Airport T2 outlet.
Okay enough about the brekkie and onto the regular menu 😀
They’ve got a nice list of starters to choose from but let’s face it – #DeepFriedGoodness is always a great start to the meal. Case in point – the new Buckaroo Wings. Kinda reminds us of their Buffalo Wings (which are also really good) but I think the crispy exterior of the Buckaroo Wings have an edge.
But they do come with some Pineapple BBQ Dip on the side just in case.
Do you like Baked Rice? We do! In fact, if I’m not having the classic Fish & Chips at Swensen’s, I’m most probably having a Baked Rice.
The Fisherman’s Catch Baked Rice is one of the newer ones and is a great choice if you’re into seafood. Good flavours and great seafood here including mussels, shrimps and fish. I didn’t quite get the lemongrass infusion into the tasty tomato sauce (or maybe that’s what made it so tasty LOL) and I do wish they’d add more cheese to this.
And speaking of seafood, there are a few more notable dishes we tried.
Back on the menu is the popular Crayfish Pasta – a generous serving of spaghetti with a flavourful tomato sauce. Also featured besides the crayfish are fish fillets, crab sticks and bits of Shitake mushrooms for good measure.
I know that the Black Pepper Seafood Pasta is always a big hit but it’s easy to see why the Crayfish Pasta is back by popular demand.
More interesting was the Deep Fried Salmon with Chili Jam – something that seemed pretty simple but then totally stood out as an unexpected star dish that evening.
A Salmon fillet is coated with this really glorious batter that gives it just the right crispy exterior for a perfect bite. But what really got me going was the chili jam and accompanying sauce. These slivers of red chili get the candied treatment and the result is a really interesting (and very photogenic) topping. Don’t worry – they don’t go overboard in the spicy department.. in fact the chillies and the sauce are more on the sweet and sticky side. Hence, the term ‘Chili Jam’ we reckon.
Definitely a must-try if you’re a fan of salmon and looking for something different.
And rounding up the seafood dishes we tried is the Hooked On You Combo. Because let’s face it, combos are always a popular choice right? They have got a few on the menu and if you’re a fan of seafood, this could be your new favourite.
Enjoy a succulent grilled Dory fillet and this is paired with a pair of King Prawns that have been grilled. The whole lot has been topped off with a really tasty Salsa which I quite enjoyed. The seafood was really fresh (especially the prawns) so I quite enjoyed this one.
PS there’s also some rice on the side and in case you were wondering, it’s not plain white rice. It’s actually Savoury Rice aka the same flavoured rice the used in their Baked Rice dishes 😀
Meat lovers unite! The We Meat Again Combo is definitely the choice to satisfy your carnivorous cravings! A pairing of a Sirloin steak and a grilled chicken steak is a match made in meaty heaven 😛 You even get to choose your sauce to go with – either Sambal barbecue or the ever-popular Black Pepper sauce FTW.
Oh and by the way, for any ‘grilled’ main dish you order, you actually get to choose 2 sides to go with. With Cheesy Macaroni, Savory Rice, Hot U.S. Fries, Steak Cut Fries, Mashed Potatoes, Coleslaw and Seasonal Garden Veggies to choose from, you’re in for a tough decision LOL
Swensen’s has also updated their Super Savers section of the menu and one of the more interesting dishes is called Sambal Butter Chicken. At first, I was trying to figure out if it’s Sambal Butter with Chicken OR Sambal with Butter Chicken (which I think you can see there’s quite a difference right LOL).
So just to clarify, it’s actually Sambal Butter with Chicken! So a grilled boneless chicken thigh is seasoned and topped with a knob of ‘Sambal Butter’ – Yes it’s that little circular thing that looks like otah-otah LOL that’s before it melted into its final buttery state of course.
To be honest, I didn’t get a very strong sambal flavour from this but buttery goodness is always welcome. Plus, a well-grilled chicken plus some creamy mashed potatoes is always a welcome meal 😀
What’s a visit to Swensen’s without some ice-cream am I right or am I right?
I REALLY wanted to go for an Earthquake but decided against it and made the more reasonable choice of Build(ing) my own Sundae.
So I got to choose 2x scoops of ice-cream and 3 choices out of a whole range of toppings to go with my creamy tasty Swensen’s ice-cream selections. But guess what – these 2 scoops I chose were not your average Chocolate and Strawberry ice-cream combination… this was actually me sampling the new Guilt-Free range of ice-cream at Swensen’s!
So the Guilt-Free range features ice-cream that has 39% LESS sugar! The flavour is still pretty close to the original (especially with the chocolate!) and I guess you’ll have to try it for yourselves to see if you can tell the difference. In the end, I guess it’s a good step towards a healthier choice especially if you indulge in sugary treats all the time (like me). There are only 3 flavours in the Guilt-Free range for now – Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla – but let’s see if they add any new ones in the future.
Speaking of new flavours…
TWO new flavours have joined the line-up at Swensen’s! The Wild Floral Honey Crumble & Salted Butterscotch Crumble are actually really nice to be honest. But believe it or not, the darker one (on the left) is the the Wild Floral Honey Crumble and the lighter one (on the right) is the Salted Butterscotch Crumble LOL
Okay so colour coordination aside, the flavours here are very profound. I quite preferred the Wild Floral Honey Crumble which has sweet hints of honey which I absolutely love. But I do think that the rather strong floral notes in this ice-cream might be a bit too flowery for some.
It’s always great to have new additions to the menu and new flavours of ice-cream at a place like Swensen’s, where they are the masters of the creamy. But this unfortunately means that some flavours fall victim to being left behind in the cold (pun intended).
One of my most favouritest flavours at Swensen’s – Yummy Raisin – has been removed from the menu 🙁
I just wanted to take a moment to remember this awesome flavour which is pretty much the only Halal ‘Rum & Raisin’ flavoured ice-cream around (if anyone knows any others please let me know!) and I literally have it every time I visit Swensen’s, most often in the form of a Malted Milkshake.
So, farewell Yummy Raisin. And I hope to see you again in future…
If I launch a campaign to bring back Yummy Raisin, I hope everyone will support me *sniffle*
In the meantime, y’all head down to Swensen’s and let us know what you think of the new items on the menu okay! Anyways, they still have their classics (some of them anyways) on the menu so there’s still a reason to visit an have a good meal!
SWENSEN’S
25 outlets islandwide
www.swensens.com.sg
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All information (including prices, availability of item on menu and Halal status of establishment) are accurate at the time of posting. All photos used in this site are property of The Halal Food Blog unless stated otherwise.
