Marrybrown

Some Malaysians may remember this Kentucky Fried Chicken me-too product. Does anyone remember MacDota too? A similar chicken restaurant, also locally owned, which has now truly vanished. Marrybrown has been quite the survivor. While its presence in Kuala Lumpur and the bigger urban centers have decreased, it seems to have been part of a well thought out strategy to confine themselves to smaller towns and areas where the big boys don't see the value of the small footprint. A big plus point is that Marrybrown has also made inroads in to the Arab Stream market, with quite a number of outlets in the UAE. Fabulous going for a company founded by a woman from Johor! And how heartening to know that Marrybrown's chicken is ten times better than the Arab equivalent - ChicKing. Yeehaw!

My post on this Malaysian business is of course fired by the discovery of a Marrybrown outlet in Pontian, where we resided on our last trip South. We ate there twice in four days, both at dinner time, and twice, we saw a man who was a dead ringer for Colonel Sanders dining at the fast food outlet. It was quite a chuckle!

A nice cheery welcome in a small seaside town.

Marrybrown stands out here because it is the cleanest, brightest place in Pusat Perdagangan Pontian. True, it does not serve the best food (that award goes to the satay stall which may have been the cause of a bout of food poisoning for Kit), but it is clean, the menu is on the wall, and generally one can get by by pointing and grunting. I do have to say there is certainly something to be said for small town hospitality. The girls behind the counter were real Southern sweeties - simple, cheerful, struggling a little with English, but making up for it with patience and shy smiles.

Service with a smile was real, and from the heart in Pontian!

I'm combining the sum of both my meals in one post, so please don't fall off your chair at the amount consumed! The first night we decided that we needed to try their signature product - the chicken. So Kit hd the Lucky Plate Value Meal. It consisted of two pieces of fried chicken, one spicy, one regular; as well as a bun, vegetable salad, fries and a carbonated drink. He had Revive. The meal cost RM10.10

Lucky Plate.

We found the chicken very salty, but otherwise palatable. The pieces were still moist and the batter was crunchy. There was a distinct difference in taste between the regular and the spicy versions, although by looks, it was harder to tell the two apart, unlike at KFC when the Hot N Spicy pieces are always bigger, because of their heavy batter.

The bun triumped hands down over KFC's. It was really a very wholesome looking bit of bread, having a sprinkle of corn meal on top, and looking less processed and flaccid than the Colonel's. The mashed potato was less velvety than their competitor's, and the chicken gravy on top less peppery. They replace coleslaw with vegetable salad. Some may remember that KFC once also had this vegetable salad consisting of jicama and carrot cubes and  peas, tossed in salad dressing. I was only beginning to enjoy the crisp, raw taste of the product when KFC removed it from their menu. Marrybrown's version suffers a little from over keeping. Jicama (or bangkuang) contains quite a bit of water, and it releases it in the mixture, making it a bit soggy. Taste-wise, it is good, and I continue to enjoy it, enough to order a small portion of it for myself for RM2.

Vegetable salad.

Being in a coastal town made me hanker for fish, so I ended up with fish and chips. If I had eaten it the next day, I would have had a 20 percent discount, since it was the offer of the day for Wednesdays. Still, there were no regrets because this was the best fish and chips I have had in a non-fish and chip restaurant. Truly! They used good quality fish fillets (definitely not cheap dory!), and the fish was fried to golden perfection. The chips were the regular sort, but I certainly did not expect real chips! There was a very nice dip which was their version of tartar, but a bit more spiced and full bodied. The coleslaw wasn't bad either. As a Value Meal, it was RM13.90.

Fish and chips.

On the next visit, we decided to try out the attraction of the restaurant - the swing seats. It's a great idea: it gives the place a less sterile feel, and makes for an attraction for the kids. While cutesy, I do think I prefer my meals eaten in stasis!

Swinging good times? 

This visit round I decided on a light meal and ordered the Chicken Porridge Value Meal for RM5.80. It is possibly the best fast food porridge! For one, it tastes real. One can see the grains of rice, while the Golden Arches version is all gloopy. Marrybrown's version is also full of little bits of spring onions, fried shallots and sliced chicken. It is served in a real bowl, not styrofoam, and really does hit the spot. And the helping is a nice big one too!

Best porridge in town!

I ordered Mambo Fries (their version of Curly Fries) for RM4.20. These lacked the soft fluffiness of the A&W ones, but also, thankfully, the acrid aftertaste of over flavouring of the McDonald's variant, which I simply cannot stomach any more.

Mambo Fries.

Kit opted for a Hotouch Burger Value Meal for RM9.50, with fries and a drink. The burger bun looked as wholesome as the bun served with the Lucky Plate, and was as fluffy. However, Kit did say that the chicken patty was a full fillet of meat. While it is good in that it is clear Marrybrown uses a whole chicken fillet for this burger, it does mean more biting and chewing.

HoTouch Value Meal.

HoTouch burger under wraps.

I do have to say that while not a true highlight of my culinary experiences, I am very proud as a Malaysian foodie to say that the offerings at Marrybrown are perfectly acceptable on an international scale as far as their sort of food is concerned.

Kit would definitely eat here again, and has his eye on the curry laksa. Me, I like friendly service, and this place warmed the cockles of my heart with their good-natured crew.

MarrybrownRestaurant
1-A Jalan Delima 7Pusat Perdagangan Pontian
82000 Pontian, Johor
Tel: +07 686 1280.