Popeyes in South Africa

So for those who know me, you know I'm a big fan of fried chicken, heck! part of the reason the name of this blog has to do with the crispy golden food. While my allegiances do tend to favour the one particular brand I'm always one for trying something new.  Which brings me to the topic of today's post, yesterday saw the first franchise store of the iconic American restaurant brand  "Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen" open in South Africa. The store which is based in the Sandton City Mall food court has begun serving it's authentic Louisiana-inspired chicken to much fanfare as the queues were testament to this. Guests experienced the mouth-watering menu, with the favourite being the bone-in fried chicken which is available in two flavours, spicy or mild. There is also boneless options for those who prefer their chicken that way and a wide variety of signature sides, one of the favourites being cajun fries. 

Jaye Sinclair, the Chief Executive Officer for South African based, Siyaghopa Trading Group, the people responsible for bringing Popeyes to SA had this to say. "We're very excited to join the Popeyes family and bring the iconic brand to South Africa. We think our South African guests will love the signature blend of spices and flavours we'll bring the table". 

South Africa being a nation that loves their chicken, will enjoy the distinctive flavours of Popeyes fried chicken and tasty cajun fries. Here are a few facts about Popeyes to get you ready for your first experience. 

Where did Popeyes get its name?

• Everyone thinks Popeyes got its name form the spinach-loving cartoon character, but the name actually came from a famous fictional 1970's detective, Detective Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle, the fictional lead character of the movie, 'The French Connection', is the real insparation behind the brand name. 

Popeyes around the world. 

• Popeyes currently has restaurants in more than 25 countries.
• The Popeyes restaurant in Sandton City, Johannesburg is the only Popeyes on the continent of Africa and the first to open in South Africa.

What makes Popeyes so unique?

• Popeyes founder, Al Copeland, created one-of-a-kind chicken recipe that is marinated in Louisiana-inspired seasonings, then hand battered, breaded and fried. Creating a juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside chicken guests have been craving for more than 45 years. 
• Popeyes has proprietary seasonings that are used to marinate the chicken for 12 hours, creating the richly seasoned flavours in both the mild and spicy versions. 
• At least 60% of the employees at the Popeyes in Sandton City are first-time work-seekers from the Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator who have been trained to meet Popeyes international requirements.

Spice...and all things nice

• At Popeyes, flavour is everything! The Popeyes chicken recipe is based on a 300 year old culinary tradition, which incorporates a fusion of cooking styles, a rich blend of proprietary seasoning and spices sourced from around the globe, including Africa. 
• Popeyes offers both well-seasoned mild chicken as well as a more spicy chicken option that South Africans are bound to love. 

What's a biscuit?

• Have you heard of the famous American Biscuit but not had the pleasure of tasting? Ger your taste buds ready - this legendary American side dish is a specialty of Popeyes!
• The delicious and freshly baked Popeyes Buttermilk Biscuit join a wide selection of authentic Signature Sides available on the local menu. 

For more information on Popeyes and to gander at their menu, visit www.popeyes.co.za and follow Popeyes South Africa on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 

*Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen South Africa will serve Halaal chicken and is certified by the South African National Halaal Authority. (SANHA)

Bucket Tech: Huawei P9 - First Impressions

Last night saw the official launch of the Chinese mobile manufacturers flagship device, the P9 and along with it the P9 Plus and P9 lite and we were there to see what all the fuss was about. 

The biggest talking point about the phone is the dual lens technology, hence the hashtag #OO. Developed in conjunction with leading camera lens manufacturer Leica, Huawei is the first mobile device to make use of two lenses. Now you may ask yourself why? Well as Clement Wong of Huawei told us last night, it isn't just there for show. One lens captures the full colour image whilst the other captures in black and white, it then overlays the two for the final product and the results are astonishing to say the least.

Clarity and true colours like you have never seen before. They take things further with the camera with allowing the user a full manual mode where you can edit settings just like a professional DSLR. To prove that the camera is that good, they gave it to world renowned professional fashion photographer Ayaad Damouni and his pictures speak for themselves. 

Apart from a really great camera, the phone itself has lost alot of weight, it's much lighter than the P8 which made me wonder if it was in fact a full metal body but the build quality is still right up there as before. The phone is available in three finishes, all of high premium quality and 6 different colours. 

The user interface is pretty much the same as any other of their devices and for me is one of the better adoptions of the Android OS. Very easy to use and just works well in general. 

Battery life has been e better, not as great as the Mate 8 which claims to have a 2 day life span but let's hope the P9 has the same quick charge like it's bigger brother. 

The launch itself was a true reflection on the device and what it had to offer. It really is a major competitor to the other brands out there and if market share is anything to go by, the other brands need to be worried.

Bucket Seat: Ford Go Further Africa

This past Tuesday I was part of many local motoring journalists that attended the Ford "Go Further" conference which was held in Sandton at the International Convention Centre. For those who aren't familiar with what it is all about, well it's Ford's very own showcase of what they have in store for the upcoming year in terms of new models, projected figures, past year figures and have a party. Basically it's their very own motor show. Besides the local media, there was international media, local and other dealers from Sub Sarahan Africa as well as key clients of the company in attendance. So you can only imagine the magnitude of something like this. 

The conference kicked off with an exhibition with some of the current models in the Ford fleet, with passenger cars like the Fiesta, Fusion, Focus and the commercial line up as well. Guests had time to have an up close look at these vehicles while having a light lunch before moving onto the main exhibition hall where the main event was being held. 

The show kicked off with Ford's CEO for Sub Saharan Africa, Jeff Nemeth addressing the thousands in attendance about the past year in figures for the company, and then highlighting the way forward for Ford RSA and Africa as a whole. At last years Go Further event it was announced that Ford would release 17 new models over 2 years and so far 11 of those have been brought to the market, the following 6 were due to be unveiled at this years event which left many eager with anticipation over what they could be. 

First up in the small passenger segment was the Ford Figo, a well priced small hatch which now comes in sedan form as well. Lot of characteristics are form the current fiesta with the same stylish interior and front headlights baring a slight resemblance as well. Moving up a segment to the next release was Ford's all new B-Max who's launch coincided with the Go Further Expo, I will be doing a separate review of this vehicle on the blog soon. 

Next up was the big boys, Ford's past Everest model wasn't the best looking product from their stable but in terms of sales it didn't do too badly but couldn't compete with the ever popular models in the same segment from other manufacturers, however with the new look Everest baring the same design style of the new Ford Ranger, this one is looking mighty fine and can see it coming in as a strong contention to rival those from the east who seem to have dominated the SUV market over the years. 

Ford's Ranger has been a sensation in SA, it was the highest selling vehicle in SA at the beginning of the year, yes, vehicle not bakkie. Ford have built over 250,000 of them in South Africa and are planning on expanding operations outside the borders with a new plant being planned for Nigeria. South Africa will still play a pivotal role in supplying the plant with panels for the vehicles and thus will see more job creation in the SA market by the company. The new spec Ford Ranger was unveiled which see's the entire front and cabin being upgraded, making the van look more masculine with a bigger grille, square head lights and bulkier look. It's sure to break more record sales for a van when released. 

It was then time to see what Ford's Performance range had to offer, the big one last year was news that the Mustang was finally considered for the SA market with the product due to hit our shores before December, all orders have officially been open around the country but no indication of pricing yet which seems strange? This year it was announced that Ford will also be bringing down the topless version of the car as well. Having a chance to see the car up close, it really is an impressive machine and if priced well, will do very well in South Africa given not only it's incredible heritage but also the look and feel of the car. 

Like all major shows, it has to end with a bang and that was adequately brought by Ford's all new Focus RS. The hot hatch which is powered by Ford's 2.3 ltr EcoBoost engine produced 257kW of raw power. This is the 3rd generation of the RS model and the all wheel drive car features dynamic torque vectoring for class leading cornering speed and at-limit handling as said by the company. Lots of words but for this car it's all about what it can do on the tarmac. It sounds superb and looks the part with aggressive styling and a massive rear wing. It will be available in 4 colours, one of which is exclusive to the RS and will be hitting our market early next year.