ORIGINAL Botak JonesÂŪ Authentic Western Food came about as a way of connecting with people. The food is made carefully and while we also would love to sell a lot and make some money, our primary reason for being here is to feed people with food that is nourishing, flavorful and, well, authentic. Seeing what was being presented as Western Food in the past, Bernie wanted to offer food that was really Authentic.
ORIGINAL Botak JonessÂŪ food is meant to be the same quality that you might find in restaurants. Is it more expensive than run of the mill Western Food stalls? It has to be since the ingredients are not procured for their price but for their quality.
Saying this, ORIGINAL Botak JonesÂŪ tries tirelessly to keep the prices as affordable as possible, really. Fast Food is cooked before an order for it is received, kept under warming lamps, and served as the orders come in. Not really very fresh, huh? ORIGINAL Botak JonesÂŪ food, except for our soups and WhoopassÂĐ, is cooked only once the order is received aka cooked to order, so itâs fresh and if eaten outside our outlets, itâs hot as well. If you give yourself the time, you really can taste the difference.
In the words or Sir Paul McCartney, it’s been a “long and winding road”. And after over 20 years of trying to provide what’s “damn good” under different versions and, with Bernie unable to be “hands on”, we might have lost our way a bit.
Finally, we’re finally back where we started. So, we are sort of “back to the future”, with renewed vigor and we’ve discovered that the original recipes and ingredients were the ones that were appreciated the most.
However, in typical Botak Jones fashion, We strive to provide damn good food at a damn good price, Keeping in mind that world around us has changed a lot since we started over 20 years ago and so have food costs. We know y’all have more choices available than even before! So, damn good pricing might be relative to some of you, depending on what you might have to spend for identical quality, taste and portioning.
One thing hasn’t changed at all, Botak Jones will continue to try our best to provide a DAMN GOOD EXPERIENCE. It means REAL value for money. That’s a promise from all of us.
Combo Menu
Although Western Food was available in Singapore at the time, authentic varieties were pretty much available only in higher priced restaurants. For the average Singaporean, Western Food was available mostly in nondescript food stalls and fast-food restaurants.
Service
Ruminating on this, we came up with a conclusion, if not a solution, maybe. The reason why Singapore may not have people who know how to treat these world travelers, was because they themselves had never been treated with world class service here in Singapore. It wasnât part of the basic Singapore culture. Remember that in those days, it was not unusual for stall holders to shout at customers and tell them to take their business elsewhere only due to the customer asking for separate this, or a little more that. How would the average Singaporean know to treat patrons any differently than they had been treated? So Botak Jones was intent on providing service based on the idea that EVERYONE was a world class customer. Service was based on taking care of people, and it still is. In fact, in 2009 the former Botak Jones was voted in the AsiaOneâs People Choice Awards as one of the top three in F&B customer service with the other two being five-star restaurants!
Food
This meant that Botak Jones Western Food items were focused more on quality and portioning. Not so much how to purchase inexpensive the basic ingredients. Pricing had to be affordable, yes, but it only came in secondary to food quality and taste.Â
Since we started as most others started in a food stall, we were able to do our own R&D on recipes while holding costs to a minimum. We only had two or three people engaged in the business at that time
with two of those being the owners Zee and Bernie. Since Bernie is American, the recipes had to culminate in food that was reminiscent of the food he grew up with, authentic.Â
Why would Botak Jones Western Food grow to National prominence with such humble beginnings? The goal of Botak Jones wasnât to become successful in itself. The honest goal was to provide the average Singaporean with authentic, well-made food at a reasonable price, not necessarily cheap, but reasonable for the quality of the food we were providing.Â
With the other Western Food businesses being part of the R&D, the knowledge that this food could be made economically in a food stall was already recognized by Bernie. Considering the open âplaying fieldâ at the time, no one was offering restaurant quality, handmade Western Food that could be purchased in such an accessible environment. This helped Botak Jones and the Western Food we were making stand apart from what was currently available. The word spread. First by mouth, and then by articles and finally by Botak Jones marketing. This was all part of the plan as was mentioned earlier; treating EVERYONE as a world class patron had us thinking of Botak Jones as a world class business.
The food had to be something that grabbed our patronâs attention immediately with the first bite. The flavors had to explode rather than be mild. This didnât mean that the flavor had to be obtrusive or highly spiced, it meant that the flavor had to have a prominence that drew the dinerâs attention to the fact that they were eating something unique, if not special. This sounds funny that a diner might not know that they are eating something, but if you think about dining, more attention was put on the others they were dining with, or the other people around them in the eating house, or the game on the television, etc. Knowing this drove us even harder to make the food and flavor stand out.Â
Our personal belief is that honesty and transparency are part of the Botak Jones Western Food DNA. We didnât mean to be any kind of authority. We wanted to provide Western Food that was authentic, was chemical free and cooked with respect for the food. We were doing this because we were the same people as the people buying our food. We wanted it to be that good for ourselves. We saw little differentiation between us as proprietors and those who buy our food, we are the same. We have the same likes, dislikes, tastes, etc. The only difference is only that we are selling, and our patrons are buying, at least in our eyes.Â
The result was that all Singaporeans had the opportunity to try authentic handmade Western Food with its roots in the America. It was a personal choice of the patron whether they enjoyed this type of food or not. We didnât want to make our food more âSingaporeanâ or local as our drive was to offer something that was AUTHENTIC. We knew that it wasnât going to be liked by everyone. It was/is different than the local recipes and foods. That was the point. Offer a taste of food from somewhere else that was considered regular food somewhere else. It must have been pleasing to many as we were going through eight tons of chicken breast, eight tons of Pacific Dory, four tons of cube roll (ribeye) and over 20 tons of fries every month! These were our roots.
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1J Cluny Road, Singapore 259607
We start here not to talk down to anyone, but to clear away some misconceptions of what is considered Halal food. Halal food is food that has been processed and prepared in accordance with Islamic dietary laws. Halal means permitted or permissible in Arabic, where Islam has its roots. The opposite of Halal is Haram, meaning forbidden. These rules or dictates are from the Islamic holy scripts of the Qâran.
In many different countries that are populated with a large Islamic population, the individual laws on what is permissible may vary somewhat due to interpretation, culture, or politics. ORIGINAL BOTAK JonesÂŪ follows these rules as we are recognized to be a Muslim owned business by the Singapore Muslim Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
Similarly, to Muslim food stalls that serve traditional and local food, you may be hard pressed to see any certificate. They are accepted by the Islamic public as they are Muslim owned. So are we!
Taste and authenticity are not compromisedÂ
So how does ORIGINAL Botak JonesÂŪ tie both the concept of authentic American Western Food together with the fact that the food is Halal. Well, with a few omissions, very few, we found that our food sources and the food itself was already Halal. The rest is conducting our procedures and kitchens, so they satisfy the rules. Probably the majority of food that is supplied to Singapore outside of products that are Haram themselves such as pork, are already Halal. We just had to follow our recipes and the food came out authentic! While ORIGINAL Botak JonesÂŪ may not be the only Halal Western Food in Singapore, ORIGINAL Botak JonesÂŪ might be one of only a handful that makes almost all the food on the menu from scratch ourselves, in our own kitchen.
The basic ideals of the former Botak Jones still hold true. The flavor and quality of the food comes first. This is NOT your run of the mill Western Food. When you taste our food, the flavor will grab your attention. You should be able to tell that these arenât your typical mass-produced, stylized, politically correct vittles.
Food from ORIGINAL Botak JonesÂŪ must be reasonably priced. A hard task in these days of runaway inflation. Now, we would be the first to acknowledge that âreasonably pricedâ is very subjective to the person buying the food. We would never claim that our prices are âcheapâ, we canât! What we are offering the public is Western Food that also happens to be Halal, which is as reasonably priced as can be for the quality of ingredients and effort to make. And as we move forward, we will continue to offer a higher quality food at a price that is generally priced lower than it would be elsewhere. We have too!
Please understand that being Halal does nothing to the flavor of good Western Food.
Most people know that Halal forbids pork, pork products and alcohol. But what most non-Muslim people do not know it must be free from any poisons (makes sense), harmful ingredients, and any meat must be slaughtered in a humane way. Similar to Kosher, the blood of the animal must be drained before the animal is butchered. This helps cut down on toxins that may leach into the meat after being slaughtered. Halal and Kosher meats have a very low instance of e coli. No butchering is allowed if the animal is received as already dead. It must be safe for humans free from any harmful chemicals and additives. Halal meat and food are safe for consumption for everyone, regardless of religious beliefs.
Nope, Alcohol is Haram and not permitted.
Sure. Except for substituting turkey or beef bacon for pork bacon, everything is quite authentic. Really.
A. Our conscience wouldnât let others do the cooking. It means that much to us, that we are taking responsibility from the sourcing of ingredients to when we let you know your order is ready.
