Halal Korean Fried Chicken on Orchard Road: 4Fingers

4Fingers Crispy Chicken, at 277 Orchard Road, #01-04/05 Orchard Gateway, Singapore 238858, is the Orchard Road branch of the home-grown chain that made Korean-style soy-glazed chicken a mall staple across the island. The shop sits on the first floor of Orchard Gateway, steps from the Somerset end of Orchard Road, and it keeps long hours: 11am to 10:30pm every day. Every order is cooked when you place it, brushed by hand with the brand's fermented soy sauces, and the Singapore restaurants are halal.

The story the company tells on its own About Us page starts in New York. Its founders tasted Korean crispy chicken in what they describe as the city's grungy subway scene and decided Singapore needed the same thing. The first 4Fingers opened in ION Orchard in 2009, a short walk up the road from today's Orchard Gateway shop, and within two years six more stores had joined it. The brand has since crossed into Malaysia and Indonesia, but Orchard Road is where it began.

That origin explains the style. This is not the thick, craggy batter of American fried chicken. The coating is thin and shattering, and the flavour comes from what goes on afterwards: a soy-based glaze painted onto each piece with a brush, or a hot and spicy sauce for anyone who wants heat. 4Fingers is also certified to MUIS halal requirements in Singapore, and its About Us page sets out how supply, handling and kitchen equipment follow those rules. That makes it one of the easiest Korean chicken stops on Orchard Road for Muslim diners and mixed groups.

Start with the signature wingettes and drumettes, sold in boxes of six, twelve or eighteen. Wings are the cut that shows off the technique best: the skin turns glassy under the glaze, and the meat stays juicy because the pieces are small and fried to order. If you prefer to skip bones, the boneless chicken bites come in the same six, twelve and eighteen counts, and the chicken tenders come in threes, sixes and nines. Drumsticks, also sold in three, six or nine pieces, suit anyone who wants a bigger bite.

Two people sharing will usually be happy with a twelve-piece box, perhaps one glazed in soy and a side of something spicy. Larger groups and office parties can order the party trays of 50, 100 or 150 wingettes and drumettes, which the menu lists under the signature range, and catering orders can be placed through the brand's ordering site.

For a full meal in one container, the rice boxes pair chicken with rice: drumsticks, wingettes and drumettes, a chicken chop, boneless bites or tenders, plus a seafood box and a tofu box for anyone avoiding chicken. You can swap plain rice for teriyaki rice on the sides list. The burger range is short and indulgent: the Chicc Crisp, the BFF Burger, the Cheesy Chicc Stacks and the towering Chicc Tower. Crispy calamari and crispy shrimp make up the seafood section, or you can have both together in the Calamari 'n' Shrimp box.

The sides are where the Korean influence shows most. Kimchi fries and seaweed fries are the two to try, with cheesy loaded fries for anyone who wants something richer. Chicken kimbap and a double cheese chicken kimbap bring rice rolls to the table, and a tub of kimslaw adds a cool, crunchy contrast to the glaze. Mozzarella cheese sticks round out the snack list. If you would rather eat lighter, there is a chicken katsu salad and a tofu salad.

There are four ways to order. You can walk in and order at the counter, or place a dine-in, pick-up, delivery or catering order through the brand's online ordering site at order.4fingers.com.sg. Because everything is cooked after you order, expect a short wait rather than food that has been sitting under a lamp. Ordering ahead for pick-up is the easiest way to skip that wait at peak times. The site notes that its Good Deals 4 U promotion applies only to dine-in and takeaway orders placed over the counter, not to online orders.

Orchard Gateway is busiest at weekday lunch, when office workers from the Somerset area come down, and on weekend afternoons, when Orchard Road shoppers need a quick refuel. A mid-afternoon visit on a weekday is the calmest time. Late evenings work well too, since the kitchen keeps frying until 10:30pm, which makes it a useful stop after a film or a late shopping run.

Orchard Gateway is easy to spot because of its glass tube bridge, which crosses Orchard Road above the traffic and links the mall's two buildings. Somerset MRT station on the North-South Line is linked to the mall underground, so you can reach the shop without stepping into the rain. Upstairs in the same complex is library@orchard, a public library known for its curved, design-led shelves, which is a calm place to sit for half an hour after eating.

For a short walk, step next door to Emerald Hill, a protected lane of Peranakan terrace houses with carved doors, tiled facades and a few bars set in the old shophouses. Heading west, Orchard Road continues past the department stores towards ION Orchard, about a fifteen-minute walk away, where the first 4Fingers opened in 2009. On an evening walk, the shaded pavements under the rain trees are pleasant once the heat drops.

Is 4Fingers Orchard Gateway halal? Yes. The company says its restaurants in Singapore comply with MUIS halal requirements. How late does the kitchen run? It serves until 10:30pm every day. Can I order ahead? Yes, through order.4fingers.com.sg for pick-up, delivery or a dine-in order, though over-the-counter promotions do not apply online. Is it Korean? The chicken is Korean-style, inspired by the Korean crispy chicken the founders tasted in New York, but 4Fingers itself is a Singapore brand.

Address: 4Fingers Crispy Chicken, 277 Orchard Road, #01-04/05 Orchard Gateway, Singapore 238858. Hours: daily, 11am to 10:30pm. Nearest MRT: Somerset on the North-South Line. Ordering: walk-in at the counter, or dine-in, pick-up, delivery and catering via order.4fingers.com.sg. Halal: the Singapore restaurants follow MUIS halal requirements. Store details come from the Locate Us page on 4fingers.com.sg.