Hua Kee Cantonese Chicken Rice (Toh Yi Drive)

There has been quite a fair bit of talk on social media about a particular stall serving up Cantonese-style chicken rice in Tampines not too long ago — Hua Kee Cantonese Chicken Rice had been garnering quite a fair bit of crowd ever since its existence of serving up pretty decent chicken rice within the Tampines neighbourhood from an IG reel. It seems that these folks had decided to take the step to expand their operations — whilst their coffeeshop stall remains in operations at Tampines, these folks had opened a new standalone branch situated at Blk 18 Toh Yi Drive; just a stone’s throw away from Beauty World MRT Station along the Downtown Line. They are located right beside the 18 BREWKOPI coffeeshop that is located under the HDB block that houses an outlet of Lai Chi Mian 来吃面. The establishment should be quite an easy find with a signboard that somewhat replicates that of old-school eateries with a white background and blue-cum-red fonts bearing the shop’s namesake in both Chinese and English. Inside, the dining establishment is simply but tastefully designed; the walls adorned with vinyl wallpapers that showcases the preparation process of their poached chicken, while one also would notice the wooden trims that is added to the walls — the dining space also consisting of furniture that features wooden and marble accents that gives it a bit of an old-school coffeeshop vibe. Hua Kee Cantonese Chicken Rice is known to serve up only poached chicken since their days at Tampines and the same remains with their location at Beauty World — the menu is being segmented into sections dedicated to Chicken Rice (the breakdown of which consists of various chicken parts), Set Meal for One, Signature Dishes (i.e. side dishes to share) and Vegetables. Being an individually-run establishment, Hua Kee Cantonese Chicken Rice also offers a line-up of beverages for its Beauty World outlet which consists of Nanyang Coffee, various types of tea, iced homemade barley, iced yuzu juice and canned beverages.

The best way to give the various items that Hua Kee Cantonese Chicken Rice has to offer in a single seating is to opt for the Set Meal for One. Per the description provided by Hua Kee Cantonese Chicken Rice on the Set Meal for One, the Set Meal for One comes with elements such as Chicken Rice, Prawn Rolls (2pcs), and a choice of vegetable being either Beansprout, Chinese Nai Bai or Crystal Romaine Lettuce. Between the three types of vegetables that Hua Kee Cantonese Chicken Rice has to offer, we went for the Beansprout; it is also noted that Hua Kee Cantonese Chicken Rice also does serve up a bowl of soup on the side along with their Set Meal for One. Condiments such as their chili sauce, sweet soya sauce and grated ginger are placed at the self-service zone along with the cutlery that is located right beside the counter for patrons to help themselves with. Going straight for the Chicken Rice itself first, we did find that Hua Kee Cantonese Chicken Rice’s rendition of the Chicken Rice does vary a little from the Hainanese-style chicken rice that we typically come across at most other establishments around the island. Here, we did notice that the chicken does come with a firmer bite; not necessarily being dry, though less succulent than that of the more stellar Hainanese-style chicken rice stalls that we have had elsewhere. With that said, we did feel that the meat does turn out to be more plump and less “streaky” than it would be as compared to most the chicken at Hainanese-style chicken rice stalls. We quite like the gelatinous skin which was slippery smooth — definitely a noteworthy point here. The chicken also pairs well with their chili dip which comes zippy but in a way that is less tangy and slightly sweet than most that we have come across; all that whilst coming with an underlying spicy kick that would tickle the tastebuds for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. The flavoured rice does come adequately greasy; not too oily whereby it would have gotten too jelak, but definitely comes with a slight brininess from chicken stock whilst also drizzled with a bit of light soy sauce for flavour.

The Prawn Rolls and the Beansprouts come in a separate platter where they are segregated into their own compartment to avoid cross-mixing into one another. The Prawn Rolls also come with its own saucer of malt sugar dip as one would typically expect when ordering the same at a tzechar establishment in a coffeeshop / food court / hawker set-up. We felt that the Prawn Rolls were well-executed here with the Prawn Rolls carrying a crisp exterior; all that without any undesirable hint of overused lol while at it. As one chews into the Prawn Rolls, the Prawn Rolls do come with meat fillings that are adequately packed within which does not come loose as one bites into the prawn roll, while one will also be able to feel bits of water chestnut that is included for a crunch factor. Dipping them into the malt syrup adds a hint of sweetness that gives the prawn rolls a sweet-savoury contrast of flavours. Meanwhile, the Beansprouts were simple and delightful — attention to detail can be noticed from how the Beansprouts came with the ends being plucked out, whilst it is drizzled with a bit of light soy sauce for flavour and stir-fried alongside garlic and chili padi; the latter giving it a bit of a spicy kick that tickles the tastebuds especially when one chews into them. The accompanying soup is one that came with all the chicken gizzards / feet; considering the amount of peanuts that came with the soup, it is also to no wonder that the soup does hint heavily of braised peanuts as well which would be a hit for some. We had initially ordered the Nanyang Kopi (Hot) thinking that it would be something similar to the local-style Hainanese Kopi which is typically served up at such establishments; that being said it turns out that the Nanyang Kopi (Hot) was more of a Malaysian-style White Coffee beverage here; still quite hitting the spot carrying a roasty, caffeinated punch whilst also coming with a milky undertone typical of creamer.

Whilst not an establishment that we were initially curious on, the hype surrounding it on social media did get us fairly interested to give them a go — their Beauty World outlet does prove to be a more convenient location as compared to their Tampines location that is situated deeper in the heartlands. Given how they are an establishment that served up Cantonese-style Chicken Rice rather than the Hainanese-style Chicken Rice that we are more familiar with, some differences are to be expected with the Chicken Rice at Hua Kee Cantonese Chicken Rice — not necessarily in a way that we would prefer over establishments that does their Hainanese-style Chicken Rice well, but still very good in its own right. Prices of their ala-carte chicken rice are in the range of $6.50 to $7.50 depending on the chicken part that one opts for, while the Set Meal for One that we have had is priced at $9.80. We hadn’t have had Hua Kee Cantonese Chicken Rice at their Tampines location nor have had tried a number of Hainanese-style chicken rice stalls at Beauty World to comment much about their consistency across their own outlets or against the competition within its immediate area, though their outlet at Beauty World deserve as a convenient spot for those staying in the West wanting to give their Chicken Rice a try to check them out.