Hainanese Chicken Rice

Ordered half chicken, 2 braised eggs and 1 braised tofu. Total $22.00. Not too expensive in the scheme of things today.

The chicken was poached perfectly. No red parts, no pinkish meat but still very tender and juicy. The rice, although not the best, was fluffy enough and not at all greasy. Soup had a hint of ginger and lots of umami of chicken broth. Braised egg and tofu was quite normal though and I wished they had chicken gizzard and liver to offer. The chilli sauce packed quite a bit of heat and it was on point. Wished they provided Ginger purée as well.

All in all, a very good place for boneless Hainanese Chicken Rice. Strongly recommended.

Reportedly the new darling of the chicken rice realm in Bukit Merah so I came to for taste test.

At lunch time, the queue was 8 long when I arrived. Ordered quarter chicken (lower half) for $10, two braised eggs and one chicken gizzard. Total damage $13.80.

First the rice. It was very dense and slightly wet. Taste was okay but not fantastic. The chicken itself was good with clear layer of jelly between skin and meat. Chilli sauce could be a tad more spicy and less sweet. Braised egg was normal but I liked the chicken soup very much. It was full of umami and sweet from the cabbage added. Nice.

So overall, an above average chicken rice but let down by the rice itself and the chilli.

Normally not a big fan of roasted chicken, nonetheless I ordered roasted chicken drumstick rice after learning steamed drumsticks ran out. Added chicken gizzards and a braised egg for $5.50.

Portion is more than enough for the average appetite. Chicken is tender and the gizzards crunchy. The MVP was the chilli sauce. Whilst it wasn’t as piquant as I would have preferred, it packed quite a bit of heat. With ginger purée and dark soya sauce, it was fantastic with the rice, the chicken and the gizzards. Special mention also for their soup which had cabbage added to add sweetness to the umami of the chicken soup.

Overall an above average chicken rice.

A new Hainanese Chicken Rice stall in Clementi West Coast area.

This one is located at a new Kopitiam Foodland @ 713 along Clementi West Street 2, Block 713. At noon time today. The queue was 12 long when I arrived. And no wonder because there’s a promotion going on.

Normally a drum stick rice would cost $4.50. Due to the 3 days promotion, my plate of drum stick rice plus braised egg only cost $2.80 today.

Chicken meat is tender but rice is a tad dry even though fragrant. The achar provided helps cut through greasiness of the rice and chicken and adds flavour. A bowl of free peanut soup is given and it’s rather tasty. Chilli sauce is good after adding ginger purée and dark soy sauce.

Long before there were these chicken rice darlings made famous by bloggers and the internet, Margaret Drive was already a well known brand in Singapore, along with Swee Kee and others.

I am pleased to report that not only the stall has survived all these year, it is still thriving (although it has now moved to a Kopitiam in Holland Drive), judging from the long queue of customers.

Ordered drumstick rice and added chicken gizzard. Total $6.50. Not the cheapest.

The rice I noticed was coming from a new pot freshly cooked. Perhaps that’s why it was a bit soggy. Chicken rice needs to be aired after cooking and stirred to release the water vapours. Flavour wise, it was good.

The chicken was tender and succulent. They are still not doing the deboning thoroughly like some of these new boneless chicken rice stalls, so you get pieces of the thigh bone still attached. But this also means you get more of the meat. The gizzards were sliced thinly and very crunchy.

Chilli sauce was piquant and spicy. Add a drizzle of the ginger purée provided and you have a one of the best condiments you can find in Singapore, with savoury and spicy, flavour and taste well balanced.

By the time I left, the queue got even longer. Perhaps signs that I have a good chance to eat this chicken rice for more years to come?

Good roast chicken rice in Clementi. At $5.30 for a service of drumstick rice and chicken gizzards, this is really value for money.

The chicken was succulent and tender, properly deboned and cut into manageable strips. If you prefer. They can also serve it as is. Gizzards were crunchy and went well with the piquant and spicy chilli sauce. Add dark soya sauce into the chilli sauce and you have a winning combination!

But the rice was the star of the show, it’s MVP. Not heavy or overly greasy, the grains were thoroughly cooked and fluffy, full of chicken flavour. I was actually dreading the moment when I would finish off the rice before the rest.

As for the soup, it was loaded with MSG which was not necessary considering that they have added cabbage into it. Well, no one’s perfect.

Arrived at 10.40am to find the queue already 7 long. But it moved quickly and within 5 mins I got my plate of chicken rice.

I ordered steamed chicken, drum stick rice with chicken gizzard and braised egg as add ons. Total damage was $5.70! Incredible considering the inflation we see throughout Singapore.

Along with my order came a bowl of chicken soup and they garnished the plate of chicken rice with parsley and salted vegetables. The chilli sauce is free flow and it was spicy enough and piquant to boot. An excellent dip.

The chicken was super tender and silky, especially the skin. The drizzled soya sauce and sesame oil accentuated the flavours of the chicken. Add their chilli sauce and you get a near nirvana experience eating the chicken.

The rice was not exactly fluffy but far from being too dense with oil. Their chicken gizzard was clean tasting and crunchy but the braised egg was very normal.

Surprisingly their salted vegetables helped to add another tone of flavour to the chicken and the rice. I only wish they could be more generous with it cause I only got a few strands of this delicious pickle.

Overall, well deserving of their Michelin Bib Gourmand. Strongly recommend over some of those over hyped chicken rice stalls. Please note that only this stall in Tiong Bahru market got the Bib Gourmand award.

By the time I reached at opening time 6.30pm, there was already 5 in the queue in front of me and an unknown number of customers who had pre-ordered. For the record, you can pre-order from 4pm but they only start to pack at around 6.30pm.

And so I waited for my turn. And waited and waited until 7.45pm! By then the queue behind me was about 13 customers long.

The rice was fluffy and nice, the roast chicken drumstick moist and tender. The chicken gizzard was quite normal though I did enjoy its crunchiness.

A bowl of soup was provided free and the clear soup tasted of chicken and ginger. The fried chicken wings were crispy from the coated batter which had little to no taste but the meat inside was well marinated and full of flavour. My only complaint besides the long wait was the chilli sauce which was not spicy nor tangy enough.

But will I go all the way to Toa Payoh again and brave another one hour wait? Maybe not.

Arrived at 11.15am and order roast chicken drum stick rice with additional side orders of braised egg and chicken gizzard.

The soup accompanying the chicken rice tastes more of msg and sugar than chicken. Portion of drum stick was also surprisingly small but stall assistant explained its because the drum stick had been deboned. Chilli sauce was okay but could do with a little more tartness.

But alas they committed the cardinal sin of all rice dishes - the chicken rice was not thoroughly cooked and there were grains of rice with rather hard cores. Unforgivable mistake.

The one thing they did right was the price. At $6.50 for drum stick rice plus egg and gizzard, this is very affordable in view of the growing inflation globally.

Arrived at 12 noon sharp and there was no one in the queue. Tables at the food center was limited but can get one if you waited a while.

Ordered roast duck drumstick rice with roasted pork. Duck was flavourful and skin still quite crispy. Roast pork was a tad salty and very normal. The rice is not the plain white rice but chicken rice type, although it did not have as strong a chicken flavour as your normal chicken rice stall.

The tangy chilli sauce did help accentuate the flavours of the duck and the roast pork. This was a huge plus. Total damage came up to $7.00 which is reasonable considering the level of inflation in Singapore.

If you are in the Boon Lay area and wondering what to eat, why not try Hiang Lee?

This chicken rice stall is located in a very rustic HDB shop in Bukit Merah area, just like those from my childhood days. Uncle took my order for drumstick chicken rice and goes off to prepare. It was 11.30am, and there was no other customer, perhaps ahead of the long queues for lunch. Out of the blue, Uncle reminded me that they are open from 9am to 3pm.

The chicken was super tender and the rice was fluffy. Both went well with the chilli sauce. On its own, the chilli sauce looked watery. After adding the puréed ginger sauce and dark soya sauce, it suddenly because the best combination with the chicken rice. Very old school Hainanese Chicken Rice.

At $5.00, this is the cheapest drumstick chicken rice I have had in a long time. But be warned. Unless you are driving, the shop is quite a walk uphill on top of Jalan Rumah Tinggi.

For those expecting the type of chicken rice balls you get in Malacca, don’t. This stall is run by a team of Vietnamese hawkers who speak excellent Chinese. But the chicken is scrawny, meat is dry and the rice balls are made with chicken rice that are rather flavourless.

Better wait till COVID is over then go to Malacca for the real stuff.