Margaret Drive Chicken Rice (Holland Drive)

This plate of chicken rice evokes a deep feeling of nostalgia as I recalled tagging along with my folk to the old Margaret Drive Hawker Centre to pack it home, back in the late-Eighties.✨

Picture tender meat with silky, succulent skin, doused in fragrant soy sauce and sesame oil. This stall holds a special place in my heart and the taste stayed with me through the years — It’s more than just a dish; it’s a treasured piece of my childhood, where I shared simple meals together with loved ones. ❤️

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$5.50 + $1

Bib Gourmand (Michelin Guide Singapore 2024)

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?

Very intense and really good

Rice was tasteless, dry, and no bite

Chili sauce was sharp and the grated ginger were clean. The sauces are the only good things here

I can't believe the number of good reviews they have. Either they had a bad day or the standards really nosedived

The sauce was ridiculously salty and didn't have much umami

The ckn was dry and tough. It's average but at this price, average is not good enough

Portion was good though, and generous amounts of cucumber, that are nicely cut(into quarters, much easier to eat than batons)