Chicken Leg Pilav Hadn’t been settling lunch around the Shenton Way neighbourhood for a while — Shenton Food Hall has recently seen a switch up of tenants within its premises ever since we had made our visit there. Opened since February 2023 at the non air-conditioned section of the food hall right across from The Saigon which is best known for their Char Grilled Pork offerings, Dragon Wok 小安盖浇饭 / Pilav King of Nanyan 南洋抓饭王 is one of two stalls that are actually serving up mainland Chinese-style cuisine in the food hall. Being sort of a two-in-one concept, Dragon Wok / Pilav King of Nanyan (yes, the spelling of “Nanyan” here being directly lifted from their signboard) splits its offerings across the two different brand names — Dragon Wok is the concept that seems to have an emphasis on dishes that comes with white rice; some of its offerings include that of Braised Meat Ball with Rice and Mapo Tofu with Rice amongst others. On the other hand, Pilav King of Nanyan is a concept that revolves around their rendition of Pilaf Rice — this would include dishes such as that of the Lamb Chop Pilav and Sausage Rice. Dragon Wok / Pilav King of Nanyan also has a list of add-one that one can go for as well; think items like the Chinese Salad and Spiced Corn Egg, just to name a few.
It was relatively easy for us to decide on what to order here at Dragon Wok / Pilav King of Nanyan; the Pilav Rice being a particularly unique offering that one would rarely come by in a food hall. We made our order for the Chicken Leg Pilav — we were actually pretty surprised by how this item somehow comes in a format similar to a set, considering how ordering a dish would entitle one to a small plate of pickles and a bowl of soup on the side; the latter being refillable as well. First impressions of the Chicken Leg Pilav and it looks fairly simple — the dish being simply just the chicken leg that is served with their signature Pilav rice on the side. This isn’t quite the Pilaf Rice that one would be expecting if dining at an authentic Middle Eastern establishment — in fact we would think that it is a little unreasonable to expect it to be so since they are named the Pilav King of Nanyan; probably hinting at a different take of it with some Nanyang influence that comes to play. The rice is actually pretty moist here; no doubt it is missing out on most of the aromatics especially the flavours of the spices, but the Pilav Rice at Pilav King of Nanyan was especially buttery — that savoury fragrance simply lingers with each spoonful of rice they also comes speckled with chunks of carrots that cooked to a soft bite. There is a prominent hint of meatiness that is slightly gamey that one could detect at certain parts of the Pilav Rice; this wasn’t particularly overwhelming, and provided an interesting flavour contrast to the rice overall. The chicken leg was a little more pedestrian here though still decently done nonetheless; it is reasonably tender, and comes sufficiently savoury — just nothing much to shout about. The pickles on the side provides a good break between all that meat and carb; came with a refreshing crunch and a sharp tanginess that cuts through all the savoury flavours, though we really liked how clean the soup was — the flavours coming almost entirely from the kelp whilst also coming with swirls of egg drop for a silky texture.
Dragon Wok / Pilav King of Nanyan is undoubtedly an interesting stall on its own — the concept behind the stall is one that we would think is pretty unique; the only stall that seems to be serving something that is remotely similar likely being Tee’s Kitchen at Golden Mile Food Centre with its Colombian Chicken. That being said, those looking to try the Pilav Rice from Pilav King of Nanyan should keep an open mind; it does seem that Pilav King of Nanyan is more about serving up their very own rendition of Chinese-style Pilav Rice rather than that of the traditional Middle Eastern version that we are more familiar with on paper — the aromatics here being more of butter rather than that of spices, which is a distinguishing factor to us. That being said, the Chicken Leg Pilav was a decent offering nonetheless; the highlight still mainly being the Pilav Rice but was something which we found pretty palatable — we could only think of the Lamb Chop Pilav being the version that would allow one to enjoy the Pilav Rice from Pilav King of Nanyan at its best considering the flavour combination that it could potentially bring to table. Prices at Dragon Wok / Pilav King of Nanyan are also pretty reasonable considering how this is a food stall that is located within a food hall at the Central Business District — the mains being priced between $6 to $8; a range that one would be able to consider having on a daily basis. Overall, the Chicken Leg Pilav from Pilav King of Nanyan is something which we would not mind having again — an item which we would consider ordering if we are craving for some sinful, flavoured rice to pair up with some protein for lunch.
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