After working there for more than 30 years, Chef Han left this year to open his own chicken rice stall at Centrepoint’s new basement foodcourt, which is a mere 5-minute walk from Mandarin Hotel.

Hainanese chicken rice, S$4.50

Naturally, Chef Han’s connection to Chatterbox proved to be an irresistible draw. During their opening promotion in March, response was overwhelming. I know cos I went there to recce. The queue was so long it s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d- to the carpark!

Since then, the curious crowds have dispersed. I’ve eaten at Chef Han’s twice, both times during lunch hour on weekdays. There’s a steady stream of customers, but no queue.

The standard was consistent both times I ate there.

The rice: The grains were plump and had good texture. Well-rounded flavors with pleasant taste of chicken stock.

The chicken: Quite disappointing. Although the breast portion was tender, the meat lacked flavor and was too “wet” (maybe it was soaked in ice for too long after cooking?). But the skin had a nice bounciness. Also, they flattened the meat with flat side of the cleaver, a practice I personally dislike.

Chilli sauce: Hot and zingy! Very shiok, but I’d prefer a touch more tangy lime. The ginger sauce was also not bad.

Soup: Surprisingly, this was my favorite part. The soup was really tasty, not like the usual plain, tasteless type you get at other chicken rice stalls. This one had bits of radish, cabbage, and wolfberry. Nice!

Presentation: More posh than the usual hawker or foodcourt-style chicken rice. The meat was placed over a bed of shredded lettuce, and adorned with a cherry tomato on the side. This is perhaps the strongest resemblance to Chatterbox’s version.

At a quarter the price of Chatterbox’s posh chicken rice, I wouldn’t expect the same quality or quantity. However, if I had eaten this at a blind taste test, I wouldn’t have guessed this was connected to Chatterbox.

On the whole, it was ok, but they seriously need to improve on the chicken.

Chef Han Chicken Rice
176 Orchard Road
#B2-101, Centrepoint
Stall 13, Foodcourt @ The Basement
Singapore 238843

Daily: 10am to 10pm

Boiled & roast chicken rice, S$4.50.

Don’t be misled by that generous-looking mound of meat. The stall owner has artfully plumped up a single layer of meat with sliced cucumber and lettuce. Oh well, he’s not the only one; this is “industry practice”.

Wanting to sample both “white” and roast chicken at one go, I order the twin meats, which came up to quite a pricey S$4.00. Rice is charged separately at 50 cents. While twin meat plates usually cost more, I’m surprised at the relatively high price here uncharacteristic of a hawker centre.

My verdict:

Boiled chicken: Smooth, tender yet firm meat. Cooking time perfectly controlled; no bloody, undercooked parts.

Roast chicken: Meat and skin quite dry. Thickness of meat was pathetically thin. Very disappointing.

Rice: Average. Could have been more fragrant.

Chilli sauce: Could have been more tart and spicy.

Overall: Hands down, the boiled chicken beats the roast version. Portion was quite decent, but on the pricey side for hawker centre food.

Watercress pork rib soup, S$2.50.

Seng Heng also sells a variety of steamed soups. I tried the watercress pork rib. Not bad. Doesn’t have an artificially “sweet” taste; some places use MSG to make their steamed soups more flavorful than they actually are.

The pork ribs tasted fresh, too. The only issue I had was the rather thick layer of fat floating on the surface.

Long queue at lunchtime.

So, was it worth the 15-minute queue? Only if I’m craving chicken rice. There’s another chicken rice stall you shouldn’t even bother to try (the one next to a popular braised duck stall opposite a chwee kueh stall)!

Seng Heng Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice
116 Upper Bukit Timah Road
Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre
#02-177
Singapore 588172
Closed on Sundays

Chicken rice, S$3.00.

The original plan was lunch at Tanglin Halt / Commonwealth Crescent food center. On the way there, I walked past a scruffy-looking old coffee shop at the road junction. There was a familiar fragrance in the air; every table occupied was tucking into chicken rice with gusto.

The stall.

Naturally, being the curious foodie, I abandoned the original plan. There were 3 or 4 stalls in the coffee shop, but the chicken rice stall was clearly the one that people came for.

Do you like breast?

When my order came, my heart sank when I saw the meat doused in starchy gravy. For me, an authentic, succulent Hainanese chicken needs no such embellishment. Minus 1 point!

I was given the breast meat, so there wasn’t much flavor, however the meat wasn’t dry and was smooth (maybe the gravy helped?). The rice was airy and puffy, not fragrant enough, but not oily either. Plus points for the rather generous portion.

Overall, I thought the chicken rice here wasn’t that fantastic. Guess the gravy is a major turn-off for me! I certainly wouldn’t come all the way here, but if in the area and craving for chicken rice, I’ll drop by. Will certainly tell the vendor to hold off that gravy!

The coffeeshop.

Tian Shui Ji Fan Ji Zhou (or Tian Shui Chicken Rice & Chicken Porridge)
Guan Kim Restaurant (corner coffeeshop)
47 Tanglin Halt Road
Singapore 141047

Chicken rice, S$4.00.

Sandwiched among a row of salons, this dinky shop pulls in the crowds with its specialty, Hainanese boneless chicken rice. They also have roast chicken as option 2.

While having a haircut in the same building last week, my stylist remarked, “Eh, you know the chicken rice shop next door? Full house everyday, you know!”

Interest piqued, I checked it out for lunch yesterday. True enough, it was full house. But partly also due to half the shop area being taken up by the kitchen.

Luckily, turnover was high — people ate and left quickly — so I didn’t wait long for a seat. The smiling boss (I assume) was efficient in ushering and clearing the tables. Orders were swiftly taken and plates of food flew out of the kitchen fast and furious. Great teamwork here, I’m impressed!

So, how’s the food? Surprising good, I must say! I wasn’t expecting much, but the chicken meat was moist, firm, and smooth. In fact, I think it was flavorful enough to do without the soy sauce dressing.

Even the skin was yummy! I don’t normally eat boiled chicken skin, but here, the skin had been properly chilled till it had firmed up and was crunchy and not oily.

The rice could have been more fragrant, but this can be overlooked for being fluffy and non-greasy. This must be one of the lightest chicken rice I’ve had! But the garlic lime chilli was too mild; not sour nor spicy enough.

Final thoughts: This place is a pleasant find in Orchard Road. Four bucks ain’t cheap for chicken rice, but it is cheap by Orchard Road standards. I’ll probably swing by again, maybe next time I’ll try the roast chicken and see how it compares to the boiled version.

Hainanese Delicacy
14 Scotts Road
#05-116
Far East Plaza
Singapore 228213
Tel: (65) 6734 0639

Wee Nam Kee's Hainanese chicken and roast chicken rice.

Roast chicken is actually Cantonese cuisine in origin, but some Hainanese chicken rice places also offer it for variety. We ordered Hainanese chicken (cooked by steaming/boiling) and roast chicken for two people, a side of boiled chicken liver, and of course, chicken-flavored rice (S$0.50 per portion).

Hainanese and roasted chicken for two (S$6.00); chicken liver (S$0.50).

The rice was pleasantly scented with ginger and garlic, and wasn’t too greasy. We were given mostly the breast meat for the Hainanese chicken. Doused with a light soya sauce dressing, the meat was soft and juicy. Personally, I prefer the method of leaving the chicken undressed, as this can truly reflect the quality of the cooking.

In fact, I enjoyed the tender and flavorful roast chicken more than the Hainanese chicken, which I thought was just above average. The chicken liver was well cooked. I don’t mean well done, but it was cooked through so that the liver wasn’t bloody.

Garlic-lime chilli sauce and dark soya sauce

Relatively delicious, Wee Nam Kee’s chicken rice is also reasonably priced. It’s definitely one of the better ones we’ve tasted, but in my opinion, the best chicken rice in town is still Tian Tian. That said, we’d certainly come back to Wee Nam Kee if we’re in the vicinity and craving for chicken rice. There are also zi-char dishes (restaurant-style Chinese stir-fries) available here.

The total bill for the two of us came up to S$9.90 (including towel charge S$0.40). Prices stated are nett.

Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice & Restaurant
275 Thomson Road
#01-05, Novena Ville
Singapore 307645
Tel: (65) 6255 6396

cheers!