(A) Tian Tian
443 Joo Chiat Road
The original Tian Tian is in Maxwell Market, and it may not be an exaggeration to say that there is literally always a line for their chicken rice. I have been there at meal-times and in-between-meal-times, and it does not quit. There are always people waiting for this chicken rice, and with good reason too. Their version of chicken rice hits all the right notes, with the chili and the chicken gravy being absolutely stellar. Recently, the owner’s daughter opened an 80-seater restaurant along Joo Chiat Road, which I chanced upon while going for the bak kut teh a few doors down. I’m not going to lie – I felt like I had won the lottery.
It must have been early days when I discovered it, for it wasn’t all that packed, and we were able to get a table pretty easily. There are more dishes on the menu than just chicken rice – Hainanese pork chop, mixed vegetables and so forth. It’s a limited selection, and unfortunately none of it is any good. But nobody really gives a damn, because it is only the chicken rice that people are here for anyway.
For some reason I recall the version at the original stall to be better, but it might be psychological. Sometimes when you have to wait for your food, it tastes better when you’re eventually eating it. Also, eating chicken rice in air-conditioned surroundings may be comfortable, but somehow detracts a little from the experience. I thought the chicken gravy here was a little saltier than the original, and the soup was quite disappointing, but the rest of the components – the chili, the chicken, the soy sauce – passed muster. All that being said, the version here is still top drawer, and I can foresee the other chicken rice alternatives in the area looking over their shoulders warily from now.
(B) Five Star
191 East Coast Road
The interesting thing about this place is that the waiters, when idle, stand outside to exhort (in a polite manner, of course) passers-by to enter – a technique typically used in tourist-heavy locations like Boat Quay or for poor restaurants trying to drum up business. Five Star faces neither of these predicaments, so I have never understood why they resort to this tactic, which isn’t exactly classy. Perhaps the competition is really too stiff in this area.
Anyway, if you do eventually choose to dine at Five Star – you will have an enjoyable experience. Five Star uses “kampong birds” for their chicken – which means that not only is it a different breed to the birds you normally get elsewhere, but that instead of being bred in cages, they are allowed freedom of movement in a limited enclosure. Not exactly free-range, but it’s better than nothing. In any case it results in meat that is not so fatty – which may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
It is surprisingly good. This is probably one of the versions of chicken rice that induces the least guilt, for it is not too oily, and of course the birds have less fat. What is also surprising is that the rest of the dishes served at Five Star are pretty decent as well. I know someone who brought her overseas guest to Five Star for a definitive chicken rice experience. While I probably would not have done the same, I can see why she did so.
(C) Boon Tong Kee
199 East Coast Road
Perhaps the reason why Five Star employs such aggressive sales tactics is because Boon Tong Kee is just a few doors down the road. To explain: Boon Tong Kee is the original hawker-made-good of the chicken rice scene, one of the first few to commercialise and open branches. To date there are six outlets across the island, and overseas expansion is on the cards. Serious foodies view chains with a healthy distrust, and it is only natural to have suspicions of whether chains or franchises can replicate the quality of the original. I say that with a touch of irony, because most of the places on this list have more than one outlet too.
So it is rather surprising when you realise that the quality, and the quality control, at Boon Tong Kee is actually very good. I have been to a couple of their outlets, and the food is eerily consistent. You can count on Boon Tong Kee to give you a representative version of chicken rice, but to call it merely “representative” seems to diminish it unfairly. To me it is not the best, but it may be to some others; and whatever the case it is still very, very good.
(D) Sing Ho
103/105 East Coast Road
What is it with chicken rice restaurants and chains? Is the production process one that is very easy to replicate? And who are all these people consuming so much chicken rice? How is the market not saturated by now? It is quite mind-boggling how there can exist so many different chicken rice stalls in the same area, much less within 200 m of each other. My hypothesis about chicken rice is that it is fairly commoditised and to some extent quite homogenous. While the good ones are really, really good – the mediocre ones are not too bad either, and will satisfy your fix in a pinch. As a result, nobody I know is loyal to one stall and one stall only, because the costs of switching are low and do not result in marked differences in quality. Few people would travel far and wide for chicken rice, because chances are that there is a decent enough version near where you are. So this means that the effective radius of demand for any given chicken rice restaurant cannot be that large (as opposed to some other local dishes with greater differentiation). So why does an anomaly like District 15 still occur? Maybe the people of Katong eat a hell of a lot of chicken rice.
Sing Ho is another chain, with four outlets in Singapore, one of which is further up the road from the others mentioned on this list. In my opinion this is the one that suffers the most from the competition. Every time I pass by this place it is always half-empty, in stark contrast to their branch at Middle Road which is always bustling. I have been to both, and must say that Sing Ho doesn’t produce a bad version of chicken rice. Truth be told it is probably above average by some distance. But it is also clearly the weakest of the lot along East Coast Road, and it shows.
(E) Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice
Katong Shopping Centre basement
When you are faced with such stiff competition, you try any means of differentiating your product. Delicious Boneless – despite the cheesy name – is the David amongst the Goliaths on this list, for while the others are chains, this is not (as far as I know). The way this place differentiates itself is by serving their chicken covered in specks of deep-fried garlic bits. This helps if you like garlic, for the taste and crunch are nice complements to the mild flavour and smooth texture of the chicken. Another differentiating factor is that while other places typically provide soup of clear chicken broth, this place makes a little more effort to add other ingredients like carrots and mushrooms. The end product is not amazing, but it is a refreshing change to simple chicken broth.
That said, the rice is not as fragrant as that of its competitors, and the condiments (chili and dark soy sauce) are also a shade inferior. I haven’t been back here in a long while, and that probably speaks volumes.
(F) Hai Kee
Formerly at 126 East Coast Road, now at 84 Marine Parade Central, #01-135
This probably doesn’t belong on this list, firstly because they don’t make chicken rice per se, but soya sauce chicken (which comes with either rice or noodles); and secondly because it is no longer on this stretch and has recently moved about half a kilometer away, to Marine Parade Central. But it is here because it is one of my favourite treatments of chicken in Singapore and as a (somewhat) similar product, offers competition to the rest of the outlets on this list too.
I used to stop by at this place to buy half a chicken home for dinner – without checking back if food had already been cooked, or if anyone else was eating. I knew that even if dinner had already been prepared, everyone would still save room on the table (and in their stomachs) for Hai Kee’s soya sauce chicken. I was blindsided when they moved, showing up one day to find a new stall in its place. The new stallowner also sold soya sauce chicken in addition to other roasted meats, and so refused to tell me where Hai Kee had moved to, insisting that I give him a chance instead. Unfortunately despite what I say about chicken rice being non-differentiated, soya sauce chicken – or rather Hai Kee’s version of it – is very much so. I turned him down, and mourned the loss of one of my favourites.
I like Hai Kee in spite of the fact that it is supremely unhealthy (or should that be BECAUSE it is supremely unhealthy?) I assume the guy is Cantonese, because he uses young, fatty birds. I actually have no idea where he gets his chickens, because they seem to be at least twice as fatty as anything you can get anywhere else. In addition, it is almost disgusting how much sesame oil is in the sauce. The thing about hawkers is that very few of them bother to emulsify their sauces, so the sheen of oil on top of them is extremely evident. And it is extremely evident how much more oil Hai Kee uses in its sauce compared to anyone else. It goes without saying that all this makes for a fabulous meal.
After months of searching, my mother and brother finally found Hai Kee again. They had popped up in Marine Parade Central, a stone’s throw from their original location. It was as if all was right again with the world.
Minus Hai Kee, it wouldn’t be far off the mark to suggest that the other chicken rice purveyors in the Katong area are in a market of perfect competition. The sellers supply a product that is effectively homogenous, so none of them can afford to be price setters. In addition, with the advent of food blogs not unlike this one, consumers have almost perfect information and face little to no switching costs. If you love chicken rice, look no further.
Posts
1 comments:
I was impressed and am thankful for the way you have elaborated and expressed your thoughts on our local delicacy, chicken rice.
Despite the high cost of living, technology and climate changes, one will continue to pursue the authentic flavours of the past.
Having touched on Hai Kee soy sauce chicken, I would to clarify that the usual spot in katong was a business set up between a partner as well as my dad, who was also the cook at that time. Due to the bird flu Influenza a few years back, Hai Kee's business was affected and all outlets had to end its operations.
Afterwhich, the partner whom my dad used to work with, set up another stall at Marine Parade without the involvement of my dad. The stall has since closed down as well.
Since then, my dad went ahead to open his own business with the same brand name 4 years ago.This chicken rice stall is currently located at Eunos Crescent Blk 1A.
Due to the low barriers of entry in this Chicken Rice business, one can easily duplicate the business concept including the brand name as well but one will never be able to replace the original flavour passed down through generations.
Should you be interested, we would like to invite you to patronize our stall one day and we will guarantee that you will find back flavours of the past.
Post a Comment