Let me start by saying: this is not going to be a very objective review. But then again, no review of chicken rice ever is. With a dish as ubiquitous as Hainanese Chicken Rice, it’s difficult to find a standard that every Singaporean can agree upon. For every ardent fan of Tian Tian you find, you are equally likely to meet a disgruntled critic who dismisses their dish to be “overpriced” or “overrated” (Oops).
So yes, this post isn’t about the best plate of chicken rice. Far from it. It’s simply about a pretty good one.
Hai Shan Chicken Rice and I share a long history. Back when they operated at Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre, I lived right across the street, and their chicken rice was the comfort food that I pestered my grandmother for. For a kid that grew up with a distaste of vegetables, their chicken rice was the first dish to convince me to venture a hesitant bite into a cucumber slice. That’s how much I loved it.
The most enticing aspect of Hai Shan’s chicken rice is its 油饭. Featuring a milder profile of flavours, their rice is reminiscent of Go-Ang Pratunam’s. You may not discern the accents of garlic and ginger, but you can still appreciate their presence. Their rice unfolds in increments of savouriness, as hints of garlic mingle with the oily undertones of the rice, synthesizing into measured deliveries of salty and oily flavours.
That’s how I loved my chicken rice. Simple, subtle, sumptuous. Drizzle copious amounts of dark soy sauce on it– and that was my perfect meal. I had it before my kindergarten lessons; when I visited my grandparents; when I visited my grandfather. It was the meal that I instinctively craved as my parents drove into the familiar turn along Bukit Merah View.
Alas, like much of the Tiong Bahru that I remembered, it suddenly disappeared.
After Bukit Merah View Hawker Centre was renovated, Hai Shan simply vanished from Singapore’s food topography. At a time when Singapore’s food blogging scene remained primitive, I could only rely on word-of-mouth in my search for this elusive plate of chicken rice.
ABC, Chinatown Complex, People’s Park -- these old-school food spots were of the many locations that my parents and relatives speculated Hai Shan to be at. It was only in 2017 when I finally confirmed that Hai Shan had resettled at Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre and I paid a long overdue visit to this old friend.
The taste of its chicken rice had changed, slightly. The roast chicken was a tad overcooked, but still oozed with juices as my teeth tore into its plump meat. The rice was slightly less flavourful, but still carried the familiar tinges of garlic. And with a drizzle of dark soy sauce and a dash of ginger chilli, everything felt simple and straightforward again. For a moment at least.
The truth is: It’s the story – not the taste – that makes your “best” plate of chicken rice.
What’s your story?
Address: 30 Seng Poh Road, #02-32, Tiong Bahru Market, Singapore 168898
Opening hours: Thur-Tue 7:30am to 2pm
Expected damages: $5
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