The first shop to open at the second coming of the Kwee Sai Fong Coffeeshop was xiang xiang chicken rice. At the risk of getting my PR revoked, I am going to admit chicken rice is not a hawker dish that excites me. Now don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate it, sure, but I don’t wake up dreaming of having chicken rice for lunch. So saying that I am probably not the best judge of what makes the perfect chicken rice – a contentious topic in Singapore anyway. Even amongst my own family, everyone has different ideas of what makes for their perfect plate, from roasted/steamed, the cuts of meat, fragrant or plain rice, chilli or black sauce? I refuse to dabao for family lunch because the order becomes so complicated.

With all of this in mind, I really enjoyed this chicken rice. On the recommendation of the uncle I went with the roasted chicken. Interestingly, this stall also offers a deep-fried chicken, which I pencilled in for a hangover breakfast. The other unique option this stall offers is self-service soup. The soup is cooked in a huge rice cooker, and the aroma makes it hard to not fill the bowl to the brim. Each time I have visited the soup has been different.

The chicken itself is succulent and juicy, melting in your mouth. What more can you ask for? The portion is also generous for the small serving, but it still left me thinking I should have ordered a large. You know its good when you want more. The rice is very fragrant (apparently the translation of xiang xiang? so they weren’t lying) and perfectly cooked with each grain individually separated. You can tell these guys put some love into their rice, sadly not many places can say the same these days. I highly recommend if you are in the area. Is it the best chicken rice in the east? I’d wouldn’t go that far, but it is definitely throwing it’s name into that conversation.

Price: $3.50

Coffee shop: Kwee Sai Fong Eating House
Address: 65 Frankel Ave, Siglap
Hours: Daytime? (To be confirmed)