Based in Manila, Philippines, Dessert Comes First is a chronicle of the food-obsessed food writer, Lori Baltazar. This website is all about desserts, restaurants, coffee, and the pleasures of homebaking. Read more about me Singapore So Good, Lah! (2nd of 4 parts)
Wed, October 4th of 2006
10:15 am
Note:”Lah” is a ubiquitous term in Singlish (Singapore-English) used at the end of a sentence. The term simultaneously asserts a position and entices solidarity.
Part 1 here
Part 3 here
Part 4 here
roasted (soy) chicken rice
Hainanese chicken rice is one of those dishes that I’ve tasted countless variations of. One restaurant’s variation even serves it with plain, white rice (!), an abomination if you ask me. No wonder they went out of business. I even make my own version of chicken rice at home from what I consider to be a very good recipe. So jaded am I that I probably won’t recognize good (read: authentic) chicken rice even if it comes up and bites me on the butt.
Or so I thought.
Paolo and Karen, our friends living in Singapore, take my Bin and I to what they know to be THE BEST chicken rice in the country: of the 50+ people they’ve brought here, everyone comes away a convert. Impressive, yes?
BEST chicken rice in Singapore
The place is called Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice & Restaurant. The fact that it’s far from the main drag (Orchard Road), or at least as “far” as can be described considering how small Singapore is, only adds to its irresistible allure. Housed on a strip along with other outdoor eateries, the ambience is completed with giant umbrellas and a glass display case of cooked chickens hung on hooks, their skin glistening with oil and juice. Cue mouth watering.
quit looking at me. Go eat!
The fact that it’s already 2:30 pm, way past the lunch hour doesn’t diminish the large crowd here. Seated on plastic chairs or on benches outside, the restaurant has no air-conditioning, just swinging fans strategically positioned on the walls. Heck, these people wouldn’t mind if it became hotter than hell in here, they’d still come for the food!
Hainanese chicken rice
Here, we get a choice of white (steamed) chicken and/or roasted (soy) chicken — (we decide to have both) – and plain rice cooked in the rendered chicken broth or garlic rice – (we choose the former). Suddenly Karen pipes up, “We’ve got to order the fried prawns with cereal!” So we do, but I’m thinking it’s going to take up unnecessary stomach space. I want to OD (overdose) on chicken rice, man.
prawns in crispy cereal mix — take me, now!
Turns out that I’m so taken by Karen’s fried prawns with cereal that she and I end up scraping the plate clean until nary a cereal flake is left. Let me tell you about this dish that so captivates me: cornstarch-dredged prawns are stir-fried in butter that’s been heated with curry leaves and some finger chilies for kick. Once cooked, a mixture of eggs and cream is beat in along with a “cereal mix,” a somewhat discombobulating combination of crispy wheat cereal, sugar, and coffee creamer. It sounds strange but once cooked, the prawns’ crispiness frolics with the crunch of the cereal, releasing a sensual flavor combination that is at once velvety-sweet and tactile. The occasional gush of butter on the tongue amps up the dish’s eroticism. As I crunch away, all I can think about is locking myself up in a room with a large plateful of this cereal. Cue soft, torturous moans.
steamed (white) chicken rice
Lost in my food funk, I almost forget about the chicken rice. Cooked just until its juices run clear, the meat is delicate, its taste evocative of sesame oil, ginger, and shredded green onions, the same ingredients used for the dipping sauce. Each of us has his/her own recipe for what goes into it: I prefer a little bit of everything plus a dollop of chili oil. An occasional bite of the cucumbers and cilantro keeps my palate fresh, wanting more, oh, so much more.
now you know where to go for chicken rice in Singapore
As we eat, there’s lots of hot Chinese tea to wash everything down. Oddly enough, I stop eating and close my eyes. I hear the thwack of the chef’s knife slicing through tender chicken, hear the excited chattering of diners nearby, hear my Bin’s muffled groans of pleasure, and above it all, I hear my heart and stomach, both beating happily, both full.
Part 3 to be posted tomorrow.
Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice & Restaurant
275 Thomson Road,
#01-05 Novena Ville, Singapore
Tel: 6255 6396
Open 10 am – 2 am
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hi lori,
if you are still in singapore, try the Bee Hoon Crab at Sin Huat Restaurant (somewhere in lorong 34 geylang). Its so yummy!…I love Chili Crab, but I love love love Bee Hoon Crab!….=)
[Reply]
Comment by eva — October 4, 2006 @ 4:00 pm
hi
lori
what fabulous photos i just went to singapore only for 2 days , but after reading your blog i feel that i should visit singapore if not anything, but to eat at all the places that you have mentioned.
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Comment by Mahek — October 4, 2006 @ 6:23 pm
Hi Lori,
The Hainanese Chicken rice and cereal-covered prawns seem like such a treat! I love Hainanese Chicken rice, too. Here in Manila, where should we go for the best version?
What’s a good Singaporean dessert to take after a meal of Hainanese Chicken rice? Perhaps the Singaporeans are not dessert people. Maybe, most would take fruit if they look for something sweet to cap the meal.
I love Gula Malaka and the Singaporean “kakanin” too. What places in Singapore can you recomment for these treats?
Thanks!
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Comment by Anonymous — October 4, 2006 @ 11:13 pm
I think food in Singapore is one of the best in the world..
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Comment by Riana — October 4, 2006 @ 11:18 pm
i LOVE Wee Nam Kee! i once handcarried an entire chicken home for my family and it took all of my willpower not to succumb to the temptation to eat it on the plane.
looking forward to the other 2 parts of your Singapore soujourn. it’s a great city for foodtripping, no?
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Comment by Anonymous — October 5, 2006 @ 1:18 am
Your pictures always make me so hungry!
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Comment by Jennifer — October 5, 2006 @ 7:38 am
ahh, Lori!!! i love chicken rice, too. I had it when i was in Singapore last July..you can go check my blog to read about my Singapore trip..i miss being there..
take care!
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Comment by pinkdelyt — October 5, 2006 @ 9:19 am
hi lori! when are you going back to SG? there’s a lot of secret places here that still needs to be discovered..places not too popular but is a real treasure.
the creamiest cheesecake i’ve ever had here in SG…its at Classic Cakes at Clementi Arcade. and the chocolatiest cake is at lana’s cakeshop at Bukit timah.
whew!! just typing this comment makes me real hungry!! =)
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Comment by Anonymous — October 5, 2006 @ 9:27 am
I never considered Singapore a travel destination before. After reading this entry, I might have to reconsider.
*DROOOOOOL*
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Comment by Ian — October 5, 2006 @ 10:01 am
another good chicken rice place is Boon Tong Kee. they also serve deep fried chicken feet. now, i dont really eat chicken feet; but their version is deboned, battered, fried and served with a sweet chili sauce. tastes like oyster fritters.
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Comment by anonymous paul — October 5, 2006 @ 12:27 pm
Karen and Pao are the BEST foodie tour guides! Hope they took you to Esmeralda (?) too (that charming Greek resto where they break plates and serve you super yummy garlic bread).
Cereal prawns the best! If I were about to be executed, i’d definitely have that as part of my last meal.
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Comment by karabau — October 5, 2006 @ 3:47 pm
I knew you’d eventually post about Hainanese Chicken, but I wasn’t terribly excited about it because, while it’s very good, it isn’t one of my favorites. So when I saw the first pic, I just scrolled down…until I was frozen by the pic of the fried prawns in cereal! I would NEVER consider something like that as taking up valuable stomach space, as it’s exactly the sort of thing that, if I see it on the menu, I would have to order. Those three words — fried, prawn & cereal — combined in one dish guarantee my attention. You are slowly but surely testing my ambivalence about Singapore, Lori!
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Comment by Katrina — October 5, 2006 @ 3:47 pm
Dear Lori,
Hi! I am so glad you are in Singapore. I have been reading your blog ever since I entered the world of food bloggers.I had no clue you will come all the way down here to try our delicious hawker food.If you really want original hawker food, I suggest you make a little effort and head towards the north, Penang, Malaysia. Laksa, Curry Mee, Nasi Lemak, Durian, Mee Goreng etc are the best there. Enjoy your stay and have fun! Take Care(:
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Comment by alittledrop-of-love — October 6, 2006 @ 8:13 pm
Try 5-Star Chicken Rice too, the next time you’re here. Make sure you get some mee siam in as well – the gravy’s sweet and sour combination is just great. And don’t forget the laksa.
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Comment by Anonymous — October 7, 2006 @ 11:37 am
Lori, could you please share your recipe for chicken rice? Thanks!
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Comment by Anonymous — October 9, 2006 @ 3:34 am
Hi,
Was searching for recipe, chanced upon your blog. I am a s’porean living in vancouver, these pictures makes me drools. some other chicken rice stalls worth visiting:
-Margaret Drive Hawker Centre, 2nd floor, near Church of Our Saviour, the whole place look rather vacant, but the chicken rice stall is always with queues.
-Dover Rd Market
You MUST try this:
Mellben crab bee hoon. Be prepared to wait for one hour even on weekday nights. Must do reservation before going, else, its another hour for the queue to get seats (http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Asia/Singapore/Restaurants-Singapore-R-1.html)
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Comment by Anonymous — November 7, 2006 @ 11:41 pm
Great blog. Wee Nam Kee is also where I take my Filipino friends visiting Singapore for the famous chicken rice and the cereal prawns.
You should try next time the dumpling soup too.
Its right infront of Novena Church, very convenient after Sunday Filipino mass (2nd & 4th Sunday).
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Comment by arni — April 22, 2007 @ 10:27 pm