Chicken rice is undeniably Singapore’s national dish. It’s available everywhere and appeals to people of all ages, from toddlers to great-grandparents. The quality of chicken rice is generally very good across the board, as the recipe is well-documented. Everyone knows the chicken mustn’t be overcooked and needs to be plunged into ice water to achieve the coveted jelly under the skin. The usual way to differentiate one stall from another is by the quality of the rice, the drizzling sauce, and the chili sauce.
For years, I have been an advocate for better quality chicken in our chicken rice. Unfortunately, due to price pressures, most stalls rely on the white broiler chicken, which is dependable and affordable. However, the white broiler is just a plain canvas for the drizzling sauce. While it provides the jelly and tender meat, it lacks flavor and the skin doesn’t have that satisfying crunch. This is a far cry from the type of chicken we used to enjoy in the 70s. Then chickens were still being slaughtered at wet markets.
Kampung Chicken has more flavour
If you want to savour chicken with real flavor, kampung chicken is a better choice.
During the Ultimate Hawker Fest years ago, we managed to source fully cornfed French Poulet chicken. Everyone agreed that it was superior. However, due to price pressures, it didn’t manage to make it in the market. When I was working as the food consultant for the Shangri-La Lobby Lounge, we served high-quality kampung chicken. To this day, you usually find quality chicken only at hotels.
Some chicken rice stalls do offer kampung chicken, which is better than the white broiler. Even within the kampung chicken category, there are variations in quality. This depends on the feed and the age of the chicken at slaughter. I know of some kampung chicken rice stalls that even admit that the yellow color of the skin is the result of the addition of turmeric in the cooking process!
Today Restaurant at Tiong Bahru
The good news is that there is a new chicken rice place in town featuring top-quality Kampung Chicken specially sourced from a farm in Malaysia. Today Restaurant is the latest coffee shop concept by the BreadTalk Group.
They are located where Loo’s Curry Rice used to be. After sitting empty for a while, the old premise has been resurrected into a modern retro coffee shop, serving local favorites. For a start, I’m just relived that it hasn’t turned into yet another modern cafe like so many others in Tiong Bahru! We definitely have enough of those already.
Today Kampung Chicken Rice
I am quite excited about this chicken! That’s because the last time I encountered chicken of this quality was at the Shangri-La Lobby Lounge. It’s not just because it’s Kampung chicken. This chicken is specially selected to weigh around 1.8kg! It is fed in a way that gives its skin a golden yellow hue.
The skin is thick, resilient, and has a nice crunch, quite different from the usual white broilers. The meat is firm yet tender and flavourful. With such a good chicken, you don’t really need a drizzling sauce. But, they have included one. I would say the sauce is good but could use a little tweaking to make it irresistible.
They explained that the rice is prepared using a chicken broth made from plenty of chicken bones. They also reiterated that no MSG is added. The rice was cooked very nicely, with each grain being plump and distinct with a pleasant umami flavour. Although, I felt that the fragrance of the garlic and ginger could be more pronounced.
Zi Char Dishes to go with your Chicken Rice Meal
You can also order Zi Char dishes to go with your chicken rice. One of the more unique dishes is their deep fried “Dragon Tongue” fish. This fish is seldom found in our markets here and have been specially sourced from Malaysia. They are simply seasoned and deep fried till the whole fish is edible, bones and all.
They also have other Zi Char favourites like Sweet and Sour Pork, Har Cheong Gai and Hainanese style Pork Chop. We got to taste their signature pork ribs with sweet sauce – Pui Kia Ribs. These are directly deep fried instead of being steamed first. The meat is not fall off the bone tender but they are still quite nice.
For greens, we tried their Dragon Beard Kai Lan. It is basically Kai Lan cooked two ways with the stems pan fried and the leaves deep fried till crispy.
Satay
They also have Hainanese style satay served with pineapple puree in the satay sauce. We are told that this will eventually be grilled outside the coffeeshop, harkening back to the old days. They even have a special trolley that will surely bring back memories for those of us who have grown up in the 70’s, when this was a common sight.
The satay is quite standard and we would have liked it with a bit more char.
Food Republic stalwart Lixin Fishball has also set up a stall in the coffeeshop should you feel like having fishball noodles!
Conclusion
Today Kampung Chicken Rice is a welcome addition to Tiong Bahru’s rapidly changing food scene. If you’re seeking chicken rice with high-quality chicken, this is the place to find it. While it is slightly more expensive than the typical chicken rice stall, the price is justified by the quality of the chicken.
Disclosure: this post is written in partnership with Breadtalk Group. Opinions expressed are those of our own.
