Hawker Chan: Ex-Michelin soya sauce chicken rice still worth the Star?
Former Michelin star brand Hawker Chan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle has a long and storied history.
In 2009, Hong Kong-trained Chef Chan opened his first outlet in Chinatown Complex Food Centre, where he still works to this day. Back then, the stall was named Liao Fan Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle.
In 2016, the stall received a Michelin star for the simple yet excellent Hong Kong-style soya sauce chicken recipe. It rose to fame for selling “The World’s First Hawker Michelin-starred Meal” and “The Cheapest Michelin-starred Meal In The World”.
The brand proceeded to expand to over 30 outlets worldwide, with 4 located in Singapore. Their other branch, also found in Chinatown at 78 Smith Street, received the Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2019, 2021 and 2023. The award is given to eateries with an affordable yet high-quality menu.
Ironically, their current menu items are more expensive than those at the original Chinatown Complex outlet, and I highly suspect it’s a case of ‘tourist prices’.
Sadly, the Chinatown Complex stall lost the star in 2021, but business carries on. Many have speculated that it was due to a drop in quality, yet crowds of customers still flock for a taste.
That got me wondering, is the food still worthy of that Star? My colleague Aaron and I headed down to the OG stall to find out.
We were surprised to find that there wasn’t a crowd. Perhaps the stall had lost its hype?
Unbeknownst to us, a hidden queue was snaking around the tables at the back, and we had just seen the start of it. It took us roughly 40 minutes to reach the front.
The many roasted chickens hanging behind the glass were quite the sight to behold. There were plenty more at the back, which made sense given the overwhelming demand.
After finally receiving our food, we headed back to our table for the taste test.
What I tried at Hawker Chan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle
Of course, we had to begin with the famous Soya Sauce Chicken Rice (S$3.50).
The chicken came in thick pieces. It didn’t feel dry, and the chewy roasted skin had an obvious soya taste. Every mouthful was a different experience; my first bite tasted sweeter, while the next tasted more savoury.
We tried the meat again, dipping it into the chilli sauce this time. Despite looking watery, the chilli packed a punch, and the spice crept up after several seconds. There was a strong vinegar taste to it, providing an acidic zing.
The rice could have ben softer, as some grains still felt slightly undercooked. The gravy drenching the rice was on the sweeter side and complemented it well.
Served on the side were soya beans, which we thought were peanuts at first. We didn’t question it; soya sauce chicken being served with soya beans seemed reasonable enough. They tasted… beany, like azuki red beans without the sugar.
The Char Siew Noodle (S$4.50) was next. The noodles were served with pork char siew, a dollop of chilli and blanched chye sim on the side.
The char siew, covered in marinade, was delightful. Fat swirled between layers of tender meat, and the ratio in each slice was just right.
Aaron felt the bottom layer of meat was a tad tough for his liking. On the contrary, as someone who prefers a bit of char on my char siew, I liked it. The hardness was inconsistent, though, as some pieces were softer than others.
The thin egg noodles had a nice, springy bite. They came coated with dark sauce that was flavourful and covered up any alkaline taste, which wasn’t obvious at all.
The accompanying chilli paste had more of the distinct “sambal” flavour at first before the heat kicked in. It was very shrimpy, which I honestly don’t mind. I do love myself some belacan as it is strongly umami.
The Soya Bean Sprouts (S$2) were delicious.
Many places serve their tau geh either too raw and grassy, or overcooked to the point of limpness. This was not the case for ours, which had a slight refreshing crunch.
“Are those peanuts?” No, they were another ingredient in disguise – fried chopped garlic bits this time.
They were crispy but softened and tasted like normal stir-fried garlic upon hitting the sauce below. I was a little disappointed because I’d hoped it would add a more interesting texture to the dish.
The sauce itself was slightly sweet and flavoured with light soya sauce but felt quite oily. I had to resist the urge to wipe my mouth after every few bites.
Being vegetable lovers, Aaron and I polished off the plate before we were even halfway through the mains.
Final thoughts
While the chicken may be the star of Hawker Chan’s menu, the char siew was the highlight of the meal for me. It was enjoyable, and I’d take this over dry cardboard any day.
Would I say it’s Michelin standard? Not quite, but it was an okay meal that was affordable and satisfied my lunch appetite for the day. While worth the try, I don’t think I’ll easily be queuing 40 minutes for this again.
Expected damage: S$3.50 – S$7.50 per pax
Order Delivery: Deliveroo
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