Hi Fan Tian: Hawker stall by ex-restaurant chefs with fragrant fried rice & amazing chicken wings
By now, you’re probably used to seeing restaurant-style fried rice hawker stalls popping up all over Singapore. Hi Fan Tian, a coffeeshop stall in Aljunied, is yet another place to add to your list of affordable fried rice spots.
Hi Fan Tian is run by experienced ex-restaurant chefs and opened in September 2022. The stall offers four different flavours of fried rice, as well as lu rou fan (braised pork rice) and various à la carte dishes. With its vibrant red storefront, I easily spotted the stall.
Each fried rice flavour came with five protein options: egg, pork chop, shrimp, chicken cutlet and luncheon meat. I was excited to dig into the various dishes I got.
What I tried at Hi Fan Tian
I started out my meal at Hi Fan Tian with the Pork Chop Egg Fried Rice (S$7). The dish came with classic fried rice topped with a large pork chop cut into pieces, as well as a side of chilli.
The fried rice was soft and fluffy, with a nice amount of oil coating each grain. Each spoonful of rice had a mild umami flavour and was not bland. Its taste reminded me very much of restaurant fried rice!
The pork chop, on the other hand, was seasoned very well. It had the strong flavour of five spice seasoning, with enough saltiness and pepperiness carrying the dish. The surface of the pork chop was slightly crispy while the interior was chewy and not tough.
All in all, for just S$7, I was impressed with both the presentation and the taste of the Pork Chop Egg Fried Rice.
Next, I tried Hi Fan Tian’s Chicken Cutlet Mala Fried Rice (S$8). Compared to the Egg Fried Rice, the Mala Fried Rice had a noticeably darker hue.
The Mala Fried Rice came with specks of red chilli. It was a little stronger in flavour as compared to the Egg Fried Rice, and was a tad saltier, which I liked. The mala taste was not super evident and the dish as a whole was not very spicy, but I found that the mala aspect did give this dish an edge over the regular Egg Fried Rice.
The chicken cutlet was crispy on the outside, yet tender and juicy on the inside. As a lover of fried chicken, I thoroughly enjoyed the chicken cutlet and thought that it paired perfectly with the Mala Fried Rice base. This is a dish that I would return for!
Moving on from the fried rice dishes, I had Hi Fan Tian’s Lu Rou Fan (S$7.20), served with white rice, braised pork, an egg and vegetables. I mixed the ingredients and was happy to find that the braised sauce was enough to cover the white rice evenly.
The rice was soft and fluffy, while the braised pork was tender. The sauce had a sweet and umami flavour that was reminiscent of bak zhang. I loved how each spoonful of rice was bursting with flavour, and the dish as a whole had a comforting and homely taste.
The Spicy Pork Wantons (S$5.30) was one of the à la carte side dishes that attracted my attention. The dish came with eight pork wantons coated in a mixture of chilli oil and vinegar.
The sauce base had a strong vinegar taste, coating every wanton well. The wanton skin was soft and silky, while the pork fillings were meaty and satisfying. The dish as a whole was not too spicy, though I did find the vinegar to be a little too overpowering.
Finally, I had Hi Fan Tian’s Chicken Wings (S$2 per piece), a dish that absolutely blew me away. The Chicken Wings were fried to a golden brown perfection, and the skin was incredibly crispy.
When I bit into the wing, it let out a satisfying crunch. The meat of the chicken was very juicy and succulent, and every bite was bursting with flavour. These were undoubtedly some of the best chicken wings I’ve had!
Do take note that there is a minimum order of two pieces, but given how incredible these Chicken Wings are, I wouldn’t stop at just two.
Final thoughts
Hi Fan Tian offers affordable yet high quality dishes that could rival many Chinese restaurants. I was blown away by their generous portions and fantastic taste, with every dish impressing me. The Chicken Wings were especially remarkable, with their fantastic flavours and textures, combined with their relatively cheap price.
Compared to other restaurant-style fried rice hawkers I’ve patronised, Hi Fan Tian was one of the most outstanding stalls, and I would most definitely return to enjoy their lovely rice dishes and chicken wings!
Expected damage: S$4 – S$7.50 per pax
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