Update 23 Oct 2020. I have been eating Sin Kee's famous chicken rice at Margaret Drive since the 1980s. I used to work and live nearby back then. Since Margaret Drive hawker centre was demolished, I followed them at different places through the years. Now, Niven Leong, son of Sin Kee's founder is at Ubi DMQ Eating House near Ubi MRT station.
Five of us, we shared half a bird and had many side dishes which were good but none can upstage the old Margaret Drive Sin Kee chicken.
Sin Kee serve their chicken in large chunks with bone intact. I took a piece of my favourite cut - bone, meat, skin with a layer of jellied fat underneath.
Oh......, one bite into the succulent tender meat, fat and skin, I was transported back 40 years to Margaret Drive. The meat was overflowing with juices and had a tender squeaky chew to the bite. The natural chicky flavour was just what I remember about Sin Kee chicken rice of the good ol' days.
The chicken came sparingly drizzled with a robust savoury-salty dressing sauce which complemented the chicken's natural flavours.
Crunchy blanched bean sprouts with savoury aromatic dressing always works well together with chicken rice.
Since their Margaret Drive days and for years afterwards, Sin Kee don't serve soup with their chicken rice. Now, Niven does and it is a nice one. Simple chicken feet and peanut soup but it is perfect with chicken rice.
The rice was flavourful and aromatic, though today the grains were overdone and melded together like a chicken rice ball.
The traditional grated fresh ginger and scallion provided mild ginger heat and scallion fragrance that's the perfect accompaniment for the chicken.
History of Sin Kee 👈 click
Sin Kee @ Compass One (closed) 👈 click
Restaurant name: Sin Kee Famous Chicken Rice
Address: 304 Ubi Ave 1, Block 304, Singapore 400304 (stall inside DMQ Eating House. Five minute walk from Ubi MRT station.)
Hours: 11:00am - 8:00pm
Date visited: 23 Oct 2020
25 Jun 2015. Sin Kee is now Uncle Chicken Rice stall run by Niven Leong, one of the founder's sons.
Niven is no spring chicken in chicken rice business - he has been working at Sin Kee since his teens. Niven's dad founded Sin Kee in the early 1970s.
While Niven is open to innovation, he has kept faith with the basics that made Sin Kee's chicken rice a local favourite. Niven still makes his poached chicken using this tall unique steel pot fabricated based on his dad's design and specifications.
Uncle / Sin Kee's classic poached chicken cut in large chunks was splashed with a blend of lightly flavoured sesame oil and soy sauce.
When my teeth sank into the tender succulent flesh, the first thing that struck me was that the natural chicken flavour 鸡味 and aroma were still intact - 鸡味 is something often missing or masked by sauces in many other chicken rice stalls.
The chicken flesh was tender, juicy and smooth. Some of the chunks had jelly-like gelatin between the skin and meat. The flesh was naturally sweet (and not sugary).
The tender rice was aromatic, not too greasy and the grains were loose and separate easily. The garlic and chicken flavour in the rice were subtle.
All the stock from poaching the chicken were used to boil the rice, hence Uncle Chicken Rice does not provide soup (which other stalls do). Niven said that this is a tradition since the old Sin Kee days. (Yes, I remember we always bought vegetable soup from the auntie two or three stalls away from the old Sin Kee at Margaret Drive.)
I like the dips at Uncle Chicken Rice. The chilli sauce was fresh and the sharp spiciness was well balanced with a nice tanginess.
The roughly grated ginger has a mild (ginger type of) spiciness with a slight savouriness and flavour from the chopped scallions in the blend. I ate up all the 5(?) small dishes of ground ginger neat after we stayed on to chat (after finishing all the chicken and rice).
Marvellous.
Regular Lo Ding set (SGD4) with extra drumstick (additional SGD3.50)
Niven has added this Hong Kong style Lo Ding 撈丁 to Uncle Chicken Rice's menu. This is a first in Singapore and Uncle Chicken Rice is the only stall/ restaurant offering this in Singapore at the moment.
It's a bed of popular 出前一丁 instant noodles cooked soft al dente and topped with chicken poached in soy sauce, a "lava" egg, slices of fried luncheon meat and some crunchy fresh greens. The dish is doused with a savoury sweet watery sauce and eaten with Niven's signature ginger dip.
Lo Ding is interesting and a likable alternative to the traditional chicken and rice.
Niven said that the Lou Ding 撈丁 set is popular with ladies and younger customers.
Uncle Chicken Rice is located at the upper level of Bedok Market Place in Simpang Bedok.
The food centre at Bedok Market Place has a good mix of traditional hawker fare plus international food stalls. It is clean, spacious and breezy, especially in the evening. Looks like a good place to hang out.
History of Sin Kee 👈 click
Sin Kee @ Compass One (closed) 👈 click
Previous Address
Date visited: 25 Jun 2015
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Niven kept a special blend of the chilli sauce just for his regular customers and this really kick ass. You may try your luck and ask for it in your next visit.
ReplyDeleteOk :-D
DeleteHis brother reopen Sin Kee Chicken Rice at Blk 40 Holland Drive
ReplyDeleteYes yes shall visit him at the first opportunity :-D thank you.
DeleteGoogle map shows Sin Kee Famous @ these places:
ReplyDelete40 Holland Dr (brother)
6 Holland Close
159 Mei Ling St (i thought this was original)
11 Computing Dr
Hi Tony, will you be able to shed some light on another Sin Kee Chicken rice stall located at Blk 6 Holland Close? Always thought the owner, Steven is another disciple of Leong.
ReplyDelete