Hainanese cuisine is much more than its famous chicken dish, as you will discover at Mr Hainan, now open in Singapore at VivoCity (#02-116). Beyond just poultry, the Chinese restaurant shares the abundance of the island’s bounteous seafood with diners here, especially the small sea fish, a local delicacy prized for its elegant flavour.
While Hainan Wenchang Chicken is firmly on the menu, diners can also try another bird that’s one of Hainan’s Four Famous Dishes, the Hainan Jiaji Duck. Look forward to dishes such as Threadfin with Black Bean Sauce, and savour other Hainanese delights that include Hainan Prosperity Pot that is steeped in culture and heritage.
Utilising only the freshest ingredients, Mr Hainan is one of the first to bring authentic Hainanese cuisine to Singapore shores – with love, from one tropical island to another.
A Story of Flavour, Family and Heritage
Born in the kitchens of generations, Hainan cuisine is a celebration of freshness, subtlety, and depth, where the ocean’s bounty, mountain herbs, and farm-grown simplicity come together. Hainan Island, China’s largest maritime province, has rich seafood resources and small fish famed for their delicate taste. Each night, thousands of fishing boats harvest these catches, which are shipped to Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and major Chinese cities.
More than a restaurant, Mr Hainan is a tribute to the Hainanese journey, their resilience, and the flavours that connect its people. It’s where tradition meets new beginnings, and where locals and visitors can rediscover the quiet power of Hainanese food.
A Flavourful Tale of Land and Sea
Diners who visit Mr Hainan can get a taste of tradition, through its beloved dishes that speak of home and heritage.
Fresh catches include the must-try Threadfin with Assam Sauce and Yellow Lantern Chili Peppers ($29.90), a steamed fish dish but with just a dab of the eye-wateringly spicy Hainan Yellow Lantern Chilli and the sourness of natural Assam sauce. This makes for a sweet, tangy, mildly spicy, and tender dish.
Something familiar yet different is Mr Hainan’s Threadfin with Black Bean Sauce ($29.90). Prized for their exquisite, delicate flesh, baby threadfin is steamed with fragrant black bean sauce. Laid on a lotus leaf, this dish captures a classic Hainan flavour beloved in Haikou for decades.
Indeed, Hainan is known for its chicken. The Hainan Wenchang Chicken (Half: $28.80, Whole: $52.80), stands out for its rich flavour and firm, yet tender meat. What makes it special lies in the way it is raised – free-ranged for 120 days to develop firmness, then given limited space for another 60 days to intensify its flavour. Throughout, the chickens are fed a natural, antibiotic-free diet, and these three steps result in a beautifully balanced mix of firm and succulent meat.
A labour of love, the Luffa & Glass Noodle in Chicken Broth ($18.80) is slow-simmered for five hours. The result: a nourishing chicken broth with tender luffa and silky glass noodles that is rich, fragrant, and restorative.
Complete the chicken trio with a bowl of Wenchang Chicken Rice ($1.60), prepared in authentic Hainan style. Using only old corp rice, the grains absorb the rich chicken broth more fully, resulting in a bowl of rice that is delicately infused with chicken flavour and perfectly complements the dishes at Mr Hainan.
Another poultry pick is the Hainan Jiaji Duck ($25.80), one of Hainan’s Four Famous Dishes. The flesh gently tempered by the acidity from the pineapple juice, the braised bird is tender and aromatic, and pairs perfectly with rice.
A piping hot beef brisket pot, the Haikou East Gate Beef Brisket Pot ($23.80) is a 500-year-old Haikou signature and cultural heritage dish. The hearty stew is a favourite in Haikou, and tastes especially delicious when paired with fragrant Hainanese chicken rice.
For vegetables, the Hainan Prosperity Pot ($18.80) is a beloved traditional Hainanese delicacy, a platter often served at wedding banquets and other festive, happy occasions as a first-course to symbolise harmony, prosperity, and lasting union. This delightful mix of meats and vegetables represents completeness and celebration – delicious symbolism integral to Chinese cuisine.
Another beloved Hainanese dish is Hainan Veggie Pot ($16.80), which was inscribed in Haikou’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2022. A hearty dish that is traditionally enjoyed on the first day of the Lunar New Year, this nourishing “vegetarian feast” remains a cherished part of Hainanese life and culture.
For a refreshing taste of Hainan, order the Pickled Vegetables ($3.80). Served at all major occasions and festivals, this piquant and crunchy accompaniment is a vibrant Hainanese specialty balancing sweet and sour, zippy and zesty with local ingredients.
