Those looking for a truly authentic taste of Singapore for breakfast, lunch and dinner will find it nowhere other than at Today Kampung Chicken Rice Restaurant 日日茶室, the new one-stop place for heritage hawker cuisine.
The latest concept by BreadTalk Group, the group behind Singapore icons including BreadTalk, Toast Box and Food Republic, brings a new hotspot to Tiong Bahru. Its mission is simple – to conserve and uplift heritage hawker cuisine, while effortlessly adding vibrance to the Tiong Bahru community. Find your favourite hawker fare at Today Kampung Chicken Rice Restaurant 日日茶室 at 71 Seng Poh Road.
Indulge in one of the widest ranges of heritage delights from 7am to 10pm, highlighted by two star dishes – Hainanese Kampung Chicken Rice 海南甘榜鸡饭 and Li Xin Teochew Fishball Noodles 立兴鱼圆面. Those who know, know that when it comes to these star dishes it is all about serving up a chockful of flavours using the simplest of ingredients.
Each serving of its Hainanese Kampung Chicken Rice is cooked up from a generational recipe that has been perfected over 19 years of trial and error. The recipes are guarded over and dishes meticulously prepared by the very apprentices of Singapore’s pioneering chicken rice chef for flavours that are true to tradition.
Heritage Food The Traditional Way
The Hainanese Kampung Chicken Rice 海南甘榜鸡饭 originated from the famed Sergeant Chicken Rice, founded in 2005 through a collaboration between BreadTalk Group and the apprentice of the legendary Orchard Road Chicken Rice store. It stood out from the rest for using only the largest female kampung chickens, renowned for their richer taste, tender texture, and perfect fat-to-meat ratio.
The chicken rice is steamed with chicken fat for rich butteriness, finished off with the fragrance of pandan leaves, lemongrass, garlic, ginger, and other secret ingredients, creating flavours that are simply irresistible. Chicken and rice are served with a piquant chilli sauce that is made fresh in-house daily, incorporating a sweet-tangy honey pineapple puree for the perfect trifactor of sweetness, tang, and spice. It comes accompanied by a dark soy sauce and ginger sauce pounded from fresh ginger and chicken fat, alongside a bowl of pure chicken broth that is truly a labour of love. The soup is boiled daily with over 10kg of chicken bones, infused with a secret blend of ingredients, and simmered for at least 6 hours until fragrant. Besides enjoying it with rice, customers can also opt for the Chicken Noodles.
Zi Char Dishes and More
Adding to the ampleness of local flavour satisfaction, the restaurant offers Wok Hey Taste zi char dishes where each dish promises a story of rich culture and culinary heritage. Must-order dishes are the Salt & Pepper Dragon Tongue Fish 椒盐龙舌鱼 cooked to such tenderness where its bones can be eaten, as well as the Pui Kia Ribs 肥仔糖醋龙骨 which are coated with the rich, tangy flavour of sun-dried tomatoes. Other recommended dishes are the Dragon Beard Kai Lan 龙须芥兰, prepared in two distinct ways for a unique textual experience, and the Signature Wok-Fried Chicken Rice 招牌星洲炒鸡 which is a dish of smoky rice fried to golden granules then garnished with pork floss for a taste of nostalgia. Complete your hawker dining experience with Satay 沙爹, which are skewers of juicy meat charcoal-grilled over an open fire.
A must-try breakfast treat is the Signature Chicken Porridge 招牌鸡粥 that holds its own with not just the usual shredded chicken but tender chunks of Kampung chicken. In addition, Li Nan Xing’s Hae Bee Hiam Toast 啊哥虾米香土司 is also not to be overlooked, featuring fragrant spicy dried shrimp, exclusively served at Today Kampung Chicken Rice Restaurant 日日茶室!
Spearheaded by the Chicken Rice Pioneer
The menu at Today Kampung Chicken Rice Restaurant 日日茶室 is personally curated by Head Chef Chuan, who has been involved in the day-to-day operations of Sergeant Chicken Rice since day one.
When the first Food Republic food court was established at Wisma Atria in 2005, Chef Chuan was assigned to assist at Sergeant Chicken Rice where he learned the recipe of preparing authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice from the pioneer Founding Chef of the legendary Hainanese chicken rice in Orchard Road. Chef Chuan subsequently assisted in the setting up of the second Sergeant Chicken Rice store at Food Republic Suntec City.
Since then, his love and interest in Hainanese Chicken Rice has never wavered, and Chef continued to research and develop a recipe that utilised Kampung Chicken instead of the usual Broiler Chicken. After 19 years of R&D, BreadTalk Group and Chef Chuan are now ready to unveil their Hainanese Kampung Chicken Rice at Today Kampung Chicken Rice Restaurant 日日茶室.