Christopher Eu
Google
This is a place that tugs at my heartstrings a little bit, being a Singapore boy far away from home. It feels really good to be at place that really ‘gets it’, in terms of authenticity and dedication to achieving the right flavors. So this review may come off as a little biased, although in classic Singaporean fashion, i have some feedback! But first, the good:
This may be the best tasting hainanese chicken ive had this far from the equator. Whether they be plates from the multitude of thai style hainanese chicken rice spots dotting the city everywhere from the UWS to elmhurst, or the higher end Singaporean or Malaysian establishments that try their hand at their take on the juggernaut of Singaporean street food, none have come this close to recreating the gelatinous, bouncy texture and ginger-ey flavor of Chef Richard Chan’s accomplishment here. It’s truly an outstanding achievement worthy of mention. Also, the menu is pretty comprehensive and is a great showcase of hawker food ‘greatest hits’. The fact that duck rice is even on the menu is testament to the chef’s faith in letting the classics take center stage and being unafraid to chase authenticity.
Now, on to the areas for improvment: gotta have dark soy!! It is one of the key pillars of the sauce triumvirate when we talk about chicken rice (the other two being chili sauce, which is well covered, and ginger which is also represented here, albeit with more scallion/cilantro than some would say is typical, but thats really splitting hairs.), and it needs to be readily available here. Dark soy not being a standard part of the sauce package i would say is like serving fries without ketchup. Something is missing. I would also suggest adding a clear soup, which is something that is probably inexpensive to make but would add a nice touch. Other than that no huge complaints, maybe the rice can be tweaked a little but that is again being a little bit ‘niao’ which is my typical Singaporean nature. In any case these two minor and in my opinion easily achievable additions would go a long way to making customers happy i believe, especially overly food obsessed Singaporeans which lets be honest is 99% of us.
Lastly, i think this is an absolutely amazing achievement, the mere attempt is worthy of commendation but to get the flavors overall so right and with such limited resources is truly something special. I do hope that more Singaporean’s living in NYC get a chance to try this place and that Chef continues to hone his craft, it gives me hope that good Singaporean food exists in this city!! Jia you Team Sin Kee!