Singapore Eats: Michelin Food Hunt @ Chinatown Complex (牛车水大厦)
- Rick
- Jan 1, 2021
- 4 min read
Chinatown Complex (牛车水大厦) is one of those places to go for a wide range of local food in Chinatown, Singapore. The complex is located beside the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple & Museum, a prominent landmark in Chinatown and next to the new Maxwell MRT Station. Occupying the whole of second floor of Chinatown Complex is the food centre with over 200 stalls.
There are lots of local food to try in Chinatown Complex. For this Michelin Food Hunt, we focus on the stalls recommended in the Singapore Michelin Guide since 2016.
1. Liao Fan Hawker Chan Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle (了凡香港油鸡饭.面)
Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle, now Liao Fan Hawker Chan, is one of the two stalls that won the Singapore Michelin Guide one-star award in 2016. It is also the cheapest Michelin-starred award winner in the whole world and definitely a must-try for locals and travellers to Singapore.
Liao Fan Hawker Chan's signature soya sauce-marinated chicken is meaty and succulent with mellow soy sauce flavour and served with either noodle or rice. Their barbecue pork is also a hot favourite.
Expect to queue for 30 minutes to an hour during lunch hours. So, be there early and avoid lunch hours. Once the chicken and barbecue pork are sold out, they will close for the day.
If the queue is long at the original stall or lunching in a non-air-conditioned, crowded food centre is undesirable, Liao Fan Hawker Chan has a branch outlet, with restaurant settings, just across a road (Smith Street).
2. Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao (中国拉面小笼包)
Many places sell xiao long bao (steamed meat dumplings in bamboo baskets) in Singapore and to be recognised by the Singapore Michelin Guide is really remarkable. Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao serves its signature xiao long bao and a list of Chinese-style dishes.
Pick up a xiao long bao using a spoon, bite a hole in the skin and slurp up the soup, you will taste the sweetness and freshness of the pork filling even before eating the meat. Finish the rest with a dip of vinegar and ginger shred. This traditional meat dumpling is so much nicer than those full-of-frills, expensive dumplings served in big-name restaurants.
3. 168 CMY Satay (春满园沙爹)
Having given up on satays in Singapore for many years, and even travelled as far as Malacca for better satays with delicious sauce, CMY Satay rekindled my love for satays in Singapore. CMY Satay offers pork, chicken and mutton satays and ketupat (Malay rice cake) too.
The satay meats are expertly grilled, juicy and tender. The peanut sauce is the taste that I missed from many years ago, added with pineapple puree to add flavours to the not-too-spicy sauce. Add a ketupat to make a full meal.
More: 168 CMY Satay (168春满园沙爹)
4. The 1950's Coffee (五十年代)
Grab a cup of coffee for breakfast or after meal. The Singapore Michelin Guide has picked The 1950's Coffee, a coffee stall since the 1950's, to complete the dining experience. The 1950's Coffee serves traditional Nanyang kopi-O (black coffee), or with evaporated milk (kopi).
The kopi-O is thick, non-bitter and with a wonderful aroma. Add a traditional butter-kaya toasts or peanut butter toast to go with the coffee. Their breads are lightly toasted to retain their softness. And go early, the toasts are usually sold out by noon time.
More: The 1950’s Coffee (五十年代)
5. Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice (联合本记煲饭)
While most stalls in Chinatown Complex open in the morning and close by late afternoon, Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice will open in the late afternoon till evening to serve its claypot rice dishes with chicken, Chinese sausage or both. They serve stewed soups too.
Every claypot rice is cooked on order and expect to wait for at least 30 minutes — and longer during meal time. The stall's chicken claypot rice is served piping hot with chicken meat and vegetable on well-cooked rice. The chicken looks so meaty, pure and very smooth. It is worth the wait. For more flavours, choose the mixed option to have both chicken and sausage in one claypot dish.
6. Fatty Ox HK Kitchen (肥牛过桥面档)
Fatty Ox HK Kitchen is run by a Hong Kong-born hawker serving authentic Hong Kong-style beef brisket & tendon noodle. Other popular dishes are soy sauce chicken noodle and roasted duck noodle.
The stall gives really big portions of meat for their dishes. The beef brisket & tendon noodle has tender beef brisket and very-soft beef tendons that amazed us. Their roasted duck is well-roasted and must-try too! Mellow herbal flavours are absorbed into the meat and giving it a nice fragrance. As usual, their beef brisket and roasted delights run out fast.
7. Ann Chin Handmade Popiah (安珍手工薄饼)
Ann Chin (安珍) is well-known for its signature hand-made popiah (手工薄饼), which is made on order. There are other snacks too, such as kueh pie tee (娘惹杯饼) and fried spring rolls with vegetable, yam or curry.
Ann Chin's popiah has generous amount of ingredients. The cooked turnip is sufficiently dripped-dry before being rolled in thin crepe with other ingredients. The finished popiah is not soggy after few minutes and is crunchy from its fresh ingredients. It is a light dish and great as snack anytime of the day.
Address:
Chinatown Complex
335 Smith Street, Singapore 050335
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