29 September 2010

Singapore Shiok!*: Chicken Rice, Haymarket (29 Sept 2010)

Eating World Harbour Plaza food court
Shop 213, 25-29 Dixon Street, Haymarket NSW 2000


My NEW favourite Chicken Rice

If shiok means 'an expression of satisfaction' then Singapore Shiok is a gem waiting to be discovered by all Singaporean and Malaysian food lovers in Sydney.

One of the joys of having a food blog is you sometimes get recommendations from readers which lead to great finds. Thanks to Eve who commented on my Malacca Straits post in recommending Singapore Shiok!*. Tucked away in the same food court that brings you one of Sydney's most blogged ramens from Gumshara is the basic and unassuming looking Singapore Shiok!* which looks like it might be closed but it's not. It's been open since April 2010 and takes up the position of where KL Kopitiam used to be. Currently they serve only 9 classic dishes which are cooked to order and that's why the bain-marie is all empty and not used. Less is more as they say and in this case it seems to be true. I'm hoping they might introduce some entrees like Chicken Satay or the elusive Popiah.

The Chicken Rice ($8.80) decorated with cucumber and tomato slices is wonderfully silky and moist as one would hope to find in Sydney, but rarely does. I order the thigh which is thankfully boneless — a rare treat to find from city eateries which usually leave the bones and more often than not will be splintered. The accompanying rice is flavoursome enough with chicken stock and ginger notes to my liking — better than many places which serve plain rice or less flavoursome versions. The thick sweet kecap manis is quite strong in flavour so I use it sparingly and the chill sauce with fresh ginger goes well with the dish. The cloudy looking side soup is the only let down for me which is overly spiced with white pepper and I wish it was more a clear style soup with chinese vegetable like
Jaya Malaysian — one can only hope. The best chicken rice in the city I've had to date is at
Sayong Curry & Laksa Malaysian Cuisine but Singapore Shiok!* is now my preferred leader. I look forward to trying their other dishes — the hor fun I spotted looked generous and very promising.

Other visits to Singapore Shiok!*:
6 Oct 2010 - Har Mee
30 Sept 2010 - Hor Fun with Seafood
29 Sept 2010 - Chicken Rice

Other places tried for Chicken Rice:
Singapore Shiok!* - 29 Sept 2010
Malacca Straits - 23 Jan 2010
Yummy Chinese - 20 Jan 2010
Laksa House - 24 Sept 2009
Laksa King - 16 Sept 2009
Malaysian Food House - 18 Aug 2009
Malay-Chinese Takeaway - 6 Aug 2009
Mc Lucksa - 5 Aug 2009
Jaya Malaysian - 29 July 2009

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:
PROS: Silky and moist chicken, No bones, Decent flavoured rice, Reasonable prices
CONS: Side soup has too much white pepper taste for my liking, Need to wait for orders to be cooked, Food court tables aren't cleaned as regularly as hoped when busy
MUST TRY: Chicken rice and all other dishes on the menu to compare especially the Hor Fun, Laksa, Char Kway Teow and Har Mee.


Hainanese Chicken Rice ($8.80)
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Sweet kecap manis and chill sauce with fresh ginger

Side soup

Moist chicken with no bones — thigh ordered.

Bone factor — only a small knuckle grizzle found

Menu — 9 dishes

Service counter

Food court seating

Entrance to Eating World food court


View Larger Map
Singapore Shiok!* on Urbanspoon

18 comments:

Eve said...

Ooooooh you tried it! Glad to hear you liked it. I usually do takeaway or as we S'porean say "ta-pao" so didn't get to try the same. Pity. I was asking if they did it with roast chicken but the guys jokingly said they haven't mastered the skill of that. Had the chicken rice on S'pore's national day cos feeling a little homesick and it did the trick. Now this stall is my happy place. I am trying to eat my way thru their menu! So far I had the char kway tow which is decent enough but missing cockles. Will be trying to convince them to add that! The Nasi lemak is ok but the star of the show for me is the har mee!!!! Just talking bat it makes me want to go tomorrow...good thing I live near the city! I want to have the hokkien fired noodles and see if it stacks up.
Btw shiok is our way of exclaiming that something is beyond nice or delicious. ; )
now to continue my hunt for good food till I get home.

the dainty baker said...

Hainanese Chicken is the best isnt it? I especially love the sauces that come with it! MmMmm

OohLookBel said...

Wow, great find! The chicken does look silky (thigh is best, too) and I'm sure the peppery soup can be overlooked if the chicken and rice are good.

Simon Leong said...

hi eve, i always take any reader recommendations seriously so thanks heaps for the suggestion. glad you've found your happy place. i'll be trying my way through the menu too. hor fun and har mee is next on my list. :-)

hi the dainty baker, when you find a good chicken rice it's very satisfying.

hi bel, i'll have to compare it with temasek in parramatta one day now. i can't quite remember what it was like because i had it so long ago.

Shawn said...

Woohoo - we're so happy some fellow foodbloggers are getting into Singapore Shiok, this place is special and needs to be shouted about :-)

Simon Leong said...

hi mr shawn, not too many shout outs though because i don't want this place to get to busy before i try all the menu items :-)

Eve said...

Thanks Simon for giving this a go. I know what you mean about not too many shout outs...This place and 2 cafes (amazingly yummy) near my area are places that I want to share with others yet afraid that it'll get very crowded after doing so...sigh...such dilemma! They are precious gems that i feel so conflicted about sharing.;)

Mmm...now I feel hungry...perhaps i shall stop by and try the laksa or hor fun tonight!

Simon Leong said...

hi eve, hoping to try the laksa and char kway teow next i think :-)

Shawn said...

Har Mee Har Mee Har Mee Har Mee :-)

Simon Leong said...

hi mr shawn, i've tried the Har Mee but have yet to blog yet. it's certainly a winner. One of the better ones i've had in the city if not possibly the best compared with Malay Chinese. I'd be very happy to order again :-)

Chris said...

Hey guys, you have to try the Hokkien Mee. The words that came out after tasting it were "Wah, power!".

Simon Leong said...

hi Chris, thanks for the recommendation. i'll make sure i try the whole menu eventually :-)

akiko said...

Hi Simon!! I love chicken rice and I tried many places but May's Laksa House (Berry Square) in north syd is the best!! u should try!! very popular place :)

Simon Leong said...

hi akiko, thanks for the recommendation. i'll put on my wish list to try. have your tried Singapore Shiok? if not you should give it a go to compare. i hope i'm not disappointed with May's Laksa House, I'm a tough critic :-)

Akiko :) said...

Yes,Simon!! I've already tried chicken rice at Singapore Shiok but May's Laksa House is much much better!! I'm telling you. :) You have to go earlier otherwise sold out fast or have to wait long cue....obviously everybody know the the best shop :)

Simon Leong said...

hi Akiko, hoping to check it out this friday if all goes well. your name and reputation is on the line now ;-)

bob said...

Don't really love it. Been twice I think. The chicken is too soft and slimey? I like it firmer. I think petaling might the one to beat. I'll go today :)

Simon Leong said...

hi bob, time for a revisit for me. i've tried a couple of times and have enjoyed. we should check out together one day to make sure we're having the same thing. i've also had a good one at Sedap ANZ Tower. Thigh and boneless with nice rice and soup and ginger/chilli.

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