Singapore is a crossroads of Asian and international cultures smack dab in the middle of Southeast Asia. Due to its handy location, a melange of new tastes and flavours have arisen from the mingling of its many cultures, and as a consequence, you can expect one of Singapore’s many restaurants to receive a Michelin star from time to time.
And one of them did: one of the cheapest Michelin star restaurants in the world, Hawker Chan!
After hearing about all Singapore had to offer, I hopped on a plane during a short holiday to see the sights and, more importantly, eat. Food culture is big in Asia, and Singapore has it in spades.
Though known for more open-air hawker stalls, Hawker Chan is located in an upper level food court in the middle of a Chinatown department building. Not exactly where you would expect to find a Michelin star restaurant, but I wasn’t going for the ambience. I was there for one thing: the food. Hawker Chan has apparently earned its Michelin star because of two items: soy sauce chicken and roast pork, made fresh daily.
As one of the cheapest Michelin star restaurants in the world, there was a long lineup when I arrived just before 11am. And there’s a reason why you have to wait in line so long: Hawker Chan makes every dish himself. It’s a one-man show, and this way he can ensure that the flavours will be authentic and that you’re getting your money’s worth. Which in this case is only a few Singapore dollars.
From the moment I began lining up to the moment I placed my order, I had waited a full 45 minutes! I still don’t know how Hawker Chan has the energy to do this all by himself, all day long. I was tired just standing still!
I ended up ordering the soy sauce chicken and roast pork combo plate (recommended by his assistant). So, was it worth the wait? Let’s find out.
Before we get into the taste, I must point out that there is a strange comfort in eating world-class food on a styrofoam plate. The simplicity of the presentation let me focus more on the food’s flavour, rather than on its appearance, and reminded me how some of the best things in life should remain simple and proudly unpretentious. Sometimes all you need is roast pork and tender chicken piled high on freshly steamed rice.
The first thing I noticed about the meat was its dark, glossy sheen. The darkness of the roast pork and chicken skin showcased the caramelization on both meats. I could already tell the flavours were ready to pop.
I used the snap-apart wood chopsticks to pick up my first piece of roast pork, admiring its deep brown and red colours, and took a bite. The sweetness of the outer layer jumped out at me; it was almost like a cowboy-style barbecue sauce without the hickory flavour. The sweetness on the outside quickly gave way to a smoky, tender inside that remained juicy even after being roasted for what was probably hours. The meal also came with a dark sweet soy sauce which I used to dip the roast pork in. It added a surprising hint of salt that somehow balanced the original sweetness without being too overwhelming. A nice bite of rice cleansed my palate, and I was ready to try the soy sauce chicken.
Now, I’ve had plenty of soy sauce chicken in my life, but the deep colour that Hawker Chan infused into the chicken skin was something I had never seen before. He had somehow managed to one-up a traditional Cantonese dish, taking it to another level.
A took a bite, remembering to include liberal portions of skin and meat. The chicken meat itself was quite standard, and quite meaty. But as expected, the skin of the chicken was the star of this dish. Hawker Chan was somehow able to pack piles of flavour into the thin layer of skin, and I wouldn’t be surprised if one wanted to eat only the skin alone. The chicken meat itself went great with the dipping sauce, giving it a much needed kick.
I finished around noon and I noticed that the line had not gotten any shorter. Hawker Chan was still toiling away behind a glass screen, hoping to serve and satisfy as many customers as he could. And judging by the number of people I was surrounded by, eagerly chowing down on Hawker Chan’s food and not seeming to mind the bones, I can say that he probably succeeded in his goal that day.
If you’re ever in Singapore, I highly recommend checking out Hawker Chan. It will probably become a staple on all my trips to Singapore in the future. Though I could probably do without the lines.