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I am sure many folks are aware of the recently viral chicken rice in Bukit Merah Central Food Centre by now. Pin Sheng Chicken Rice has built quite the reputation, having been featured by Member of Parliament Melvin Yong.
Since the MP’s post, this chicken rice joint has also been highlighted by quite a number of media publications. Expectations are remarkably high as this stall was started by a former head chef of famous chicken rice chain Boon Tong Kee. Immensely curious, I headed down to see what the hype was about.
It looks like Singaporeans are rather quick on the uptake as Pin Sheng Chicken Rice had quite the queue within an hour of opening. There was even a photoshoot happening with stall keepers Liang and his wife, complete with even a lighting kit setup. Safe to say, this stall will stay popular for a good while.
My nose greatly appreciated the smell of Hainanese chicken wafting through the air whilst queueing. Definitely entices the growling stomachs in queue, in my opinion.
Having learnt a painful lesson during my previous visit to Bukit Merah Central Food Centre, I had decided to come during the late breakfast hours this time round. Frequenters to this hawker centre will be well aware of the horrendous crowd during the lunch hour as corporate workers from the nearby offices arrive to satiate their appetite.
It was a clever move on my part as the hawker centre quickly filled itself when office lunch hour drew closer. If crowds aren’t your thing, fleeing during peak hours would be a wise choice.
What I tried at Pin Sheng Chicken Rice
Obviously, the must-try has to be the Chicken Rice (S$4 for Small, S$5 for Medium, S$6 for Large). For those who prefer particular parts, there are separate options like Chicken Thigh Rice (S$4.50) and Chicken Drumstick Rice (S$5.50). There’s even Gizzard/Liver (S$1), which is quite rare for chicken rice stalls.
On top of that, there are recommended add-ons like Char Siew (S$1.50) and Braised Cabbage (S$1), which I ordered to get the most out of Pin Sheng Chicken Rice. I appreciated the idea of complementing additions being cheaper, which I’m sure convinced many folks to get them in the end.
For a grand total of S$6.50, I thought that the portion was not too shabby. Nothing to scream about, but it was definitely enough for a light lunch to power through till dinner time.
As a chicken skin fan (please don’t tell my mom), I was pleased with the amount given. A unique choice was to give half of the meat slices with skin and half without, which makes for less waste if customers dislike the fatty part.
Surprisingly, the skin was not super fatty like the others I’ve had before. I loved that the gelatinisation was just right, and had its own distinctive flavour.
On the other hand, the chicken meat will definitely suit the lean meat fanatics. I would say that all 8 pieces given to me were lean, which I did not mind. Although, unlike other reviewers of the place, I felt that the chicken was not tender or juicy, but more on the tougher side.
The rice’s flavour was on the milder side, not tasting super strongly of the usual aromatic notes. I did like that there had been some of that incredibly savoury chicken sauce drizzled over the top, giving it an elevated flavour. Plus, it is not oily, which helped make the dish less jelak.
A word of advice would be to get the accompanying sauces — ginger sauce or chilli sauce. With both made in-house, those authentic goodies paired wonderfully with the rice grains. The ginger sauce gave a much-needed fiery kick, certainly refreshing my palate.
Any true-blue Singaporean will adore the vegetable portion given here! For just S$1, I was gleeful that Pin Sheng Chicken Rice did not skimp on the amount given. I gave my thrifty self a pat on the back for the great decision made.
I adored how the braised cabbage had a light savoury flavour from the braising sauce, giving a satisfying saltiness when accompanied with the rice. Texture-wise, it was on the tender side, which paired well with the contrasting texture of the chicken.
What I loved the most had to be the Char Siew. It ticked off all the positive characteristics of this particular protein, and was tender and flavourful. I ate it at a godlike speed, much faster than its chicken companion.
Yet another pleasant surprise was the soup. Far from the usual soup with a hefty dose of MSG, this soup was clearly housemade. Containing cabbage and carrots, its flavour reminded me of a milder version of the classic Indonesian soup Sayur Sop. This homemade soup had my seal of approval with the very first sip.
Final thoughts
I can see why there was such a crowd for Pin Sheng Chicken Rice, considering their fresh and healthy version of chicken rice. It hasn’t outranked my ultimate favourite one at Far East Plaza, but it is a rather solid chicken rice option. MP Melvin Yong definitely knows his chicken rice!
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