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It seems that Singaporeans’ love for all things Korean sees no end, with locals frequently flocking to the nearest K-restaurants and eateries in their vicinity. For those looking to enjoy an affordable yet authentic Korean meal while in the neighbourhood, head over to Jade’s Chicken (옥‘s Chicken).
Jade’s Chicken is nestled within Johnson Eatery in Lorong 1 Toa Payoh. The coffeeshop stall is Korean-owned, meaning that you can expect to enjoy some pretty authentic dishes. If the fried chicken offerings at Jade’s Chicken look a little familiar, that’s because the stall used to be part of the famous Waker Chicken franchise.
Now, the rebranded stall offers more than just Korean fried chicken— look forward to enjoying other Korean dishes, including classics like jjajangmyeon and tteokbokki.
What I tried at Jade’s Chicken
Similar to Waker Chicken, Jade’s Chicken offers 4 flavours of Korean fried chicken: Original Crispy, Sweet Spicy, Soy Sauce and Honey Butter. All flavours cost S$15 for half a chicken (7 pieces) and S$29 for a whole chicken (14 pieces).
I opted for a half portion of Honey Butter Fried Chicken (S$15), which consisted of golden brown fried chicken pieces topped with a generous amount of honey butter powder.
The chicken tasted exactly like Waker Chicken’s version. I loved how tender each chicken piece was, with the sweet and slightly chewy honey butter powder on top giving the meat an addictive sweet and aromatic flavour.
I decided to give the Sweet Spicy Tenders (S$7 for 4 pieces, S$13 for 8 pieces) a try too— these boneless tenders were cut into small, perfect bite-sized pieces. Each chunk was drizzled generously with sweet spicy sauce and topped with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
The chicken tenders were a bit softer than the bone-in variety yet still had similarly crispy skin. I’d say that this was a lot saucier and more flavourful, given how the sauce was allowed to coat a wider surface area.
The sweet spicy sauce wasn’t overly saccharine and had a mild kick to it, making it perfectly delightful to savour.
I found that there was not much difference between the Korean fried chicken from Jade’s Chicken and Waker Chicken, so it doesn’t really matter which brand you choose to visit for your fried chicken fix.
I moved on to the other Korean dishes offered at Jade’s Chicken, starting with the Jjajangmyeon (S$7). The dish consisted of yellow noodles topped with black bean sauce and a fried egg.
Mixing the black bean sauce into the noodles allowed for the deep brown sauce to coat each strand nicely. The noodles were soft while the sauce had a deep savoury flavour with a hint of a roasted aroma. It wasn’t overly salty or sweet, making it pretty palatable to consume. I personally prefer my jjajangmyeon to be saucier, so I would have liked for there to be more sauce.
The dish was pretty standard, and I must say that S$7 was a tad steep.
Final thoughts
Jade’s Chicken is a pretty nice spot to enjoy a simple yet comforting Korean meal. Their standout is undoubtedly their fried chicken, though the other Korean dishes are flavourful and pretty satisfying too. While I wouldn’t say that the food was mind-blowing, the stall certainly makes Korean food a lot more accessible and affordable for those living in Toa Payoh.
Perhaps I’d drop by Jade’s Chicken again soon when I’m in the vicinity of Johnson Eatery. I’d love to try their other dishes, like their Toufu Soup (S$7.50) and their Cheese Ramen (S$6.50)!
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