Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
There’s a certain novelty behind Western food in hawker centres. It just feels a touch more luxurious than the rest, you know? For that reason, it can cost a pretty penny – one that I’m willing to fork out nonetheless.
I found myself paying a visit to Chicken Box for quite the contrary, though. This hidden Western stall is touted as one of the cheapest in Singapore. Of course, I had to find out first-hand if they deliver on quality on top of affordability.
Chicken Box sits on the third floor of Taman Jurong Food Centre, which is a convenient bus ride away from Lakeside MRT station. Still, it was quite a tough find for me. Having arrived at the food centre in the late afternoon, I weaved through a great number of closed stalls before locating it along an isolated stretch.
My eyes were instantly drawn to the huge ‘$6.50’ in a bold shade of red on their signboard; the sheer affordability of their fare is sure to grab eyeballs, as it did mine. Price point in mind, don’t expect to see steaks or lamb on the menu. It’s straightforward above all else, offering just fish and chicken, grilled or fried and paired with different sides.
What I tried at Chicken Box
In my humble opinion, the best metric for a stall’s prowess would be its most basic offering. The Grilled Chicken Chop (S$6.50) was thus a natural first choice. It’s just as well my go-to Western dish.
I was taken aback by the sheer weight thrust into my hands when I received the plate. No, this isn’t an exaggeration. From the get-go, Chicken Box already ticked off the box for generosity.
The slab of chicken chop was sizable, to say the least. It’s laden with a copious amount of velvety brown sauce and accompanied by a serving of fries and coleslaw. If that isn’t your jam, you can opt to pair your protein with rice or pasta with aglio olio/tomato/cream sauce.
To be honest, I was pretty dismayed to see that the stall only offered disposable plastic utensils. But get this: the flimsy knife glided through the chicken like it was butter. Perhaps the choice was a deliberate one to make a statement about the succulence of its proteins?
Suffice to say, the chicken was extremely tender and fresh, each bite delightfully juicy. It was grilled to perfection, as could be seen in beautiful brown bits of light char on its surface. The garlic mushroom sauce that blanketed it had a strong umami that complemented its light smokiness.
I did, however, find the meat rather plain in and of itself, and thus made sure to slather every bit in savoury saucy goodness.
I don’t think you can ever go wrong with some good ol’ French fries on the side of your chicken chop. Chicken Box’s crinkle cut fries were piping hot and perfectly crispy, just unadulterated old-school indulgence. The coleslaw was a great palate cleanser; lightly sweet and creamy, it cut through the grease of its grilled and fried counterparts.
12 best stalls at Taman Jurong Market & Food Centre to makan before/after you jalan
Up next on the roster was the Half Spring Chicken with Fries. It came as described – a full half of a spring chicken in all of its deep-fried glory. Once again, Chicken Box pulled through with the huge portions. I couldn’t, or perhaps still can’t, wrap my head around how this only cost S$6.50.
Now, here’s where the plastic utensils started failing me. It took quite a bit of effort to saw my way through this golden brown skin-clad marvel. The Spring Chicken had just the right amount of batter; it held a light crisp and wasn’t overly greasy.
The flesh within was tender and sufficiently moist, glistening and oozing with savoury juices upon being torn apart. The dish was seasoned pretty well in its entirety, with subtle hints of pepper and garlic that enhanced its flavour profile.
To round off the meal, I ordered a side of Onion Rings. For the meagre portion of 9 rings that I was dealt with, S$3 felt like a rather unjustified price. After all, I could’ve gotten a full meal from the stall for just an additional S$3.50.
Taste-wise, these onion rings were rather lacklustre too. To put it bluntly, I’ve snacked on enough onion rings to recognise that these came from a frozen pack; the absence of real onion within the golden brown breading gave it away. Still, I appreciated that they were served hot and crispy, and that the taste of onion was at least discernible.
Final Thoughts
In all honesty, Chicken Box is by no means a 5-star hawker stall. It’s quite a textbook Western hawker stall, just not the most extraordinary.
Above all, what the stall really sold me on was its incredible affordability. Considering the price point, I was deeply satisfied with the portion sizes. Moreover, I’d regard their fare as decent, or even good enough to warrant a return by me or a try if you’re in the area.
To sum it up: if you’re looking for indulgence that won’t burn a hole in your wallet, Chicken Box is where it’s at.
Expected damage: S$3 – S$6.50 per pax
Order Delivery: foodpanda
Tom’s Kitchen: Hidden hawker gem by ex-hotel chef with affordable western food in giant portions
