Are you a devoted fan of claypot rice (sha po fan) like me? If so, I’m sure you can’t resist the heavenly medley of fluffy rice, meat, preserved Chinese sausages, fresh green veggies, and dark soya sauce, all congregating in a snug claypot, cooked over charcoal (or stove).
Together with my colleague, Dean, we headed to Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre to try out 2 claypot rice stalls. The first on our list was Guan Heng Claypot Chicken Rice (#02-187) run by a very friendly elderly couple.
They were previously operating at Bedok for over 10 years before shifting to Chinatown. We were given a buzzer and asked to return after 15 minutes. This stall had a decent 4.2 star rating on Google (at time of writing) and received positive reviews.
Now, I’m very familiar with the next contender, Lian He Ben Ji Claypot (#02-198/199). 8 years ago, my godmother introduced me to this stall and mentioned that you had to call ahead to reserve your order. I remembered it being good back then, but how is the standard now? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
The day before, I had phoned them several times, but the line was perpetually busy. Just as I was about to give up, I tried again at 2.30pm on the day I headed down— half an hour before their 3pm opening time— and guess what? I got through! Perhaps the trick is to call just before they open.
The aunty on the line took my order and said, “S$12 or S$16? Eating here or da bao? Handphone number?” I managed to secure a claypot chicken rice order for 2 pax at 4pm. Yay! I overheard other walk-in customers being told they’d have to wait at least 40 minutes for their food, and it was only 3.40pm— phew!
Cost
We chose the S$12 Chicken Rice for Lian He Ben Ji Claypot over the phone, but I was a little confused when I didn’t see the S$16 price tag on the signboard. The various options were S$8/S$10/S$12/S$15/S$20.
On the other hand, the options at Guan Huat Claypot Rice were mostly priced similarly: S$7 for 1 pax, S$13 for 2 pax, S$20 for 3 pax. We ordered the S$13 Claypot Chicken Rice w Chinese Sausage.
First impressions & portion size
Guan Huat Claypot Chicken Rice’s (pictured on the left) version came with chicken chunks, a generous amount of Chinese sausage slices and spring onion slivers resting atop rice that already had dark soya sauce drizzled over it.
Lian He Ben Ji’s Chicken Rice looked drier, with pieces of chicken, normal and liver lup cheong, green vegetables. A small pitcher of oil, dark soya sauce and a garnish of coriander were served on the side, allowing us to add how much we desired.
Though Guan Huat Claypot Chicken Rice was $1 more, it was totally worth it as the portion size was significantly larger than Lian He Ben Ji’s.
Aroma
While mixing the various claypot rice elements from both stalls, I noticed that Guan Huat’s version lacked a strong smoky fragrance. Lian He Ben Ji’s charred aroma was much more pronounced, the same enticing smell that lingered around the stall, noticeable even from 10 feet away.
Ming Shan: 81-year-old herbal mutton soup recipe with tender meat & offals by 3rd-gen hawker
Rice
The rice texture from both stalls was similar— fluffy, separated grains and cooked to perfection.
I found that taste-wise, Guan Huat’s strangely reminded me of a fragrant but muted version of chicken rice. The distinctive smoky flavour was missing. On the other hand, Lian He Ben Ji’s possessed the perfect amount of charred flavour that didn’t make us feel that we were consuming something possibly carcinogenic.
What about the crispy, golden crust or ‘guoba‘ that formed at the bottom? Both stalls had the same amount and were decently charred. Again, Guan Heng’s was devoid of the smoky characteristic while Lian He Ben Ji’s was full of it.
Chicken
The chicken from both Guan Huat and Lian He Ben Ji was on par. The meat from both were moist, tender and well seasoned. If I had to pick a winner, Lian He Ben Ji’s was a teeny-weeny bit more flavourful.
Lup Cheong
Aside from the extra liver version that Lian He Ben Ji throws in, I felt that both sides were equally delicious and hit the sweet spot.
Verdict
To sum it up, Dean and I have decided that Lian He Ben Ji Claypot (pictured on the right) wins this Chinatown claypot rice battle!
Everything at Lian He Ben Ji Claypot was executed well. From its perfectly-balanced smoky intensity (too much can be overwhelming) to the quality and taste of the other ingredients, it was a clear win.
I was impressed that the taste was just as good as it was 8 years ago. Dean boldly commented that it was even tastier than the claypot rice we had in Hong Kong.
Don’t get me wrong, Guan Huat Claypot Chicken Rice wasn’t bad, it just lacked the distinctive smokiness and fragrance.
Oh, and while writing this article, I discovered that Lian He Ben Ji Claypot is also featured in the Michelin Guide. It’s a well-deserved entry, though I remain somewhat skeptical when it comes to Michelin-listed places.
What do you think of our Chinatown claypot rice battle? Do you agree with us on the results? Leave your comments.
