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Though Hainanese curry rice may seem like an everyday affair to some, I, on the other hand, rarely find myself going for it. A couple of my favourite spots include the popular one at Jalan Besar and 2ThumbsUp Hainanese Curry Rice. We swung by Chinatown Complex to cover a relatively new stall called Hainan Gor.
As everything is freshly prepared on the day itself, the stall occasionally opens a little later than its stipulated time of 10am on Google. The shutters were raised and the lights were switched on at 10.30am on our day of visit.
The stall is owned by 2 childhood friends, Rocky and Mike. Rocky used to be a PHV driver while Mike owns another food business. A major surge in petrol prices following the conflict in Iran earlier this year served as a catalyst for Rocky to rethink his line of work. Since Mike’s father owned a curry rice stall, he wanted to open a curry rice stall of his own, but had no one to run the stall for him.
Rocky decided to take on the role and went ahead to learn all the ropes of running a Hainanese curry rice stall at Mike’s dad’s shop. He comes in at 7.30am to prepare for the day’s operations before his assistant joins him 2 hours later. Mike also helps out on certain days.
What to order at Hainan Gor
We started with the ultimate plate — the Signature 4 Treasure Set (S$6.50). It comes with a mound of rice topped with lu rou slices (braised pork), pork chop and your choice of 2 vegetables (double portion of braised cabbage). It’s then slathered with a blend of curry and sauces before a fried egg is crowned as the final touch.
Before I tucked into the lu rou, I was expecting the standard braised pork belly, where the meat and fat are in equal ratio. I was surprised when that wasn’t the case. Instead, the meat fibres were stringy and extremely flavourful, reminding me of enjoying a meaty version of a vinegar pork trotter dish.
Yes, that was exactly how it tasted — savoury, a little sweet, and subtly tangy. I also managed to savour an entire piece of skin which melted in my mouth like liquid butter.
I enjoyed the scrumptious pieces of pork chop that were devoid of any oil, but were fried till crispy with the fat disintegrating effortlessly with every bite.
I loved how the braised cabbage was extra soft, which harmonised beautifully with the flavourful curry. Boy, am I glad that I ordered a double portion of that.
The rice was cooked to perfection — good texture with distinct grains that absorbed the blend of sauces well. We learnt that besides the main curry, they also drizzle a braised pork gravy and their house-made garlic dark soya sauce oil.
The 3 elements were well balanced, and none of them fought for dominance to rule the main flavour profile. Mike also shared that if customers want extra curry, just simply ask for it without extra charge.
We then moved on to the Chicken Cutlet Set (S$4.50). We chose eggplant as our vegetable of choice and the plate came with a fried egg as well. We also topped up a house-made Meatball (S$2), bringing the total to S$6.50.
Larger than a golf ball, the homemade meatball was tasty and sufficiently moist. Due to it being fried, the meat had a crisped surface that came apart easily with a light tug of my cutlery.
Compared to the pork chop that we tried earlier, the chicken cutlet pieces were much meatier and contained little to no fat. This will appeal to people who stay away from fatty meat. It was also fried till crispy and wasn’t oily at all.
The eggplant contained mini bits of dried shrimp, which contributed to its robust umami flavour. I would’ve wanted the eggplant to be softer, but that’s just purely my preference.
Who Hainan Gor is best for
It’s perfect for fans of scissor-cut Hainanese curry rice who enjoy a variety of ingredients to go with it.
How to get there?
To get to Chinatown Complex, take the MRT and alight at either Chinatown MRT Station (NE4/DT19) or Maxwell MRT Station (TE18). On the other hand, there are bus services bringing you to the nearest bus stops: Maxwell Stn Exit 2 and New Bridge Ctr.
Do we recommend Hainan Gor?
Yes! I’m always up for supporting new hawkers like Rocky. Hainan Gor is definitely good enough to satisfy my Hainanese curry rice cravings. Go give them a try and let me know what you think.
