Mian Ji Fan: $3 chicken rice that’s sold out by lunchtime

Nestled deep in a run-down-looking coffee shop named Guan Hock Tiong Eating House in Serangoon North Avenue 1 is Mian Ji Fan, whose stall name translates to “Noodles Chicken Rice”.

My family always wondered why that particular stall had ridiculously long queues every time it was open. “The chicken rice must be really good,” my mother commented to me. Sure enough, reviews on Google did more or less confirm her assumption. 

Bringing my sibling with her, they braved the queue and then delivered their verdict.

“Like not worth the queue leh.”
“The chicken is nice, but the rice cannot make it.”

Hmmm. I decided that I had to see for myself – were the masses right, or did my family speak the truth?

Sure enough, when I headed down at 10.30am, there was already a queue. Mian Ji Fan is a solo operation (at least on weekdays), with the owner handling all the food prep, as well as cashiering duties (which could explain the queue in part). Condiments and utensils are self-service.

What I tried at Mian Ji Fan

Mian Ji Fan only serves one thing: Steamed Chicken Rice (from S$3). There’s no char siew, roasted chicken or anything of that sort. You can also tell the stall owner how much you want in dollars, and he’ll portion the chicken for you accordingly. I also added Chicken Liver (S$0.50). 

Well, no points for presentation – the chicken and liver were doused in sauce and then dumped onto a bed of rice. But we’re not here to grade this on how aesthetic it looks.

First up, the rice. It’s not clumpy, wet or mushy – good. It’s not super chicken-y in flavour, which could be a hit or miss depending on your preferences. I prefer mine just a little bit more intense – going to have to go with my family on the rice not really passing the flavour check.

However, what gets me is that the rice grains aren’t whole and are instead smashed up into little pieces. It’s not a pleasant mouthfeel.

Leng Heng Chicken Rice: Affordable large portions of tasty chicken rice available as lemon chicken & Thai-style chicken twists from $4

You can tell the owner if you want a specific cut of chicken. I didn’t, and got the breast for my portion of chicken. I know the breast isn’t really favoured because it can get pretty dry, but Mian Ji Fan knows how to do a steamed chicken well. It’s tender, moist and has a delicate flavour that allows you to enjoy the taste of the chicken itself. 

The portions were a bit on the smaller side, though. I should have asked for a S$4 option instead, and maybe something with the skin on.

Next: the chicken liver, which passes with flying colours. Creamy inside, not overcooked, and doesn’t taste overly metallic. Just how I like it done.

The soup is about what you’d expect – it’s light and not super heavy on flavour, good for between bites of sauced-up rice. It’s not the best soup I’ve had, but it’s also far from being the worst.

Final thoughts

While the overall flavour profile of the chicken rice veered into “almost a lil plain” territory, once I added all the condiments and mixed them up, the plate was gone pretty fast. Turns out, the holy trinity of ginger scallion sauce, chilli and dark soy sauce can fix a lot.

I just really couldn’t get over the texture of broken-up rice grains. The achar was a nice touch to provide some variety taste-wise but otherwise relatively nondescript. 

Is this value for money? Definitely. Only S$3.50 for one pax with liver, albeit with somewhat small portions. 

Is this “standing in line for more than 15 minutes” worthy? Uhm, probably not, at least not for me. Would I go back to eat it if there wasn’t a constant queue? Yeah, sure – it’s still a decent plate of chicken rice and far from terrible.

Expected damage: S$3 – S$6 per pax

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