Geylang Claypot Rice : a disappointing encounter

This popular claypot rice used to be at Geylang Lorong 33 and was there for more than 30 years before moving to Beach Road, opposite The Concourse. Their claypot rice is cooked upon order over the charcoal fire for about 25 minutes. There are 3 sizes, the smaller portion at $15 for 1 to 2 pax, the medium portion at $26 for 4 pax and the larger portion at $36 for 6 pax. Their menu includes dishes like Double-boiled Soups, Salted Egg Pork Ribs, Prawn Paste Chicken, Cereal Prawn, etc. 

We went for lunch on a Public Holiday. We were approached by the service staff and he asked, "Do you have a reservation?" I replied as no. He then asked, "If you want to eat claypot rice then you will have to wait for about 40 minutes. Can you wait?" We decided to wait. He brought us to the table and said, "I will order the small portion of claypot rice first while you decide what to order next." He came back to hand me a name card and said, "You can call to place an advance order and to reserve a table next time so that you do not have to wait too long." I ordered a canned drink and also the Salted Egg Pork Ribs ($12) to share. The canned drink is priced at $2.80. The same service staff came to pick up the order chit. He asked, "Do you want your Salted Egg Pork Ribs to serve together with the claypot rice?" I nodded. 

We waited for about 30 minutes before receiving it. The claypot rice came first and waited for a few minutes before the Salted Egg Pork Ribs was served. 

The service staff came by, he lifted the cover of the claypot rice. He asked, "Do you want to take a picture before I mix it?" I quickly took a picture using my phone. He then started to drizzle the dark sauce lightly and mixing it using a metal ladle repeatedly for a few minutes before presenting it to us. The claypot rice is served with ingredients like chicken chunks, Chinese sausages and there was supposed to have salted fish but we did not taste it nor see it. There was a layer of crispy rice bits right at the bottom of the claypot.

My dining companion said, "This is one of the worst that I have tasted. It did not have much taste. The chicken though not tender enough but still quite acceptable." He also said, "The only thing that is good is the service." Cooking it over the charcoal fire is supposed to give it a smokey flavor but it was missing here. 

The Salted Egg Pork Rib was another disappointment. Though tasted crispy, the texture was tough, the meat did not stick to the bone and it did not have much salted egg taste. 

The possible reason for such a drop in the standard probably has to do with the departure of their head chef. Chong Hoi Ching, also known as Ah Ching, left Geylang Claypot Rice. He was there for more than 10 years. He then started a hawker stall in Toa Payoh and moved to Bedok South before moving to East Village in Simpang Bedok. He franchised the Eng's Char Siew Wanton Mee and included the claypot rice in the menu. He recently opened another outlet in one of those shophouses along Thomson Road, directly opposite the Novena Church.

GEYLANG CLAYPOT RICE
361, 363, 365 Beach Road SINGAPORE 199576
Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 2.30 pm / 5.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Chef Chik : Cantonese-style dishes at hawker price

Chef Chik Ka Chung, came from Hong Kong in the 90s to work as a Cantonese chef in different hotels including as an Executive Chef at Wan Hao Cantonese restaurant in Marriot Tang Plaza Hotel before starting this hawker stall with his wife in 2012. He is concentrating on Cantonese-style cooking like the double-boiled soups, claypot rice, and steamed dishes as well as some off-menu items depending on what he gets from the wet market. 

We ordered the Claypot Sausage Chicken Rice ($8), Black Fungus Steamed Chicken ($8), Salted Fish Pork Patty ($3.50) and Lotus Root Dried Oyster Pork Ribs Soup ($4.50) with a small bowl of rice. 

The Claypot Sausage Chicken Rice is done using gas instead of a charcoal fire, it was still aromatic with a nice crispy crust right below the rice. It was served with ingredients like Chinese sausage, liver sausage, cured pork belly, salted fish, chicken, and bok choy. It tasted quite similar to those that I had eaten in Hong Kong. 

The Black Fungus Steamed Chicken is a comforting dish. The chicken was tender and smooth doused in soy sauce, served together with soft black fungus and topped with chopped spring onions. I enjoyed eating this and it went well with rice. My dining companion did not like it as much though. 

Salted Fish Pork Patty tasted homely and that is the reason why I ordered a bowl of rice. The meat was finely chopped to have better textural contrast. The only taste of salted fish was from that small piece placed on top of the patty. My dining companion said, "I mashed the salted fish to mix it with the minced meat for more flavor. The choice of fattier meat has given it a softer texture."

The Lotus Root Dried Oyster Pork Ribs Soup was a pleasant surprise. My dining companion started looking for the dried oyster and there were 2 in total. It reminded me of those double-boiled soups that I had in Hong Kong. 

The dried oyster is not a common ingredient to be found in these soups offer by the hawker stalls here. It usually have a deeper, stronger and earthy flavor and not to everyone's taste but it has given it an extra flavor and not as monotonous as compared to most of the others. 

We were during lunch on Friday but the waiting time was a short one.

CHEF CHIK

14 Haig Road #01-36 Haig Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 430014

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 7.30 pm (Closed on Sundays and Mondays)/

Eng's Char Siew Wanton Mee : Ah Ching's Claypot Rice

Chong Hoi Ching, also known as Ah Ching helms the claypot rice at this outlet in East Village is a familiar face to those that have been patronizing the popular Geylang Claypot Rice. He was their former head chef and was with them for over 20 years before starting out on his own. He used to run a stall in Toa Payoh then moved to Bedok South before moving to the current location after securing the franchise of Eng's since last November.

He is still cooking the way he knows how to do so all these decades. He still insists on using the old grains of a specific grade and quality for a roasted aroma which attributed to the golden brown burnt at the bottom, the distinction of a good claypot rice. The rice was half-cooked on the stove before adding the ingredients and finishing off on the charcoal fire, it is all about good control of heat to ensure it is cooked evenly without getting it burnt. There are a few factors like the type of grains, the type of claypots and the control of the fire that determine a good claypot rice.

I asked, "How long is the waiting time for the claypot rice?" The waiting staff answered, "About 30 minutes. We cook them upon order." I ordered the medium portion at $13 to share with my dining companion. There are 3 sizes, the small portion at $7, the medium at $13 and the large at $23. I did not order the wanton mee nor other zi char dishes. A lady approached the table next to us and ask, "How was the claypot rice?" Those seemed to be their regular customers as they shared some positive feedback.

While waiting, there were other customers came for their claypot rice and some have called earlier to order. We waited for about 20 minutes for it to be served. The waiting staff asked, "How much do you want the dark sauce to be added? Some people do not like and they just want a bit of it. Is normal good for you." I nodded. She then started to add in the thick caramel dark sauce and rapidly mixing it with the rice and ingredients using a big metal spoon.

It was served with ingredients like Chinese sausage, salted fish, chicken chunks and greens. The texture of the chicken chunks was smooth and there was also taste bits of mashed salted fish in the rice. It was flavorful enough to eat it without the sambal chilli though and the smokiness could be detected amidst it. There was a nice crispy layer at the bottom of the claypot which I did not know how to appreciate.

The tip is to call to order the claypot rice in advance to avoid the waiting time. 

ENG'S CHAR SIEW WANTON MEE

430 Upper Changi Road #01-09 East Village SINGAPORE 487048

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 10.00 pm (Daily)

Broadway Claypot Rice : The Famous Claypot Rice in Ang Mo Kio

This is the most talked about Claypot Rice in Ang Mo Kio, tucked away at the coffee shop along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 and right behind the Ang Mo Kio Central Food Centre. Most of the customers in that coffee shop came for their Claypot Rice. The stall is named after the then Broadway Theatre and the current Broadway Plaza located just beside the coffee shop and it has been around for about 3 decades. 

You could choose in between the standard Claypot Rice which serves with the normal chicken for 1 pax ($7/$9), 2 pax ($13), 3 pax ($18) and 4 pax ($22) or the premium version which serves with Kampong Chicken for 1 pax ($8/$10), 2 pax ($15), 3 pax ($20) and 4 pax ($24). The difference between the standard and the premium Claypot Rice is only $2. They cook upon order thus a waiting time of about 15 minutes or longer during their peak hours is expected. 

It was served sizzling hot and steaming along with its aroma. Their Claypot Rice consists of a substantial portion of rice with chicken and sausage and it came all drizzled with dark soya sauce. You just need to give it a good mix without worrying how much dark sauce to add for the right flavor. The rice was cooked well to a desired texture, which is not too dry nor lumpy. There were a few chunky pieces of chicken though a bit boney but it was quite tasty together with a few thinly sliced Chinese sausage in it and topped with chopped spring onions to serve. 

The taste was alright though a slightly salty and i guess it might have to do with my personal preference. You could also taste bits of dried salted fish amongst the rice and it added flavor. It has the nice burnt taste with a thin layer of burnt and charred rice crisps at the bottom and along the side of the claypot, though crispy but a bit too hard but it gave the rice a delightful flavor. You could actually taste the layers of flavor with each ingredient.

Though my last visit was quite a while ago but it still tasted as good as before. However, the portion is getting smaller and that somehow explained why there are 2 prices for a portion to serve 1 pax. 

Their menu includes Bak Kut Teh, Pig's Stomach Soup ($5.00), Pig's Liver & Kidney Soup ($5.00), Pig's Tail Soup ($5.00), Pig's Organ Soup ($4),  Pig's Trotter ($6/$7/$8) and Oyster Vegetable Soup ($6/$8). There is also a famous Chinese Herbals Soup stall and an equally famous Western Food stall in the same coffee shop. 

The overall experience might not be absolutely mind blowing but it was hearty and comforting, in fact, this is all it really needs to get their customers to keep coming back. This is no doubt their open secret to be around for a good period of 30 years to continuing serving their Claypot Rice to mostly the residents of Ang Mo Kio. 

BROADWAY CLAYPOT RICE

Block 728 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 #01-4200 Coffee City SINGAPORE 560728

Operating Hours: 12.00 to 11.00 pm (Daily)