Hawker Chan Liao Fan (了凡香港油雞飯麵) - World Cheapest Michelin food put to taste test

• Operating Hours: Tuesday to Sunday (11 AM to 8 PM)
• Operating Days: Closed on Monday
• Address: 450 Toa Payoh Lorong 6, Singapore 319394
• Food I had: Half Chicken and Wonton Soup
• Total Cost: $21.60

Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Chicken Rice & Noodles is a popular stall in Chinatown Food Complex run by Chef Chan Hon Meng. Even before receiving the acclaimed Michelin star, it was already a well-known stall at Chinatown Food Complex.

From humble hawker to food icon, after the stall became known as the World’s cheapest Michelin eatery, the snaking queue at the stall has become almost unmanageable. To bring the famed soya sauce chicken to more people, Chef Chan teamed up with Hersing Culinary to open a chain of quick service restaurants.

Hawker Chan’s menu is a simple affair. There are Soya Sauce Chicken, Char Siew, Roasted Pork and Pork Ribs. You can combine any of the meats with Rice, Noodle or Hor Fun. There's a few side dishes and beverages, including beer as well!

Ordering works on a self-service electronic system, and I thought the placement of tables made space cramped, and hard for walking at certain sections. Do not sit near the entrance if you have the chance. Even though the order queue moves faster than expected, be prepared to wait at least half an hour for your food to be ready. 

Hawker Chan is a functional and unpretentious self-service place. It is like a small food court by itself. The ordering counter is in front of the kitchen and, when your receipt number is flashed, you collect the food from the counter. 

Prices still remain very affordable, with most items below $5, making it a suitable place for the family for a casual meal.

The rice was drenched with a dark sauce that had a slightly sweet herbal taste. 

The meat was really tender, not too fatty, and juicy thanks to the addictive sweet and salty soya sauce that it absorbs. Chewing it slowly would release new aroma and taste. The sweet chili sauce makes it even more savory.

The glistening soy-marinated skin is so tasty with the juicy white meat. 

The Wonton soup featured a couple of filled wontons and vegetables. Each of them had a good texture and we could really chew on the fillings. The soup was packed with an immense chicken herbal sourly taste and some including me might find it a little too overwhelming.

The original Hawker Chan Soya Chicken Rice sells for $2 in Chinatown Complex so $3.80 is a substantial markup, but considering the much shorter queuing time and the comfortable air-conditioned setting, the price of the delectable chicken rice with Michelin star pedigree is still a great bargain.

A good recommendation for any friends or family overseas to try it out if they visit Singapore for the first time.

Will I Return Again? Is this the best Soya Sauce Chicken in Singapore? It was good, but it wasn’t mind-blowing. Does it deserve the Michelin Star? We are not quite sure about it. Regardless, it is an above average which we will be more inclined to return if not for the inflated hype.

Soon Heng Rojak - Generosity out of nowhere!

• Operating Hours: Daily 11 AM to 10 PM
• Address: HDB Hub, 480 Toa Payoh Lorong 6, #B1-23, 310480
• Food I had: Rojak
• Total Cost: $4

Rojak is a traditional fruit and vegetable salad dish commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. The term "Rojak" is Malay for a mixture. It consists of mixing deep fried dough fritters, Tau Pok aka deep fried bean curd (cut into smaller pieces), fruits like apple, pineapple, vegetables like white radish, Kang Kong, all thinly sliced and folded in with fermented prawn paste, sugar, lime, garnished with chopped peanuts and finely-cut fragrant ginger flower.

It was the 80s when the owner was selling rojak from the back of a bicycle under a kerosene lamp in Ang Mo Kio. Now he shifted to Toa Payoh MRT's. Soon Heng Rojak Stall was a humble set-up in the Gourmet Paradise Food Court located in the basement of the Toa Payoh HDB Hub. We took an escalator down from the HDB Hub to the food court and Soon Heng Rojak Stall was located near the foot of the escalator. Queues barriers are arranged for patrons so as queues neatly form and no unnecessary blockages to the walkways.

The stall has non-stop customers queueing almost every minute it open.

Even though the queue may require a wait as long as 20 minutes, it just never stops patrons from joining them and the queue just seems never ending.

His consistency has always been there.  The way he stirs the rojak and tosses them in is a skill on its own. Don't believe me? When his assistants are the ones making the rojak and using the exact same ingredients, you can taste the difference, it always varies in taste; when uncles do it, it tastes the same as it always does. 

Many of my friends & families have been introduced to his rojak and have always come back for more. The verdict is the same across the board, it's one of the best rojak taste wise & value for money wise.

As you can see, with the generous sprinkling of crushed peanuts, fragrant heh kor (prawn paste), fried you tiaos that are cut just the right size and crispy, with additional fresh ingredients like bean sprouts, turnip, ginger flower, pineapple, and even cuttlefish.

Overall it's a plate of messy looking rojak covered with lots of peanuts, sweet and crunchy! In terms of value and proportion, Soon Heng Rojak is definitely worth every cent you are paying for. 

Ponggol Nasi Lemak 榜鵝椰漿飯 - One of the Best Nasi Lemak!

• Operating Hours: 5.30 PM to 2.30 AM
• Operating Days: Closed on Thursday
• Address: 238 Tanjong Katong Road Singapore 437649

I actually thought that I was going to Punggol for this Nasi Lemak stall until I search the internet for the address. Although it is named Ponggol, this Ponggol Nasi Lemak stall is located at Tanjong Katong, and nowhere near Ponggol at all.

I love Chinese style nasi lemak, and I’m suspecting many others too. This place is bright and airy, and incredibly crowded. The queues are ridiculously long. A small meal can cost about $5 depending on the sort of ingredients one chooses. Yes, the rice is fragrant, chili has enough kick, chicken wing crispy.

There are no set meals. Only ala carte dishes are available. Prices are steeper than other normal Nasi Lemak stalls, ranging from $5, depending on what you order.

There's a small drink stall behind the Nasi Lemak stall if you are looking for drinks.

First, the rice has that nice fragrant coconut flavor and the sambal is sweet and not overpowering to any dish.

The luncheon meat is so crispy from what you eat outside, but it's thinner than any others that you ate anywhere else.

The fried filet was another best fried food item there, the outside so crispy and tender inside as a warm up before coming down to the best item here.

Their chicken wing is a must get when you eat here. Fried to a golden crisp, the chicken wing was so crunchy on the outside and it's juicy on the inside that once you bite it, some of the juice will drip onto your tray. If it's your first time, definitely choose the fried chicken as it never disappoints. Always juicy, with the crispiest skin that is the most beautiful shade of golden brown I've ever seen.

Sambal chili is the most important ingredient in Nasi Lemak and it can spoil the whole dish if it is not good. But Ponggol Nasi Lemak's sambal sauce was the best I've eaten. I can totally eat it on its own with just the rice. It was sweet, spicy and give the kicks. If you need more chili, do ask for it when you are ordering.

To me, it was the best Chinese style nasi lemak with the home-made otah and awesome chili sauce creating a perfect blend. Add in a fried chicken wing, luncheon meat or fish filet, a fried sunny side up egg and you have the perfect meal for you. The only problem is that the servings a little to fill up a hungry stomach. I'm not sure if one serving is enough to fill anyone up if rather hungry.    

You can either park at the public carpark across the road or park along on either side of the road since it has no markings.

Bali Nasi Lemak Fast Food Shop 峇厘椰子飯快餐店 - Black honey Chicken Wing is the best!

• Operating Hours: 5 PM to 4 AM
• Operating Days: Closed on alternate Sundays
• Address: 2 Geylang Lorong 15, Singapore 388596
• Food I had: Nasi Lemak ($5)

Stumbled upon this stall on one of my night food hunting. It is hidden in Geylang Lorong 15 but easy to find as they have clear signage with bright lights. 

The setting was typical Kopitiam settings, but I've noticed that they do not warm their food displayed, I did not feel any heat of the food around me at all. But the food does not look like they were left for a long time.

The rice was fragrant, boasted a coconut aroma, and the texture of the rice is very consistent on every bite, but this is not the best I have tasted. Sambal chili was the sweeter version which I preferred with Nasi Lemak but I find it a bit bitter. 

The fried egg, fried luncheon meat, and cooked lettuce were cold which a bit spoil the overall score of this Nasi Lemak.

Their signature item is the Black Honey Chicken. Well marinated and thickly coated with honey. Black Honey chicken is deep fried chicken coated with a sweet sauce. The skin was still crisp despite the sweet sauce coating and the nicely caramelized texture was not overly sweet, and the meat within was nice and moist. It takes a great deep frying skill to achieve this.

Overall the dishes and rice were very nice to eat but would have been perfect if the food was warm, if you are there for supper, don't expect them to be hot unless they just cooked a new batch of rice or dishes.

Something very interesting facts to share

The eldest sister of this stall owns Ponggol Nasi Lemak.

The second sister runs Mount Faber Nasi Lemak Fast Food Shop.

The youngest sister Madam Susan Koh, own this stall Bali Nasi Lemak.