I visited Hawker Chan at their Toa Payoh branch on a Sunday morning. They are open from 11am, but at 10.50am, there was already a small queue in front of the shop. There were newspaper cutting on the glass wall, about the history of this hawker with a prestigious Michelin 1-star. It was interesting to know the owner came from Ipoh, Malaysia, started out his own business in roast chicken as a hawker in Singapore, eventually gaining fame obtaining the Michelin 1-star, probably the only hawker with a Michelin star at that time.
Their Chinese name, 了凡, is of significance as well. I think it is from 了凡四训, a Chinese book written by a Mr Yuan Liaofan. He was resigned to his fate in his early years, but after he was enlightened by a Buddhist monk, he decided to change his own fate by practicing the Buddhist teachings and through charity work. I think the name fits Hawker Chan's story too.
The shop retains its simplicity of its hawker origin, but incorporated many modern features to improve its efficiency. For example, customer will queue up to order their food at the counter. Then they will be given a number to collect their food.
I ordered their roast chicken rice, and added char siew (BBQ pork). Actually I like their char siew more than the roast chicken. Why? The char siew has a good mixture of fat and lean meat, rendering it sufficiently juicy, yet still not too oily. Unlike your normal char siew, tastes like the sugar cane with all the juice been squeezed out.
Hawker Chan firmly remembers its hawker root, so is their pricing. For my order, it only set me back by a mere $6.80, less than a meal at some high end food courts!
Overall, I think it is pretty good value for money, and the quality doesn't disappoint. Kudos to our hawker star!
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