Boon Tong Kee’s former head chef sets up own chicken rice stall, with prices from S$4

When 8days.sg arrived at Pin Sheng Chicken Rice at Bukit Merah Central Food Centre on a weekday at 10.30am, there was already a long line of customers waiting to order. 

The hawker stall opened six months ago in December 2022. It flew relatively under the radar, until a recent Facebook post by Member of Parliament for Radin Mas SMC Melvin Yong revealed that the stall’s hawker-owner used to work as a head chef for famed chicken rice chain Boon Tong Kee. 

Liang Chin Ho, 49, was based at the Boon Keng outlet before leaving in November last year to start his own business. He currently runs his shop together with his wife, Angeline Soong, 43. The very youthful looking couple serves up tasty Hainanese chicken rice in S$4 to S$6 portions.

SNAKING LONG QUEUE

While Liang enjoyed decent business from the start, he tells 8days.sg that it only started booming in the past week or so. “There is a queue during lunchtime usually, but not this long,” he said.

On the Thursday we visited, the queue had gotten so long that by 11.30am it had extended all the way to the back of the hawker centre. Liang attributes the spike in customers to the online attention he recently received, joking that he might have to hire more staff if the crowd persists.

WHY HE LEFT BOON TONG KEE

But why did the former head chef give up his prestigious role to start a hawker business? According to Liang, it was simply because he had been “working there for more than 20 years” and “felt like (he) could start a business” himself. 

He shares that there was no bad blood when he left, saying that his boss at Boon Tong Kee is still on “very good terms” with him, and even “calls him from time to time”. Prior to leaving, he gave notice so that his company had enough time to find a replacement.

HIS OWN CHICKEN RICE RECIPE

Liang first started learning how to cook chicken rice at around 20 years old, when he joined Boon Tong Kee. His veteran experience is evident; he skillfully chops chicken so quickly that even with the long queue, the waiting time was only around 20 minutes. 

From what we have tasted of his cooking, Liang’s lower-priced hawker chicken rice is just as good as Boon Tong Kee’s. After all, the man had been working as the head chef there for nearly half of his life. Boon Tong Kee’s chicken rice typically starts from S$7, while his is from S$4.

However, Liang clarifies that he “has formulated his own recipe because (he has) been working for so many years”, and that he “didn’t copy” his former company’s chicken rice recipe. 

He explains that most chicken rice stalls in Singapore use the same ingredients for their food, like lemongrass, garlic and ginger for their chicken and sauces, so the difference in taste boils down to freshness of ingredients and the mastery of cooking techniques. 

To maintain the quality of chicken rice at his stall, he “makes sure (his) ingredients are supplied fresh daily”, and that he “has a good grasp of the exact cooking time (for the chicken), which comes from experience”.

THE MENU

Pin Sheng Chicken Rice’s extensive menu offers portions of chicken rice (S$4 to S$6), curry chicken noodles (S$5 to S$6), char siew rice (S$4 to S$6), and a selection of side dishes, including braised egg (S$0.70) and braised cabbage (S$1). 

CHICKEN RICE, S$4 TO S$6

The chicken rice is charged differently based on which part of the chicken you order, with chicken thigh and drumstick costing more than chicken breast.

We opted for the S$5 chicken thigh rice with plump and tender meat. It is drenched in a light sweet-savoury soya-based sauce. An overall solid plate of Hainanese chicken rice, complete with fragrant rice and punchy garlicky chilli sauce on the side, that also tastes similar to Boon Tong Kee’s.

CHAR SIEW RICE, S$4 TO S$6

Char siew isn’t Liang’s specialty. The pork is nicely coated in a caramelly glaze, but is tough and chewy texture-wise. After all that queueing, we suggest that you splurge your calorie count on the chef’s good chicken rice.

CURRY CHICKEN NOODLES, S$5 TO S$6

Liang’s curry chicken noodles are priced according to the chicken part you opt for. Our bowl came with piquant, spicy gravy, with a generous portion of chicken, tau pok and potatoes. The curry had a good amount of heat to it, but would be better if it was more lemak (Malay for rich tasting). Still, a decent order with springy yellow noodles and gravy-soaked toppings.

BRAISED CABBAGE, S$1

A wallet-friendly side dish that pairs well with the chicken rice. The juicy cabbage has a good crunch to it, and balances the stronger flavour of the chicken rice.

BOTTOM LINE

Pin Sheng Chicken Rice serves up yummy plates of chicken rice that is worth a trip to Bukit Merah if you are looking for a new stall to try. Go at off-peak hours, as the queue can get pretty intense at lunchtime.

Pin Sheng Chicken Rice is located at 163 Bukit Merah Central, #02-51, Bukit Merah Central Food Centre, Singapore 150163. Open Mon-Sat 10.30am to 5.30pm (closed on Sun). 

This story was originally published in 8Days.