16 Verdun Road
Singapore 207279

(open in Google Maps)

Friday:
08:30am - 03:30pm

Saturday:
08:30am - 03:30pm

Sunday:
08:30am - 03:30pm

Monday:
08:30am - 03:30pm

Tuesday:
08:30am - 03:30pm

Wednesday:
08:30am - 03:30pm

Thursday:
08:30am - 03:30pm

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Reviews

From the Burpple community

Mention about Sam Leong Road and chicken rice and the two are definitely synonymous with one another — this is considering how there had been a Sam Leong Hainanese Chicken Rice that once operated in the coffeeshop situated at 16 Verdun Road; the said stall had closed down after the passing of the stall owner some time back in 2023. It does seem like someone else had since decided to bring the brand back — not quite sure if these folks are related by family ties or if any recipes were sold in the process; that being said, Sam Leong St. Chicken Rice’s spanking new air-conditioned premises at Verdun House does mention that it is an establishment that had started out since 1992. Nonetheless, the brand has since moved on from being just a coffeeshop stall to one that has plenty of character — the brand seemingly having opted for orange as the theme colour for their branding; the colour can be seen used on not only the exterior facade, but also in its interior and in particular, the metallic grilles at the windows that just screams nostalgia. The space that they occupy at Verdun House is relatively large; the interior is decked in a way that exudes modernity without being too fussy — the counter sees the use of wooden accents for its fittings, but the entire establishment otherwise features marble-esque tables and chairs with the use of a rattan element that gives it a slight hint of nostalgia. The seatings mainly comprises of bench seats coupled with typical dining chairs and tables; there are also some high tables, as well as a wavy communal table that could possibly fit larger groups as well. With a more fast food-style operating model, it is also interesting to see how Sam Leong St. Chicken Rice has kept its menu lean despite the expansion — patrons generally pick between Poached or Roasted Chicken Rice, while the side dishes that they have to offer are rather limited; mostly confined to that of beancurd puffs, beansprouts, poached vegetables etc.. For beverages, Sam Leong St. Chicken Rice does offer coffee, tea, canned beverages and some homemade beverages retailed in bottles.

The best way for one to try out what Sam Leong St. Chicken Rice has to offer would be through their Set Menu section of the menu here. Sam Leong St. Chicken Rice has made things especially simple and fuss-free here; the Set Menu being a three-step process where one picks between the Poached Chicken Rice or Roasted Chicken Rice (and thereafter indicating if they wish to go for an additional portion of either one), before picking their choice of sides and then their choice of bottled homemade beverages which they desire to go for. For our order, we decided to go for a standard portion of their Poached Chicken Rice, coupled with Beansprouts for our choice of sides, and the Luo Han Guo for the choice of drinks. Our order was actually served up quite swiftly; dine-in orders are served in eco-friendly disposable ware — something that sorta goes in line with their fast food-esque way of operations here. Patrons can also help themselves to the ginger sauce and chili that is located at the counter. It is interesting to note that the Poached Chicken Rice from the Combo Set for One does also come with half of a braised egg as well; something that would usually be more of an add-on to be opted for at most other establishments.

Looking at the plate as we arrived back at the table after collecting the order, it is needless to say that what intrigued us the most was the poached chicken. Indeed, the poached chicken here is absolutely slippery and smooth just like how it looks; absolutely tender and juicy and just so delicious on its own — this easily tops the chart for us in terms of the poached chicken rice that we have had elsewhere since this was completely void of the sometimes grainy or fibrous texture of the chicken. The chicken also seems to be drenched in a light soy sauce to give it a nice savoury note that runs at the back of the tongue. When it came to the rice, there was no doubt that their rice came absolutely fragrant with a noticeable gingery note. That being said, we did feel the grains were a little bit on the drier side to our preferences — this could easily be balanced out however using the ginger sauce or the chili; our preferences would be for the latter since it carries a zippy note with quite a kick of spiciness that makes it entire dish so appetising. They seemed rather generous with the coriander that helps to cut through the meat and the carbs, while the half of a braised egg was good to have but nothing much to shout about. The Combo Set for One seemed to have missed out on the soup that would usually accompany Hainanese Chicken Rice in general, though we thought that the lack of soup wasn’t too bad considering it comes with a bottled beverage and a side; the Beansprouts which we had went for as our choice of side came with a good crunch — liked how there wasn’t any of that raw hint of flavours and that it came with fried shallots that provided a further crispness to match the crunch factor of the beansprouts. It also comes drenched with light soy sauce for a savoury note which were happy to have doused onto our plate of rice for a little bit more moisture.

Branding seems to be what Sam Leong St. Chicken Rice takes especially seriously and the bottled Luo Han Guo comes with a customised bottle printed with a rather cute motif of a chicken that is also used in the establishment’s logo. The notes of the monkfruit here are especially prominent to say the least , but we also noticed that the level of sweetness for the beverage is well-managed as well to say the least. Sam Leong St. Chicken Rice is a name of heritage and we are certainly glad that the namesake has made a comeback with some form of its heritage still being in its current iteration. We had never tried Sam Leong Hainanese Chicken Rice during their time as a coffeeshop stall previously when it was still run by its founder, but we were certainly most impressed by the way they had executed the poached chicken; certainly quite some quality there. Despite having expanded its operations, Sam Leong St. Chicken Rice has maintained affordability with their offerings — the ala-carte Poached Chicken Rice and Roasted Chicken Rice are both priced at $3.90, while the set is a little more pricey but still competitively-priced when compared against food prices in the Central Business District at $9.80 by default. Needless to say, considering the sort of dining options one would have to choose from at Farrer Park, Sam Leong St. Chicken Rice is definitely one which we would be thinking about if in the area wanting to go for something albeit more familiar; to say the least.

2 Likes

It’s roasted and steamed chicken - bestest in Sg! The peanut lotus soup and chicken rice itself are delicious!

1 Like

After many recommendations by my colleagues I finally gave this chicken rice a try. Having ate chicken rice for dinner for two years during teenage years (mom was a stall helper), I was quite sick of eating chicken rice. Although the chicken and the rice has its own good standards but personally I do not find it extremely tasty but just above average. What was surprising was the lotus seed soup that they give which stood out from the rest. $5 portion had a substantial amount of chicken and it was pretty much worth it. However, I feel that sticking to my Bak Chor Mee would work out better for me!

10 Likes

Rice is nice, chilli is nice, soup is nice and chicken is nice!

3 Likes

Early lunch 😋😋😋😋😋

4 Likes
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