Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant

Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant is a family-run Hainanese chicken rice and zi char restaurant at 201 Upper Thomson Road. The late Mr Chew Nam Peng opened it in 1968, cooking the chicken rice of his home town on Hainan Island. His family still runs it, now in its third generation.

Alongside the chicken, there is a long menu of home-style Chinese dishes for sharing. That makes it a good choice for families and groups. Many local families have eaten here across several generations.

What to order

Start with the chicken. You can have it steamed, the classic Hainanese way, or roasted. It comes as a plate of chicken rice for one, or by the quarter or half bird to share. Not sure which to pick? Our guide to roasted vs steamed chicken rice explains the difference.

The rest of the menu covers Hainanese favourites and zi char, the cooked-to-order dishes of Chinese family restaurants. Good picks include:

• Hainanese pork chop and Hainanese chicken chop
• Homemade prawn rolls and deep-fried dumplings
• Dumpling soup, a light side for the chicken
• Curry fish head and mapo tofu
• Chai po egg, an omelette with preserved radish
• Hainanese mixed vegetables and kang kong with sambal

To drink, there is barley, lime juice, a homemade water chestnut drink, and local coffee and tea.

The setting

The dining room has kept its old-school look. Blue and white tiles line the walls, and there is a mix of booth seats and coffee-shop tables and chairs. An old orange public payphone stays on display, a reminder of how long the restaurant has been here. It feels like a Singapore neighbourhood restaurant from decades past, which is part of the charm.

Good to know before you go

• Groups can order several dishes and share them family-style, with rice for everyone.
• You can order online for self pick-up or delivery across the island.
• The chicken comes with the usual sauces. Our guide to chilli, ginger and dark soy explains how to use them.
• New to the dish? Read what Hainanese chicken rice is before you go.

Nearby

Upper Thomson Road is a popular food street in the north-central part of the island. For more local food, try Springleaf Prata Place or Omoté at Thomson Plaza. The area is also close to nature. You can walk off lunch on the MacRitchie TreeTop Walk or at Windsor Nature Park. See all restaurants in Upper Thomson, more hawker favourites, or our guide to north Singapore. The menu and online orders are on the Nam Kee Chicken Rice website.