Located at Mandarin Orchard Singapore, Chatterbox is perhaps one of the most famous—and expensive—chicken rice restaurants in Singapore.

Helmed by executive sous chef Liew Tian Heong, Chatterbox’s Hainanese Chicken Rice is its most popular dish and propelled the restaurant to fame. People from all over the world flock to the restaurant for a taste of this signature dish.

Is Chatterbox’s Hainanese Chicken Rice really that good? Is it worth paying S$27++ for a plate of chicken rice?

Chatterbox has quite a variety of local snacks on its menu. From the Rojak (S$17), to Satay (S$18 for 6 sticks), and Ngoh Hiang (S$18), you can find all the popular local snacks here.

And don’t miss out on the Salted Egg Chicken Wings (S$20 for 8 pieces)—it is certainly the best appetizer on the menu, and the best way to start your meal!

Nobody comes to Chatterbox without ordering the legendary Mandarin Chicken Rice (S$27++).

It comes with tender-boiled free-range chicken that is so juicy and succulent. Paired with fragrant rice—every grain is evenly coated with chicken oil and perfumed with pandan leaves. The homemade chilli sauce is really good and kickass.

Other than the Mandarin Chicken Rice, we also love Chatterbox’s Lobster Laksa (S$38).

There’s simply no turning back once you’ve tasted their Lobster Laksa—a wondrous bowl of goodness that looks and tastes amazing. A whole fresh lobster is used in every bowl. The soup is thick with the layered taste of quality coconut milk and fresh lobster. It is as luxurious as laksa can get.

This is probably one of the most, if not the most expensive, chicken rice in Singapore. And let’s be frank, not everyone will want to pay so much for a plate of chicken rice, especially when you can get really good chicken rice at S$3-5 from the other famous chicken rice stalls in Singapore.

If you are willing to pay S$27 for pasta or risotto from an Italian restaurant, why not the same amount for a plate of chicken rice?

Chatterbox is where you can get a taste of Singapore’s local food, elevated with premium ingredients and precise cooking techniques. It’s certainly the ideal place to bring your overseas friends to have a taste of the most popular Singaporean local food in a comfortable setting.

Chatterbox
333 Orchard Road
Level 5, Mandarin Orchard
Singapore 238867

Ask any Singaporean living overseas what Singapore food they miss and we can bet with you that the majority of them would say chicken rice. Chicken rice holds a special place in many of our hearts and it is no mystery why this simple yet flavourful dish has always been a crowd favourite.

We aren’t the only place in the world that has chicken rice though; Bangkok has its own rendition of the dish and while they both may look pretty similar, they do have their differences too.

We tried out Bangkok’s famous Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice on our recent trip to Bangkok and here is how we feel it compared to Singapore’s Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice is a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee and it started out in 1960 as a simple pushcart stall by a Hainanese immigrant in Bangkok. Today, it is bustling eatery in the middle of Pratunam and it never fails to attract swarms of both tourists and locals alike. 

We ordered one large plate of chicken (120baht) to share amongst ourselves as well as some rice (10baht). The serving size is pretty generous and definitely very value-for-money, especially if you come with a big group of people. Aside from the fresh slices of chicken, the dish also came with a cube of blood pudding.

The meat served to us was very lean and some of the slices were covered in slithers of chicken skin which added more flavour and texture to the chicken. While the chicken was fragrant and flavourful, its flesh was not quite as tender and as succulent as the ones you can find in Singapore, which we found a tad bit disappointing.

To enhance the flavour of the chicken, we recommend smothering it in some of their signature chilli sauce which consists of fermented bean paste, ginger and fermented chilli. The chilli added a lovely spicy kick to the chicken and definitely enhanced the flavours of the overall dish. We have to admit that if we had to choose between Singapore’s Chilli and Bangkok’s we would have a pretty hard time!

All in all, we still prefer Singapore’s Hainanese chicken rice over Bangkok’s chicken rice as we prefer our meat to be more on the tender side. However, Bangkok undoubtedly serves up some pretty solid plates of chicken rice as well and we highly recommend that you give it a try if you’re ever in Bangkok!

Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice
960 962 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 252 6325
Daily: 6am – 2pm, 5pm – 2am

While Pratunam is known to be a shoppers paradise filled with an endless array of stalls, it is also a gluttons idea of heaven.

The streets and malls of Pratunam are packed with a smorgasbord of stalls that serve up a tantalising selection of food that ranges from hearty local bites to delectable cafe nosh. Each and every nook and cranny of this area is crammed with surprises and we can promise you that you will never run out of new things to try here.

If you are overwhelmed by the wide selection of goodies to tuck into, here is a quick guide to 9 of our favourite places to get some great grub after a tiring day of shopping in Pratunam.

BAMEE SAWANG

While people hear more of the famous Sabx2 Wanton Mee, there are better places in Bangkok to get a scrumptious bowl of roast pork noodles and one of them is Bamee Sawang. We love the wanton mee here and we also recommend that you give their Stewed Pork Leg Over Rice a try too.

982 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 056 0663
Daily: 9.30am – 11pm

BOYY & SON

Located conveniently at the recently renovated Gaysorn Village, BOYY & Son is a chic, stylish and incredibly Instagram-worthy cafe that sells coffee, tea and an interesting array of pastries. We absolutely love their croissants which are flaky, buttery and fragrant all at once!

BOYY 127 Unit L00-01 GAYSORN Tower2 Lumphini
Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 253 8300
Daily: 8am – 8pm

GO-ANG PRATUNAM CHICKEN RICE

If you want to try a different variation of chicken rice aside from Singapore’s Hainanese chicken rice, we recommend that you pop by Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice. These plates of Michelin Bib Gourmand chicken rice certainly live up to its name and we can see why it’s so popular with both the locals and tourists. Brace yourself for some really long queues!

960 962 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 252 6325
Daily: 6am – 2pm, 5pm – 2am

GONG TONG CAFE

Gong Tong is a charming and quirky cafe that dishes out themed homemade dishes that revolve around different historical periods of Thailand. They serve up both sets and à la carte options and each and every dish here will take you to a completely different era. While the prices here are on the steeper end, we can assure you that it is well worth every cent.

Thanon Phaya Thai
Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 64 879 0149
Daily: 10am – 8.30pm

Photo Credit: seeintear

KHAO KHA MOO TRUK SUNG (PORK KNUCKLES)

For those of you who love anything and everything pork-related, you’ll absolutely love Khao Kha Moo Truk Sung. This humble stall specialises in outrageously tender pork leg over rice that simply melts in your mouth. Aside from that, they also serve up other dishes such as rice with crispy pork and bowls of hearty soups.

LUNG PRATHUNAM BOAT NOODLES 

There are multiple places in Bangkok that serve up decent bowls of boat noodles but one of our absolute favourites is Lung Prathunam Boat Noodle. Here, they have 6 different broths and 8 different types of noodles to choose from. Each bowl costs a mere 30 baht and an upsized version would be 40 baht. For those of you who are in a rush, you can also do a take away for 50 baht.

960/14 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 85 919 1994
Daily: 8am – 5pm

Photo Credit: midnightkaiton_pratunam

MIDNIGHT KAITON CHICKEN RICE

If the queues at Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice are way too long, you can check Midnight Kaiton Chicken Rice out instead. Here, they serve up hearty plates of chicken rice as well as crispy fried chicken which is perfect for supper. The only gripe we have is that they only open after 7pm.

986 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Mon to Sat: 7pm – 4am
Sun: 7pm – 12pm

PONDTIP PRATUNAM 

There aren’t as many stalls in Bangkok that sell duck rice as there are that sell chicken rice but if we had to recommend one, it would be Pondtip Pratunam. This humble stall sells an array of scrumptious Thai food but they’re famous for their duck dishes. We recommend the Soya Duck Rice and the Stewed Duck Rice!

922, 924 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Makkasan, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 650 4023
Daily: 6am – 8pm

THE PLACE 168

The Place 168 is a little Thai restaurant tucked away at a rundown building near Pratunam Market. The small shop has a pretty extensive menu filled with authentic Thai dishes but they are most famous for their gargantuan bowls of Tom Yum Koong Soup which are great for sharing.

1/49 Phetchaburi Road
Khwaeng Thanon Phaya Thai, Khet Ratchathewi
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 657 0880
Daily: 10.30am – 9.30pm

Photo Credit: Go-Ang Chicken Rice Singapore

Move aside all other lunch plans you have because Bangkok’s Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice is set to open in Singapore on 20 October 2018.

With it might be a bit mind-boggling why anyone would queue for so long for a dish easily found anywhere else, a devoted fan base of locals and visitors alike would tell you otherwise.

Take what you already know about our typical Singaporean-style Hainanese Chicken Rice and dig into their Khao Man Gai, which is essentially a Thai-style Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Photo Credit: Juneunicorn

Where’s the difference you ask? Apart from being less oily, the chicken is so delightfully soft and tender and goes so well with the flavourful fluffy aromatic rice and is simply aroi mak mak!

There’s also no need to be shy when it comes to drizzling your sauce of choice. As they say, go big or go home. With a harmony of flavours from the sweet soy sauce, black sauce, black vinegar, ginger and chopped chilli, we guarantee it’ll be an addictive mix.

Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice will be opening at NEX on 20 October 2018. Watch this space as we keep you updated on the opening of Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice in Singapore.

Go-Ang Pratunam Chicken Rice Singapore
Nex #B1-0506
Singapore 556083
Nearest Station: Serangoon