Let’s take a dine-in today at Today Kampung Chicken Rice Restaurant at the historical Tiong Bahru district, checking out their Hainanese Kampung Chicken Rice Signature Dish. Established in June 2024, Today Kampung Chicken Rice Restaurant is a modern take on the traditional kopitiam. The setting offers a nostalgic yet contemporary dining experience with modern conveniences and with a pretty good and affordable traditional chicken rice to boot too.
Located at corner shop front in the rustic and classic Tiong bahru district, known for their hipster and chill cafes at 71 Seng Poh Road. Notably, the chain is owned and operated by the BreadTalk Group, known for brands like Toast Box cafes and Food Republic food courts. The group also comes from almost 2 decades of experience operating Sergeant Chicken Rice stores you find in food courts all around Singapore.
Ambience and Setting
Furthermore, the Today restaurant establishment takes a nod to Singapore’s hawker heritage. At its core is a mixed-food style coffee shop offering a variety of dishes ranging from Teochew Fishball Noodles (by Lixin) and traditional kopi and toast (by Li Nanxing’s kopitiam). There is also a zi-char selection, though we are focusing in this review on their chicken rice and the main reason why patrons dine here for.
Furthermore, the restaurant features a retro-inspired design with pastel green shutters and vintage signage. It evokes the charm and reminiscence of old-school coffee shops. The restaurant eatery has a nostalgic feel typical of eateries in the Tiong Bahru district area, complete with scissors style folding doors and the interior decked out with old-school signs and old-style furniture, interior and outdoor sheltered seating is available.
Inside, within the space is clean and well-lit, accommodating about 60-70 diners comfortably. The layout is straightforward, with communal seating that encourages a casual dining atmosphere. Also, the store is conveniently located opposite the Tiong Bahru Market and carpark, making it easily accessible. Orders are made through an ordering QR code on every table. Your order number be buzzed for collection self-help at the counter.
Have it in white or roasted
Notably, the restaurant’s centerpiece and highlight here is their Hainanese Kampung Chicken Rice. It is a dish rooted in their near 20-decade old recipe from the Sergeant Chicken Rice chain. The restaurant uses large female kampung chickens, known for their tender meat and optimal fat-to-meat ratio. To start, their chicken are available in both white “kampung chicken” style and roasted chicken cooking style.
Moreover, for individual portions, to start, their menu selections includes a-la-carte chicken rice plates priced under $10/pax. First off is their white chicken (bai zi) kampung chicken rice ($6.50) or have it in roasted chicken rice variant ($5.50). Both good choices for a meal for one. If you want a taste of both, I would recommend their premium duo style chicken rice with kampung and roasted chicken for a pretty reasonable $9.50 with double servings of both types of meat for the hungry or undecided. It allows you to have the best offerings of both worlds.
Additionally, your chicken is served with a bowl-sized portion of fragrant chicken rice. The rice is cooked in chicken fat, garlic, and pandan leaves. It offers a rich taste but not greasy/oily as a accompaniment, completing the “rice” part of your chicken rice. The rice is light and fragrant without being too oily.
Chicken rice at its heart
Furthermore, their Hainanese kampung chicken has a silky, tender and moist texture, with meat choices from chicken breast or chicken wing. The chicken skin is smooth and slightly gelatinous, indicating proper poaching. Though it is not as crystal clear as the Hainanese chicken rice we had at Hainan Story Hainanese café previously also priced with a similar price point.
Still, their white kampung chicken is poached to retain its natural flavours and served with rice cooked in chicken fat, infused with pandan leaves, lemongrass, garlic, and ginger. It offers a clean flavour, yet savoury from soaking in aromatic chicken broth. The meat is flavourful even without sauce. Speaking of sauces, the accompanying chilli sauce is best paired well with the chicken which you can self-help at the cutlery sauce corner too. It is made in-house daily, featuring a blend of honey pineapple puree for a balanced sweet and tangy flavour.
Moreover, their roasted chicken spots a golden-brown skin with a slight char. It is paired with juicy, slightly firmer meat than white chicken, though the skin could be crispier and feels more soggy to my liking. Also, I found the roast flavour offers a deeper, more robust taste from roasting. It is savoury, slightly smoky, and well-marinated. Also, I found the portions of the roast bit small to my liking, I would recommend sticking to their white chicken as a better offering.
Make it a set or add extras
Additionally, for a filling meal, I can recommend for their Kampung Chicken Rice Single Value Set. It comprises of kampung roasted chicken with vegetable sides with choice of beansprouts or kai lan with rice for $9.00 in total. Also, for sharing, larger cuts of chicken of either type are available in quarter (S$12+), half (S$20+), and whole (S$38+) portions, suitable for different group sizes.
Speaking of condiments, you can pair your chicken rice with accompanying additional condiment sides such as gizzards, eggs and bean curd cubes. These options are part and parcel of chicken rice stalls, allowing you to customise your meal to your liking. Also, do note that prices can add up quickly with these add-ons. For instance, a meal with the Premium Duo Style Chicken Rice (Chicken Breast) with extra condiment sides of Braised Egg and Beancurd costs ($1.30 each per additional serving) with Chicken Gizzard ($1.00), would set you back $13.40. The condiments are fresh and the gizzards chewy.
What else is on the menu
Wrapping up Today restaurant also has other food options such as noodles and all-day breakfast toast items as alternative menu options. Other menu highlights, beyond chicken rice offers a variety of local dishes such as zi-char rice and meat dishes priced from $8.80 to $9.80 per plate. Miscellaneous zi char selection features dishes like wok-fired chicken rice ($8), white bee hoon ($10) and Hainanese porkchop ($12). An interesting dish is their Salt and Pepper Dragon Tongue Fish (S$18). It is a deep-fried fish dish seasoned with salt and pepper, offering a crispy texture.
Also, their in-house Lixin Teochew Fishball Noodles offers $6.30-7 bowl of noodles served with fish balls made from yellowtail fish, with a mention as a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee (2022-2024) from their Toa Payoh branch. Laska costs $7.80, and minced meat noodles at $7.50 a pop. Still tad pricey for a coffee shop despite competitive to that of food court prices, though is one of their less popular dishes in the eatery.
The area is also a breakfast place with an offering of kopi toasts and porridge , also given its 7:30am opening time. The restaurant offers Li Nanxing’s Hae Bee Hiam Toast Set (S$4.90), a breakfast option featuring toast spread with a fragrant peanut butter or butter sugar butter, a drink and two soft-boiled eggs. The toast features a fragrant and mildly spicy shrimp paste spread.
Wrapping up
All in all, that wraps up our dine-in at Today Kampung Chicken Rice Restaurant. The place offers a reliable spot for those seeking traditional Chicken rice dishes in a comfortable setting. Its central location in Tiong Bahru makes it a convenient spot seeking authentic flavours in a nostalgic setting. The eatery operates daily from 7am to 10pm, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner with mostly an all-day menu.
This review is not sponsored by the establishment nor did they provide any editorial input or reimbursements into the content and outcome of this review. All meals were paid for in full out of my own pocket as a regular and anonymous patron.
Verdict:
Must Go! | Actually pretty Good | Worth Trying | Shortlist Optionally | Should Avoid
Today restaurant Tiong bahru Makan Place Locality Map
Today Restaurant Kampung Chicken Rice Restaurant (Tiong bahru)
71 Seng Poh Rd,
Singapore 160071
Opening Hours: 7:30 am- 10 pm daily.
