As far as Chicken Rice goes, Loy Kee at Balestier Road serves the most impressive looking one. Their special chicken rice set, which is also Loy Kee's signature dish always comes in a wooden tray of roast thigh meat, rice, a serving of vegetable, a bowl of soup and condiments served in ceramic pottery dishes at $6.

special-chicken-rice-set

Loy Kee goes back as early as 1953 when they started from a small stall at Raymond Market. And now they have two main branches at Balestier and Woodlands. From what I researched, Loy Kee was famous in the 90s and considered an icon when it came to chicken rice. Something huh? But I only knew about them from a friend who used to work in Singapore last time.

roast-chicken

As a whole, the special set was not bad but it certainly did not live up its reputation it used to enjoy in the 90s. Or it could be because of the emergence of other tastier chicken rice around. Personally I found Loy Kee's chicken rice not as fragrant and flavorful compared to its competitors and while the roast chicken was quite nice it was nothing worth writing home about. So the presentation is the main attraction here.

loy-kee-interior

At Loy Kee Balestier the restaurant is equipped with marble tables, old style coffee shop chairs complete with a wooden counter that give the nostalgic feeling.

loy-kee-hainan-chicken-rice

loy-kee-balastier-road

OK, for me they are not the best Hainanese Chicken Rice as claimed. Nevertheless, Loy Kee was worth the try and will remain as a memorable meal for me because of the unique serving method. Best or not, it doesn't really matter to me anyway, it is the experience that counts.