Singapore’s Hawker Chan, The Cheapest Michelin-Starred Restaurant In The World, Opens Its First Manila Branch In SM MOA

Hawker Chan, one of Singapore’s internationally acclaimed restaurants known for serving the cheapest Michelin-starred meal in the world, partnered with the Hersing Culinary Group and locally, FOODEE Global Concepts, to bring its delicious dishes to Manila, especially its famous Soya Sauce Chicken Rice. The first Manila branch finally opened its doors last 26 July 2018 at SM Mall of Asia.

During the press launch, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Hawker Chan also serves good roast, BBQ pork, and thin noodles, aside from its signature Soya Sauce Chicken, and that all these are available to us at super affordable prices, a rarity for a well-known foreign franchise. 

 

Hawker Chan’s pork and chicken combo platter

 

Hawker Chan’s popularity belies its humble beginnings. The restaurant founder, Malaysian chef Chan Hong Meng, a farmer’s son, moved to Singapore in the 1980s. He trained under a Hong Kong chef and learned how to prepare his now famous Singapore Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle. He opened his first small store or hawker food stall in 2009 at Chinatown Complex, where he started serving his Soya Sauce Chicken Rice. Through the years, he was able to improve and refine the recipe further, much to the delight of diners who would patiently line up just to get their soya sauce chicken fix at his stall.

 

Chef Chan Hong Meng

 

In October 2016, the Michelin Restaurant Guide debuted in Singapore and among the establishments recognized was Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice & Noodle (now fondly called “Hawker Chan”). The food stall was awarded one Michelin star for its high-quality cooking, not a small feat for a hawker stall located in Singapore’s biggest open-air (no aircon) hawker center with over 700 stalls, including 226 cooked food stalls.

 

The original Hawker Chan stall in Chinatown Complex, Singapore (Photo by Cyrene de la Rosa)

 

The award made the hawker stall the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world. Even if the stall was already very popular before the award, the Michelin star tripled its popularity overnight, leading to even longer queues. This led Chef Chan to enter into a partnership with Hersing Culinary. They opened an 80-seater flagship restaurant named Liao Fan Hawker Chan on Smith Street, conveniently located across Chinatown Complex. Just this July, the restaurant was included among the 50 restaurants in Singapore given the 2018 Michelin BIB Gourmand Award which recognizes dining establishments that serve good food costing no more than S$45.

Now Manila can also enjoy the dishes that made Chef Chan Hong Meng a legendary success. Among the dishes that Manila diners can now try are Hawker Chan’s signature combination platter of char, roasted pork, and soya chicken or its whole Soya Chicken platter.

 

Whole Soya Sauce Chicken, Soya Sauce Chicken with rice or with noodles, plus Thai-style Tofu

 

The average individual dish price ranges from P128 to P198 only, with the 2-combination platter at P180 and 3-combination at P270. I highly recommend ordering any combination with the delicious plain noodles that gets an added flavor boost from the sambal, chili sauce, and pickled peppers that come with the entrees. Let’s hope both the quality and “hawker-friendly” prices are maintained in the long run.

 

Soya sauce chicken and pork char siew

 

To add to the excitement, diners will get the chance to fly to Singapore every time they dine at Hawker Chan Manila from July 26 to August 5, 2018. Two lucky winners will enjoy a 3-day, 2-night full board and meal stay, sponsored by FOODEE Global Concepts Inc. and the Singapore Tourism Board.

 

Hawker Chan, G/F Entertainment Mall (between Mang Inasal and Gerry’s Grill, across TGI Friday’s), SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City, nearest parking at SM Mall of Asia North Parking

 

Follow the author on Instagram and Twitter @cyrenedelarosa