Maxwell Food Centre is a hawker food court right in the heart of Singapore. Singapore food guide: http://migrationology.com/2016/01/singapore-food/
There are many hawker food centers in Singapore, but one of the most well known in the center of the city is Maxwell Food Centre, home to a number of legendary food stalls, and a food court that attracts both local Singaporeans and plenty of tourists. When I asked where to eat Singapore chicken rice in Singapore, one of the many suggestions was Tian Tian Chicken Rice, the most well known stall at Maxwell, and perhaps one of the busiest stalls in all of Singapore. The stall has been publicized by many tv shows and celebrities.
Ying and I arrived to Maxwell quite early, about 11 am, in an effort to beat the main lunchtime rush, and luckily we arrived so it wasn’t too busy. But Tian Tian chicken rice still had a line, with about 20 people in front of us. Luckily, the line didn’t take long and we ordered ½ a chicken and a plate of rice and brought it back to a table. Additionally, I was also interested in trying the fish bee hoon from a stall called Jing Hua Sliced Fish Bee Hoon, which oftentimes has an equally long line of hungry customers.
Let’s start with the chicken rice. The rice was very sticky and fragrant with garlic and shallots. The chicken for me was a little on the soft side, a little too soft, and it was drenched in an oily gravy sauce. The chicken overall wasn’t my favorite… I think it was too soft and it lacked that good chicken texture. The sauce, which included a combination of chilies, garlic, and ginger, was pretty good – drinkable good. Overall, I like the rice and the sauce, but definitely I tried better boiled Hainanese chicken I think. A well known Singapore food blogger, Dr. Leslie Tay (http://ieatishootipost.sg/best-chicken-rice-in-singapore-and-the-winner-is/) conducted a survey about the best chicken rice in Singapore and Tian Tian Chicken Rice was the clear winner, so it’s still a favorite in Singapore, but it seems that everyone has their own favorite in the city.
The fish bee hoon from Jing Hua Sliced Fish Bee Hoon I thought was pretty good. It was plain and soothing, with a milky broth and fresh slices of fish. It made a good tasting, healthy, and light dish to accompany my chicken rice. There are a lot more dishes to try at Maxwell Food Centre as well, so it’s a great place to browse around and eat when you’re in Singapore.
Tian Tian Chicken Rice
Address: Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur St
Open hours: 11 am – 8 pm (closed on Monday)
Prices: I had the ½ chicken for $12 SGD, but you can just get rice topped with chicken for much less
Jing Hua Sliced Fish Bee Hoon
Address: Stall #77 at Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur St
Open hours: 11 am – 8:30 pm (closed on Thursday)
Prices: $5 SGD
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Wow Mark i cant believe you re not giving tian tian high mark (no pun intended)? its definitely among the best SG chicken rice. The chicken is so tender, flavorful, has amazing aroma even Mikey Chen loves it. Other Hainanese chicken may have more rubbery texture than tian tian. I know this because i have eaten tian tian and other hawker's chicken rice on every weekend for 4 years ?
That chicken rice looked so bland. I was right. Mark likes strong tasting food ….the more spice the better.
a video at the same place !! please Mark checkout my video .. im sure its no where as good as yours but id apprerciate hearing what you think ? you or anybody .. please guys give me a chance ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdH4-smyajk
Chicken rice should accompanied with soup n soy sauce or oyster sauce.. Then it would be delicious..
Mark I wish you could come to San Francisco ❤️❤️please do so you can experience our diversity in our delicious food
Tian Tian IS OVER-RATED.
Humans are 99% sheep; they follow what they see/ hear.
Great
Frequently there are comments about how much Mark has enjoyed a meal based on a perceived scale of reactions running from a nod, or "Oh yeh", to head tilting and eyes closed. There is probably some validity to that scale, but it must also depend on his mood. He's not a robot.
Rip anthony bourdain..
This is the best chicken rice in the world
RIP Anthony Bourdain.
I miss chicken rice and laksa and old changkee, kaya toast and teh tarik in kopitiam
Your eyes are too weird and big.
Rip anthony bourdain
Is that soy sauce? Seem like Fish sauce with chili in thailand.
God , I am so hungry..
Mark, have you been to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia? Should explore it too
Anthony Bourdin does not like spicy foods like you (and I…) so I will not take his opinion in food rating… I know how people who does not eat spicy food like… totally different than us… They like bland foods..
the taste of singapore local food is so so, from the spices and ingredient is too general. i never found the special taste of singapore local food especially when i tried the famous chicken rice in maxwell food center but the taste is disappointing.
Singapore food isn’t all that nice. 🙂
Mark is right that the chiken indeed looks too oily. I can imagine a full face of grease after eating it
Is that ginger and garlic sauce or just ginger?
I think its oily
It's actually overrated. Not worth the queue & price.
Chicken and rice sounds so boring
Love this hawker centre!!!!! Would so go back to Singapore just for all the cheap yummy food!!! Hi from Australia!
? percent agree overrated chicken rice no taste at all !!!
So where exactly IS the best hawker food in SIN?
Hannaniese Chicken Rice, one of my favorite.
Fabulous foods eateeeeeeeeee
malaysia may lay claim to "inventing" most of the dishes in singapore, but god knows, and probably everyone in the world too, that singapore does it 10x better
Hey Mark ! I was in Singapore last month and I visited Maxwell food centre and ate at Tian Tian as you had recommended it !! And it was delicious!! The rice was fragrant and juicy chicken !
Try Day & Night Herbal Soup at Maxwell. I patronized their pig's brains soup whenever I could.
They used to be really good before getting famous…after that somehow the wow factor was gone especially the sauce they pour over the chicken…
Absolutely tasteless !!!!
To tell the truth,The boiled chicken like this is no market in GuangDong China!Have you never been to Guangdong before?
Never liked the boiled chicken growing up, didn't like the skin. I prefer it to be roasted
I wonder what the brown sauce/gravy was that the chicken was sitting on. I want to try to duplicate this recipe.
the chinatown place is overrated and the food quality is sub par
it was 24 hour crowded by visitor in 2005-2007 because some venues around, but the venues are missing now