Boon Tong Kee

4 stars for the food, but I would say it is really expensive here.
$ 20 for 6 pieces of fried pork? Crazy.
Hainanese chicken was tasty and pretty good. Worth it if you want to try it at a place that makes it well.

This place is open late, and who doesn’t like a place that is open late, sure they might not have the best chicken rice but they are open to the whee hours of the night. Fighting jetlag, and you are hungry, this place is open. It is pricier than most places, but when it is 130am and you want some chicken and rice, this place is open.

What sort of chicken rice place doesn’t serve soup with the chicken rice? Why don’t they give ginger unless you ask? Is it deliberate that they make you ask for more chili instead of having it on the table so you can help yourself?
And their chili isn’t even that good. Quite simply put, this branch of Boon Tong Kee seems to be more for the tourists. It’s great that the staff speak English because my mother doesn’t speak Mandarin and we’re quite sick of how people assume that everyone speaks Mandarin. No they don’t.
That all being said, the breast meat is dry, there isn’t that delicious layer of congealed chicken oil beneath the skin, and they don’t serve soup. I have no idea why I ever liked coming here for chicken rice, but trust me, from now on, I’m going next door to Five Star.
If you do end up here for whatever reason though, order the crispy tofu. That stuff IS THE SHIZZ.

Boon Tong Kee is a perennial. And a perennial near-​delight.
Their staple chicken rice dish is tasty, the sauces just about right.
The poached chicken is typically juicy, though if like me you don’t fancy a super strong chicken flavor, the chicken breast is better — ask for only that. BTK’s rice is great, full of flavor and with a hint of pandan that makes it quite special.
The real gem are the sauces — BTK’s trademark red chili sauce and the sweeter brown (Hoisin?) as also the fresh ginger paste make for the magical Singapore chicken rice taste — each on its own, or in any combination with the chicken and the rice! Yes, freely mix n match what is on your plate — for an equally delightful result do what you may!
It is the average service, erratic stocking of even chicken, and a mediocre set of alternatives that take away a star from this rating. And 5-​star Hainanese next door has slipped in this count too, so you’re left with a choice between two quite good but no longer superlative eateries if you want chicken rice.
Still, a reliable, enjoyable outlet with atypically long hours for a good plate of chicken rice, night or day.

I used to go to the Boon Tong Kee on River Valley Road and get take-​out chicken rice late at night because they operate till 4 am and I lived just down River Valley Road when I first moved to Singapore. In terms of chicken rice, there are cheaper options of the same quality (if not better) such as Five Star (next door) or Tian Tian but I find that their chicken rice is pretty good and the quality is consistent. I also like the chilli sauce and their take-​out packaging is very nice and neat.
So last week, when I picked up my family from Changi and we were looking for a lunch place, I decided to go to Boon Tong Kee. It’s close to my apartment, is air conditioned and serves good local dish. I did think about taking them to Tian Tian but with all the luggage and stuff I don’t think it’s a good idea to line up in the hawker center. This was the first time I dined in the shop. The aunties there are very friendly but they are extremely good at up-​selling. We were not sure about what else to order apart from chicken rice and the auntie suggested cereal prawn which is their specialty and so I said ok.
When the cereal prawn arrived they looked humongous (like the size of my hand) and I quickly checked the price on the menu, WOW it’s SGD42 (the most expensive cereal prawn I ever had). To be fair, the prawns are of good quality and the four of us had 2 prawns each so it wasn’t that bad and we were ok with the higher price. The prawn dish ended up being the most expensive item of our meal, more than all our chicken rice and vegetable added together. We were also really stuffed as we probably over-​ordered. So, do be careful when you order and check the prices so you know what you are getting yourself into! That said, my everyone was very happy about the chicken rice.

This restaurant is not an honest establishment. It seems to belong to the same Boon Tong Kee group of restaurants but per Ah Leong (the Manager), it serves «higher class» food made from «premium» ingredients compared to the Ang Mo Kio branch, which is supposed to be the «lower class» version.
I ordered some take away via phone and was attended to by Ah Leong. He took my order of Salad Prawns (which price was indicated as SGD15.00 on their online website).
When I picked up my order of prawns, the restaurant charged me SGD42.80 (not including GST yet) for 1 order of Salad Prawns. I was flabbergasted as it was thrice the price that was listed online! When I questioned Ah Leong, he claimed that the price indicated online was meant for the Ang Mo Kio branch and that the prawns used at River Valley was far superior than that used in AMK, thus costing thrice the price.
He was very aggressive and said that if I could not afford it, I could request for a refund and was extremely vocal about it, attracting attention from other customers. I was embarrassed, paid and left in a huff.
I was surprised yet again when I returned home and opened my box of prawns because there were only 5 pieces of prawns, each no more the length of my little finger, coated with layers of flour. That means that each prawn costs about SGD9.00. By the way, the prawns were tasteless and in no way considered «premium».
It is unbelievable how such unethical establishments still last in Singapore. Definitely not recommended as you will definitely feel cheated after dining there.

One of the best chicken rice places in Singapore. This place is simply neat. Although slightly on the pricey side for seafood dishes (which is why it doesn’t get full marks), everything there is very tasty!!! Great for a casual dinner or a late night makan session Definitely worth trying.

A wandering sage once said, «I’m crazy for chicken rice!»
since those wise words were spoken, I’ve lived my life striving for the ideals represented by that quote. and it is in that spirit that now I must deliver this heavy message: Boon Tong Kee is only ok.
since emotions are sure to fly high at this declaration of mediocrity against this populist favorite, let me break this down as objectively and deliberately as possible:
chicken (dark meat) — the dark meat was delicious, but then again it’s dark meat, which is always delicious. one thing that sets Boon Tong Kee apart is that the meat has been deboned, excepting the leg. that’s a huge plus for this lazy ABC.
chicken (white meat) — drier than expected, this was a bit of a let down as it looks perfect, but is clearly not as tender as my front runner for chicken rice and baseline for comparisons, Tian Tian
chicken (skin) — not gelatinous enough, this was also a disappointment. whereas the skin on tian tian is good enough to eat on it’s own and gets even better when eaten with the meat, the skin here definitely adds to the meat flavor and texture but can not stand on its own.
chicken rice — very aromatic and flarvorful without being oily, and they even serve it in a pyramid. I was quite happy with the quality of the rice here, but i would have to give a slight edge to Tian Tian, who’s rice is slightly more fragrant and has better texture as well.
other factors — no chicken innards is a «no good» from me. the place is air conditioned which is a huge plus relative to typical hawker center fare.

Delicious hainanese chicken!
First tip, make sure you refuse the peanuts and pickled veggies when you sit down if you don’t want them. That way, you won’t see a surprise charge on your bill. The napkin is .30, but you might need that at the end of the meal.
The chicken here is more expensive than what you would find at a hawker centre, but it’s so worth it! Locals recommended this place to me and my bf, and I am so glad they did. The chicken is so soft and silky, each piece just melted in my mouth. Be sure to order a side of the amazing rice!

This was very yummy! The chicken is very moist. The crispy bean curd was delightful. And the spicy veggies (not sure what kind of veggie it was) were fantastic! Open very late too so convenient!

Definitely the best chicken rice in Singapore — sometimes referred to as steamed chicken or white chicken. Tender, juicy and flavorful — they serve it with the sweet dark soy sauce and chili sauce but I ask for the ginger sauce which gives it another layer of flavor.
For the perfect bite, you should have on your fork the rice, chicken dipped into the three sauces and a small piece of cilantro. They don’t take reservations so try to arrive when they open at 12nn.
The other dish which is a must try is the «Raw Fish» — its their version of ceviche but the fish is not marinated in vinegar only but a mixture of sesame oil, vinegar, soy, and cilantro. Aromatic and flavorful.
Other dishes that are good are the fried bean curd, cereal prawn, green bean in XO sauce (warning this is spicy!), and if you want to be adventurous — the battered boneless chicken feet.

There are many popular places in Singapore that are famous for their Hainanese chicken and Boon Tong Kee is one of them.
Hainanese chicken comes in two version (roasted/​boiled) and Boon Tong Kee serves both. We had half roasted and half boiled Hainanese chicken. Both was nice with moist succulent chicken meat, but the roasted had a slight crispy skin. But if I was to choose a favourite then it has to be the boiled version.
Although Boon Tong Kee is popular for their Hainanese chicken, I found there are many other dishes that are also nice. One of these dish is the crispy cereal prawns and one I do recommend to order. The prawns were massive and were definitely jumbo prawn. It was messy to eat but it was delicious. I actually thought this was the highlight of my our meal.

The rice was good, but I can’t recommend anything else. The chicken was just OK, and If I hadn’t spent $ 10 on it, I wouldn’t have eaten as much as I did.
If you are thinking of going, you should know that they charge for anything they can. The peanuts we didn’t order, and thought were complementary, they were on the bill. The Preserved Veggies that we didn’t eat, they were on the bill. Guess what else was on the bill? The napkin. The napkin. They charged us 30 cents for the [explicative]ing napkin. (I have a picture, it’s listed as towel)
We ate food as good or better for $ 10 total, and they didn’t charge us for a napkin.

When in Singapore there are a few things that you must try and Chicken Rice is one of them. My first time in Singapore, I didn’t have a chance to try out many restaurants, but I ordered chicken rice from the room service menu at my hotel. It was OK, but I knew I needed to try it from a place that is famous for it. On my latest trip we got lunch at Boon Tong Kee and everyone had the chicken rice. It was sooooo good! The portion size was just right and the sauces were delicious. I will definitely return when I am back in Singapore next month!

Perhaps Oscar Wilde is right and the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. In which case, Boon Tong Kee must be pretty damn pleased. I think it’s safe to say by now that this chicken rice is nothing if not controversial. There are people out there who swear by it and contend that it is the best in Singapore. There are also people out there who will scream until they’re blue in the face that it’s terrible and best avoided.
Such is the perennial issue of chicken rice in Singapore.
I’m going to tread the middle path. I think the chicken rice here is pretty good. It’s not the best chicken rice I’ve had in Singapore, but nor is it the worst. Would I eat here repeatedly? Sure. It’s accessible and open late. Service is slightly transactional but works fine.
But if you’re on a chicken rice tour in Singapore and have the luxury of time allowing you to hit up multiple places — then give BTK a shot. Maybe it isn’t the best but the name and the fame would indicate you should at least try it once. Right?

First time to have this white chicken in Singapore. SGD13 for half a chicken with out the rice. The rice is separate.
This place has no napkins. They set out wet towels that is not free. They charge you $ 2.00 per wet towel. Take note that the appetizers they give you is not complimentary. They charge for that too.
Over all the experience was blah. Chicken was just ok.

I would have given BTK 5 stars in the past. BTK has always been one of our favorites so needless to say we must eat it on this trip. Thing is, they posted the opening time as 11.30 but it wasn’t open when we got there. We did a little shopping at Great World City and the place was already pretty filled when we came back.
We ordered the chicken rice for two, deep fried tofu, prawn roll and kang kong belacan. I sometimes forget how the food in Asia is right sized. The chicken portion looked pretty small to me. Still tastes just as good, nevertheless. The kangkong belacan is pretty good. Husband pointed out that they don’t give soup? We still enjoyed the food but the bill was pretty hefty for the amount of food we got, with the drinks and extra rice etc, we paid like a little over $ 50. Sorry BTK, love the food but can’t afford to eat like this every time. We went to get some at the hawker centre the next time we wanted chicken rice.

I feel that Boon Tong Kee has been unfairly slighted by ‘foodie hippies’ that criticize this place just because it has been commercially successful. Despite opening up branches here & there, and having that super-​LOL TV advertisement (not sure if it’s really aired or just viewable in their own TV inside their restaurant), I feel that Boon Tong Kee has not sacrificed its quality.
I’ve been frequenting this River Valley branch for a decade now and the quality has always remained consistent. It is, admittedly, not the best chicken rice in Singapore but it’s close to my house and opens up till late, which is certainly a huge plus point.
Aside from the chicken rice, I love to order the deep fried boneless chicken feet. Served with some sweet Thai chilli sauce, it perfectly complements the rice.
A small tip: They don’t serve the ginger/​garlic mix if you don’t ask for it.

It is not the best chicken rice I have ever had, but it is convenient when I do want some chicken rice in a more comfortable air-​conditioned seating area.
The white chicken tastes good, with their potent chilies. What a pity that this restaurant does not serve chicken rice soup, which is complementary in other chicken rice stalls & restaurants.
You would have known that their mini fried tofu that comes with wasabi sauce is great like a snack or side dish. Another dish that I like over here is the spinach with 3 different types of eggs. I would say they have a not too bad rendition of this dish that I really like.
Apart from the queueing at times and sharing of tables, I wouldn’t mind coming here more for my dinner fix. ;)

Wanted to eat really good hainanese chicken rice and after our first place was closed for remodeling. Asked the taxi drive for another place and Boon Tong Kee is the place. The hainanese chicken rice was really good and the rice I really liked. They cook the rice in the water to cook the chicken so you get the chicken broth and flavor.
The black pepper crab wasn’t that good compare to other places. But we came here at least three to four times in our trip to Singapore.