Soh Kee Cooked Food - Michelin Bib Gourmand Chicken Porridge

Among the latest wave of Michelin Bib Gourmand awarded to a handful of our hawker heroes, I heard about a store that had been awarded a Michelin Bib for their chicken porridge and I couldn’t wait to try it. How do you elevate my favourite comfort food? With high expectations, I headed to the store, eager to sample their famous dish.

With a couple of Michelin bib gourmands in the area, Jurong West 505 Market & Food Centre was crowded and it was one of the older ones that were not newly renovated and thus quite tightly packed. It doesn’t help that the store owners were expecting me to place my order quickly, making me a little anxious. Be prepared to chope your seats as it is not easy to get a seat in the hawker!

We got a set of chicken porridge which consisted of a bowl of porridge and a plate of chicken separated on the side ($4.50). Instead of the sweet, rich, and umami-packed porridge I had envisioned, I was presented with a plain and unassuming bowl of watery porridge (Teochew style). The flavor was lacking, with no trace of the promised sweetness or umami.

While the serving of chicken on the side was generous, the chicken itself was a disappointment. The meat was dry and tough, a far cry from the juicy and succulent chicken I have come to associate with Hainanese chicken rice. If you look closely, you can see fine lines on the chicken that looks easily shreddable, unlike smooth chicken that would otherwise melts in your mouth with the chicken skin. This was a major letdown for me as I had been looking forward to experiencing the perfect balance of flavors and textures.

However, there was one saving grace – the chicken rice chili. The chili provided a much-needed boost of flavor, spicing up the otherwise bland porridge. It was sour, spicy and salty at the same time. It was a welcome addition and made the dish more palatable.

In conclusion, while I was excited to try this Michelin Bib-winning store, I was left feeling underwhelmed. The porridge was plain and lacked flavor, and the chicken was dry and tough. While the chili was a redeeming factor, it was not enough to make up for the other shortcomings. I honestly had a hard time finishing the chicken as I actually prefered the porridge to the chicken. While I appreciated the creativity of pairing porridge with chunks of chicken meat like Hainanese Chicken Rice, I would pick chicken rice any day.