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Now, real Hainan chicken rice in Shanghai
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GONE are the days when some of the best Hainan chicken rice were found in Southeast Asia. A dish adapted from early Chinese immigrants originally from Hainan Province in southern China, the authentic, top quality chicken rice is now available at newly opened Ah Tan inside Grand Getaway in Xujiahui.
However, it is not the hawker center version of Hainan chicken you probably find everywhere in Singapore. Master chef Chen Weimin was invited by restaurant owner Caesar Song from Hong Kong, bringing over his family’s secret recipe for Hainan chicken fine-tuned over generations.
Chen’s grandparents started their famous chicken rice in Singapore’s Chinatown in 1939 and he later brought it to the Grand Café in Hong Kong as their staple dish.
At Ah Tan, Hainan chicken is a must-order for each table. The sautéed boneless chicken marinated with the chef’s special recipes is so satisfying: silky smooth and buttery. Served with thick sweet dark soy sauce, garlic chili sauce and tantalizing ginger puree, the flavor of the bite-size chicken pieces is further enhanced. Each mouthful of rice and chicken were simply richer in taste. It’s a pleasant experience to enjoy the signature hawker dish in a beautifully decorated, sleek restaurant in the center of the city. The half chicken is priced at 158 yuan and a whole chicken is 286 yuan.
The restaurant with hot red tones is an art piece itself. Owner Song is also behind Sense 8 Cantonese Cuisine and another impressive venue, The Peacock Room.
Coming from the advertising business, Song is talented at creating stories for food and beverage outlets. This new restaurant is inspired by southern Chinese culture and aesthetics with a menu focused on the recipes from the Tanka people in Hong Kong. The Tanka are descendants of aboriginal people, or simply people who live on boats and speak Cantonese. They generally live along the river as fisherfolk, so obviously you will taste Tanka-style dishes of shrimp, crab, shellfish and fish.
Most of the dishes here are very satisfying and tasty, including sea conch simmered with soy and wine sauce (66 yuan), sauteed tiger prawns with soy sauce (168 yuan/250g), braised beef in “Badong” style (122 yuan) and Tanka-style soup, a minced fish broth (58 yuan). Some of the dishes here are hardly found anywhere else in Shanghai.
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