The stall owner designed this contraption himself. The idea was to replicate the Cantonese ladle-over-oil method but with precision and consistency. Each roast takes around 22 minutes. It is quite the spectacle, a blend of hawker grit and engineering flair.

 

We ordered the smaller bird ($16, around 1.1 kg while the regular bird $30, 1.6 - 1.8kg) as suggested by the uncle at the stall. He also advised chopping it into six large pieces rather than the usual tiny bites apparently to let us enjoy the crispness better. Sounded good to me.

 

When the plate arrived, the chicken looked perfect with golden brown skin, a glossy sheen, and that familiar roast aroma. But the first bite told a slightly different story. It had the flavour of traditional roast chicken, savoury, aromatic, comforting but the skin was not as shatter-crisp as the media promised. Maybe it had rested a little too long after its “oil shower,” or maybe my expectations were just sky-high after all the buzz.

 

Still, the meal was decent. The rice was fragrant, and the ginger sauce had a nice punch of that old-school kick that made me reach for more. Just not the “wow” moment I was hoping for.

 

I love that hawkers like this are pushing boundaries, merging technology with tradition but at the end of the day, flavour and texture still rule.

 

 

 

 

Blk 204 Bedok North Street 1

Singapore 460204