Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant ($8.50) vs Chatterbox ($25): Neighbourhood eatery or hotel does it better?
In 2025, I'm launching a new comparison series where I'll visit 2 different establishments to try the same dish at varying price points. I'm kicking this off with chicken rice: Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant vs Chatterbox.
Now, what inspired me to do this? You know how, whenever you visit a slightly upmarket restaurant and order food that can also be found at a hawker centre or neighbourhood eatery, there's always that one person from you family or friend group who comments, 'Why pay so much when you can get it cheaper at X or Y?' Sound familiar?
I decided to feature a chicken rice that's close to my heart — Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant at 201 Upper Thomson Road. This family-run business has been around since 1968 and is currently being run by the founder's 3 grandsons.
This eatery was one of my late grandfather's favourite restaurants, and even my mum used to dine here when she was still in secondary school. During my younger days, I was a regular and I've not visited since the grandsons took over. Would the standard be the same as what I remembered? We'll find out!
Chatterbox, situated on level 5 of Hilton Singapore Orchard is equally old in age — 54 years of operation (just 3 years younger than the competition)! In the past, I had visited them when the now-defunct Mandarin Orchard Singapore was still around.
In 1971, Chatterbox was established to bring authentic Singaporean hawker food from the streets into the confines of a 5-star luxury hotel. I remember bringing my late grandfather there, only to see him gasp when he found out that the chicken rice he was having cost S$27++ at the time. The price has since dropped slightly to S$25++.
For Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant, I requested for a single portion of Chicken Rice with additional Thigh Meat, which amounted to S$8.50+ (yes, this place charges GST!). There were about 6 pieces each of chopped thigh and breast meat, served over oiled rice, accompanied by slices of cucumber, and a bowl of clear soup.
Behold, the S$25++ Mandarin Chicken Rice, beautifully served on a wooden serving tray (at that price, the presentation better be on fleek). Everything was nicely segregated — fragrant rice, chicken, soup and condiments.
Right off the bat, I noticed that the portion of chicken was exactly the same as what I had received when I ordered an additional serving at Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant.
Before anything else, let's dive into the rice. In my opinion, this element makes or breaks the dish — it's the vital deciding factor (holds precedence over the chicken).
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Appearance-wise, Nam Kee's rendition (pictured above left) had a matte finish without the usual shine and looked slightly dry. However, it was cooked to perfection — neither too soft nor hard. Though each grain carried subtle hints of ginger, pandan leaves, and other spices, I wished the flavours had more punch.
Chatterbox's rice was glossy without being overly oily. It had all the hallmarks of good chicken rice — fluffy, aromatic, and flavourful.
The breast part from Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant left me utterly floored — for the wrong reason! It was drier than what I had remembered having in the past, to a point where the meat started to have a stringy texture. Fortunately, it was still decently tender. However, the chalky mouthfeel put me off.
Chatterbox's version (pictured above right) was right up my alley — jelly-like skin and tender, moist meat.
Credit where credit is due — the chicken thigh from Nam Kee was far superior than its breast counterpart — moist and bouncy.
At Chatterbox, hidden underneath the chicken chunks was a pool of savoury sauce along with shredded cabbage. It was a nice addition and enhanced the overall experience.
Nam Kee's (pictured above left) was the same plain, water-like soup I grew up slurping. Despite its drab appearance, its gingery, heartwarming goodness was spot-on — I don't even care if there's some MSG in it!
Chatterbox's soup had a slight opacity, a delicate yellow hue, and contained a piece of tofu. It's flavour danced between white radish and dried cuttlefish broth. Tasty? Absolutely. But as a chicken rice sidekick? Not quite the dynamic duo I was hoping for.
Last but not least, the 3 musketeers of chicken rice condiments — ginger, chilli, and dark soya sauce, each playing their part to give chicken rice its distinctive character.
Nam Kee's chilli had a more robust spicy kick and less acidity, while Chatterbox's was well-balanced. The other 2 condiments were on par. Whose tasted better? Well it depends on what you prefer. Both sides were equally strong!
When I stepped into Nam Kee after so long, everything was untouched — the vintage orange public phone, aged baby blue and white-tiled walls, retro seating booths, fading portraits, and other furnishings.
The moment you enter the front door, it feels as if you have been teleported to a cha chaan teng in Hong Kong — quaint and charming.
On the other hand, Chatterbox has undergone several transformations, with its latest revamp in 2022.
The space was massive and spacious, with green fauna and an abundance of natural light streaming through their massive floor-to-ceiling windows. It exudes a welcoming and casual vibe, unlike the past, when it felt a little too serious.
I'm not going to lie. Before doing this comparison piece, I already had the feeling that Nam Kee Chicken Rice would be the clear winner.
I've had both chicken rice before, and Chatterbox constantly delivers in quality and taste. Sure, it's pricey, and you could probably find equally good, if not better chicken rice at other hawker stalls.
But after weighing the pros and cons of both establishments, Chatterbox triumphs for this battle. The main players (rice and chicken) were the better of the 2. Was I surprised that I ended up preferring Chatterbox instead? Yes.
Now, I would like to post a question here. If Nam Kee was still operated by the current owners' father, would they have ended up being the winner instead? Leave your comments.
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The post Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant ($8.50) vs Chatterbox ($25): Neighbourhood eatery or hotel does it better? appeared first on SETHLUI.com.
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