Boon Tong Kee (Balestier Road)

Branches all over the island, and the boiled chicken still belongs to Balestier Road.

Of all the Boon Tong Kee branches, this is the one to make the trip for: the original restaurant, the one with the Bib Gourmand, and a proper sit-down room where a family can order boiled chicken for the table and fill the gaps with zi char. It suits a family lunch or dinner more than a solo plate of chicken rice, which you can find closer to home. The compromise is peak-hour waiting, so book or go just before the rush.

The history is short and to the point. Thian Boon Hua started with a small chicken rice stall in Chinatown in 1979, and in 1983 he and his family opened the first Boon Tong Kee restaurant here, at 399 to 403 Balestier Road; the zi char menu followed in 1999. In 2025 Michelin moved it from the Selected list to the Bib Gourmand, one of the new arrivals on a list that grew from 81 to 89 eateries that year, and it kept the Bib in the 2026 guide. Promotion after four decades is a very Singaporean sort of overnight success.

The boiled chicken is the order, and it comes in three sizes, so match the size to the table rather than ordering a plate each. Add rice for everyone, then a few dishes from the zi char menu to round it out: something green, something with gravy, nothing that competes with the chicken.

How to do it well: go just before the lunch rush, or book; bookings are taken directly by the restaurant. Walk up from Novena rather than taking a taxi to the door, because Balestier is one of Singapore's old food streets and the walk takes you past the tau sar piah bakeries it is known for. Buy a box on the way back (they travel better than chicken rice does).

The brand also runs outlets from Ang Mo Kio and Sengkang to Smith Street in Chinatown, a full circle back to where Thian Boon Hua started. They are handy for a weeknight fix. Balestier remains the original, and the branch the Michelin Guide lists.

Good to know At 399, 401 and 403 Balestier Road; open for lunch and dinner daily, straight through on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Bookings go directly to the restaurant.

Boon Tong Kee (Balestier Road) | 399, 401, 403 Balestier Road, Singapore 329801