I decided to head to Chin Chin for dinner, which is relatively close to Bugis. Although it’s not that far away, walking there in the heat and humidity made it feel like miles!
I arrived just after 7:15 pm, and the place was busy, with a line of people waiting to get inside. I was slightly worried I wouldn’t get a table because Google said they closed at 8:20pm. Thankfully, the line moved pretty quickly, and I was seated outside at around 7:30pm.
The server came over pretty quickly, and I was asked to order almost straight away. While waiting for a table, I had been told there was no more poached chicken available. I had really wanted to try it, but I wasn’t too disappointed. Instead, I ordered the Pork Rib King, since it seemed like almost everyone had one on their table, along with the Hainanese Pork Chop, an iced tea, and rice.
Interestingly, after taking my order, my server went around to the other four tables outside and took their orders before putting mine through to the kitchen. But it didn’t really matter because my pork chop arrived within about 10 minutes.
The server then asked if I wanted rice, which I said yes to, and a minute later the rice arrived along with a bowl of soup.
To be honest, the pork chop surprised me. I knew roughly what it would look like, but I wasn’t expecting it to come with what looked like a combination of potato fries, peas and tomato sauce. I tried one of the potato fries with the tomato sauce, but it didn’t really do it for me, and I mostly ignored the peas as well. Thinking about it afterwards, the tomato sauce actually tasted more like a soup or gravy than a traditional tomato sauce. Typical Kiwi, I probably just wasn’t sure what I was looking at!
The rice, however, was fantastic. It was the same seasoned rice you would normally get with Hainanese chicken rice, and it was so flavourful that I could have eaten it on its own. The soup was also really good, light, refreshing and not overloaded with artificial seasoning or MSG.
The Hainanese Pork Chop itself was really tasty. It was nicely cooked and tender, and I loved having unlimited access to the chilli sauce and ginger sauce, which are also served with Hainanese chicken rice. Both condiments were delicious and worked incredibly well with the pork chop.
Then my Pork Rib King arrived. It looked incredibly tender and full of flavour, with slices of red onion and that rich red sauce. Once I combined it with the seasoned rice, I was blown away. It was so tasty. I then added some of the chilli sauce and ginger sauce, and I just couldn’t stop eating it.
Overall, this place is well worth trying. Everything I had was really tasty, and I love how in Singapore you can order different-sized portions. It meant I didn’t feel too guilty ordering two smaller dishes so I could try both the pork chop and the pork rib, but it did fill my table. The whole place also runs like a well-oiled machine. Everyone seemed to know exactly what they needed to do, the food came out quickly, and everything I tried was full of flavour. The only thing I probably wouldn’t order again is the Hainanese Pork Chop. It was good, but with so many other dishes available, I think I’d rather try something else on my next visit.
Definitely a place I’d come back to for the Pork Rib King, though!
Website: Chin Chin Restaurant
Address: 19 Purvis St, Singapore 188598
