I know there’s lots of tutorials that can be found online but I’m the sort of student that needs hands-on (monkey see monkey do) sessions. I have attention deficit and needs adult supervision, lol… I also forget faster than you can say supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and therefore need a patient coach who speaks my lingo!
Washiyama’s been teaching me some post processing technique like blending and stitching for panoramic photos thus, it is inevitable for us to share a lot of meals together lately. Besides, Washiyama loves to eat and that alone makes him a good dining companion. Erm… Nope, he’s not a *gourmand like me but can be a food snob at times.
This afternoon, he was helping his Japanese videographer dad with some work at Shangri-La Hotel and afterwards had time to meet for late-brunch-early-dinner before giving me more tutorials. Taking my snail pace as reference, it would take him about 15 minutes to walk over from Shang to Balmoral Plaza, where our lunch venue was located.
If breakfast and lunch is called brunch, what do you call breakfast, lunch and dinner? Blunder? Lol… Sorry I digressed but that was my first meal
We had 2 Roast Chicken Rice, extra rice, Chicken Liver, a bowl of Wanton Soup (without noodles) and Roast Pork Belly.
Wanton
The minced pork filling and clear broth were flavoursome but perhaps a tad oily.
I must remember to ask them not to drizzle the extra oil.
Siew Yoke or Roast Pork Belly.
This afternoon’s was awesome!
The crunchy crackling atop the very tender meat and melt-in-the-mouth creamy fats blended so harmoniously, I ate most of it.
Items that I like to dabao (take-outs) home:
The Big Bird Chicken Rice is not Cantonese nor Hainanese style chicken rice.
Roast Chicken Rice starting from S$6.
Steamed (not boiled) Chicken and Rice.
This is also one reason why there’s no gratis broth from The Big Bird as they do not boil their chickens.
Most vendors poach the chickens and use the liquid as stock base for cooking the chicken rice.
The Big Bird Sambal Fried Rice
The Big Bird Sambal Fried Rice.
Spicy and shiok with nice wok hei!
The Big Bird Wanton Mee
The Big Bird Wanton Mee is also one of my favourite dishes but the consistency is lacking.
Sometimes, pickled green cut chillies are given, other times there’s lack of chilli sauce in the noodles.
The biggest pet peeve is the texture of noodles; blanching was either too short or the water not hot enough rendering the noodles starchy and clumpy at times but I love their wantons and will always buy Wanton Soup to go with my Chix Rice.
Meal time with Washiyama at The Big Bird Chicken Rice
Washiyama liked the food here as witnessed by his second helping of rice on the table in picture above. This was the second he ate at the Balmoral outlet but he’s eaten at The Big Bird Chicken Rice when they were then operating in Selegie Road.
The Big Bird Chicken serves one of the best chicken rice I’ve eaten in Singapore and that’s why I dabao from this place frequently. I have voted their chicken rice as one of the “Top 10 Best Food In Singapore” on my blog last December. You can also read in-depth review of some of my favourite dishes from this shop at “This Big Bird’s Cow Is Singing La La”.
The Big Bird Chicken Rice – Update (2021)
Address: 456 Balestier Rd,
#01-03/04, Ascent@456,
Singapore 329832.
Tel: +65 67346022.
10am – 10pm (safer to go at 11am)
P.S. Sean has moved to Korea so the Thomson outlet is no longer in operation. The only outlet now is at Balmoral Plaza and they do cater meals for those wanting lunch during their corporate meetings.
*Unlike gourmet or food connoisseur, a gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure in excessive consumption of food and drinks. Simply put, a gourmand is a greedy or ravenous eater. Guilty as charged!