Nam Kee Chicken Rice - Hainanese Recipes Unchanged Since 1968

Upper Thomson has changed a lot since 1968. The kampung roads gave way to hipster cafés, artisan coffee joints, and weekend brunch crowds. Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant didn’t change with it — and that’s exactly the point.

Founded by the late Mr Chew Nam Peng, who brought his Hainanese chicken rice recipe over from Hainan Island, this family-run institution has been feeding generations of Upper Thomson regulars for over five decades. It is now managed by the third generation of the family, and the recipe has stayed in the bloodline. In a neighbourhood increasingly defined by what’s new, Nam Kee is a rare anchor to what was.

Retro white and blue wall tiles, brown-coloured booth seating along the sides, and a cashier that still only accepts cash — Nam Kee looks like a restaurant that refused to be renovated, and it wears that refusal well. The traditional coffee shop tables and chairs, the glossy ceramic-lined walls, and the bright fluorescent lighting are all part of its identity. Air-conditioning was added at some point in the late 90s, which counts as the most dramatic upgrade the place has seen in decades. Regulars wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hainanese Steamed Chicken

The namesake dish. A half portion of Hainanese steamed chicken runs $15, served the old-school way — simply plated, dipped in the house chilli and ginger sauces. The chicken is clean and unfussy, the kind of preparation that lets the quality of the bird speak for itself. The accompanying chicken rice, at $1 a bowl, is not overly oily and pairs well with the rest of the spread. Long-time regulars who grew up making Sunday lunch runs here still cite this dish as the taste that keeps pulling them back.

Hainanese Roast Chicken

The roast chicken, priced at $16 for a half portion, arrives with a drizzle of light gravy. The skin isn’t the crispy lacquered type — it’s softer, carrying a mild roasted fragrance more in line with the Hainanese tradition than the Cantonese roast many Singaporeans are more familiar with. It’s a quieter kind of flavour, worth trying alongside the steamed version for comparison.

Hainanese Pork Chop

A dish that says more about Nam Kee’s roots than almost anything else on the menu. The Hainanese Pork Chop here is breaded and fried, then finished with a signature tomato-based gravy — the classic preparation that Hainanese cooks brought to Singapore decades ago and that fewer and fewer restaurants still do properly. Served the traditional way, it arrives with a light sweet and sour sauce that cuts through the richness of the fried chop without overwhelming it. The meat can run slightly on the tougher side, but the flavour is robust and satisfying — this is a dish built for eating, not photographing. Given that the restaurant is run by a Hainanese family , the pork chop carries the kind of institutional knowledge that most zi char joints simply can’t replicate.

Zi Char Sides

Nam Kee has always been more than just a chicken rice shop. The menu reads more like a zi char spread — Curry Fish Head, sambal Kang Kong, and Mapo Tofu all make appearances, alongside stir-fried greens and egg dishes.

The Hainanese pork chop in particular is worth noting — given that the restaurant is run by a Hainanese family, it’s a dish with real roots behind it. The broader zi char selection makes Nam Kee a better fit for a group meal than a solo chicken rice run, with enough variety to keep the table occupied.

Nam Kee isn’t chasing Michelin recognition or social media virality. It’s a restaurant that has survived five decades in the same spot by being exactly what it is: a comfortable, familiar place where families eat together, where the food is honest, and where the heritage is real. Three brothers reportedly sold a Lamborghini and took pay cuts to take over their father’s business — that kind of commitment to continuity doesn’t happen at restaurants built around trends. Whether it’s a weekday lunch or a weekend family dinner, Nam Kee offers something that’s getting harder to find in Singapore: a meal that feels like it belongs to the neighbourhood.

📍201 Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 574343
📞 +65 6253 4502 / +65 9637 9168
🕐 Monday to Sunday: 10:45am – 8:30pm
📸 @namkeechickenrice