Nostalgia

Have you ever gone back to your childhood neighbourhood, and had that warm fuzzy feeling? I recently did, with the bonus of having the chicken rice I grew up eating.

I spent most of my growing up years in Lorong Ah Soo... and just across the road from my block, was a cluster of shops, including a coffee shop - the one with my favourite chicken rice!

Back then, the coffee shop was an old dingey one, with the chicken rice stall at the left corner. There would always be a queue at lunchtime, and I remember queuing there my dad... and I was so small I couldn't see the food placed on the stall. Then I grew up and would sometimes ta pau lunch there after school... then we moved away. For years, I hadn't gone back to that stall, until a couple of months ago, when I brought a friend there, and to my surprise, the stall was still there, still in the dingey corner of the coffee shop, and STILL had the same fragrance of the rice, exactly as I remembered it!

Last week, I made another trip back, this time with mum and dad, and got to walk around a little more. I was pleasantly surprised that some things haven't changed... the doctor I used to go to is still there... the little Econ mini-mart, the old fruit stall, the messy hardware store... all in their original spots! This time, the coffee shop had been renovated, and the stall moved to the other corner, occupying a more spacious spot, where they continue to roast their meats in the background.

This chicken rice stall may not be an all-famous one, but it remains my favourite. The rice is grainy and fragrant, with just the right consistency. The roasted chicken skin is so tasty and usually doesn't have much fat under the skin, so it doesn't feel so sinful! And the chilli - tangy and citrus, without gingery traces - just make you wanna eat more rice! Plus, the soya sauce is the thick sticky type... Put all that together, it's the perfect chicken rice! In my eyes at least... :p

Shui Ji Chicken Rice

Blk 121 Hougang Ave 1