Craving for Hainanese chicken rice, so Princess and I went to Wee Nam Kee as she had never been there before.
Founded in 1987, Wee Nam Kee takes pride in serving one of Singapore’s favourite and iconic dish – Hainanese chicken rice. Wee Nam Kee has since evolved to become a chain of chicken rice stores across the island.
Their shop opposite Novena Church was the favourite among my generation, including the famous singer Kit Chan. They have a soy chicken version that was made famous by Nam Kee. That’s where their name “Nam Kee” came from – Mar Wee’s Nam Kee.
The outlet at United Square was set up to replace the original one at Novena Ville and gave it a brighter new look. Service was really prompt, the food was served almost immediately after ordering. Table turnover was quick for lunchtime, so don’t expect to queue long or stick around after the meal.
Hainanese poached chicken is not a Michelin-star dish, but it requires a Michelin-star attitude to produce a proper poached chicken so that the fat between the skin and meat becomes jelly and the chicken cooked at just the right doneness. One minute more, the chicken is overcooked. One minute less, there’s still blood in the chicken.
They are also famous for their Roasted Chicken. In fact they are rated to be one of the best roasted chicken in Singapore. The meat was tender and the skin was very savoury and fragrant.
We ordered a portion of chicken gizzard, liver and braised egg. Quite nice because of the accompanying soy sauce.
The fish maw soup used deep fried fish may, and was quite generous for its price as three of us could share this soup without problem. And it used the same stock that was used to poach the chicken, yummy.
The combination of chilli sauce, ginger paste and dark soy sauce makes up a perfect condiment to go with chicken rice. No doubt, this is the one of the things that makes or breaks the chicken rice. And Wee Nam Kee is famous for its outstanding sauce, a mixture of spicy chilli sauce, yellow pasty ginger and silky, thick and less salty dark soy sauce.
The chicken-flavoured rice was still not as good some others, but at least this time it was whole and separated, a mark improvement since the last time I was here.
They are now no longer just a simple chicken rice store. The kitchen can whip up a full tzechar menu, but thankfully the chicken rice is still delicious. The service level has improved too, as has the price, which has caught up with inflation. Still recommended for chicken rice if you want a comfortable place to dine in with a menu of other items.
Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice Restaurant
101 Thomson Road, #01-08 United Square, Singapore 307591
Tel : +65 6255 6396
Visited Sep 2025
0 comments on “Wee Nam Kee @ Novena (2025)”