Lunch at Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant

101 Thomson Road #01-08, United Square, Singapore 307591

Tel: 6255 6396

Having passed by, and heard many good things about Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice since its good, old days at Novena Ville for years, my family and I finally decided to give it a shot at its new abode at United Square.

It was a weekend and we reached there shortly before 12noon, so we were ushered to one of the last few remaining tables before the queue starting forming (and I mean long queue).

The interior was bustling and noisy as the waitresses loudly shout to each other across the packed restaurant. We had to ask a few times before someone stopped by our table to take orders, but the waitress walked off before we placed our drinks orders (we made it clear we were still ordering!).

When we asked one of them to help change the dirty utensils we were given, we received black faces before the waitress brought us cleaner utensils.

A pot of soup arrived first, followed by our "grease" chicken and bowls of rice. The dishes were simply plonked onto our round table and no one bothered to announce what the dish was. When the table was full (we ordered chicken, vegetables, braised eggs, some innards, rice and drinks), the sour-faced servers did not even bother to help rearrange dishes - they simply placed the additional items around whatever empty space they could see on our table (which also meant, at the edge by someone's elbow!)

The vegetables were either too old or overcooked - it was hard to chew and tough!

The chicken was nothing to rave about as well (disappointingly) - lacking tenderness and smoothness, that we felt the other chicken rice houses (i,.e. competitors) did much better even at their hawker stall outlets.

Most importantly, the chicken rice itself did not posess the fragrant aroma of ginger-chicken broth at all. Granted, it was not very greasy, but the taste of a good bowl of chicken rice complements the chicken at times, especially when the chicken in question here was bland.

Four of us spent a total of SGD$66.00, and with such service and food standards, rest assured that it was the first and last visit from any of us. It was a disappointing meal, to say the least.