Wee Nam Kee at the Ayala Triangle Gardens
Hainanese chicken rice was brought to Singapore by Chinese immigrants. Eventually, the Singaporeans have adopted this dish and was aptly renamed the Singapore chicken rice. Unlike the original dish, the Singapore variety does not use pork in it’s broth, just chicken and a lot of ginger for both the sauce and soup.
The Hainanese chicken rice’s use of ginger strongly reminds me of our local Tinola. Steeped in history, the Tinola was once the a dish reserved for the well-off having been the favorite of Carlos Celdran’s favorite Rizal character, Padre Damaso. Worthy of being served among the dishes of the Philippine aristocracy, the Tinola employs almost the same elements as that of the Hainanese Chicken Rice; it has lots of ginger and chicken fat oil which lends a strong flavor to an otherwise bland chicken dish. This lends credence to my personal theory that Philippine cuisine is a close cousin of the Peranakan style of cooking because of the strong Chinese influence on both ingredients and methods.
Wee Nam Kee is another one of those restaurants that are leveraging on that particular kinship in taste preferences and yet providing something different to attract the younger and more moneyed customers. Though not like our own Tinola, Hainanese Chicken Rice is easy on the palate because of the Filipino familiarity with the same chicken-ginger savory flavor combination. Anyone living in the province and tries the Hainanese Chicken Rice for the first time will most likely to love it rather than spit it out. It’s close to home but then it’s not Filipino.
The price of Wee Name Kee is Singapore is SG $9.00 or about P308. The local Wee Nam Kee serves the same plate at P168, talk about savings without the airfare! Not to mention, the Hainanese Chicken Rice is healthier less saturated fat than a boiled pork dish or a hamburger without cheese. The rice is made by boiling it in chicken broth for maximum flavor.
I recommend you visit the Ayala Triangle Gardens this holiday season. After seeing the light show, have your dinner at Wee Nam Kee. Remember, the light begins at 6.00 pm and every 30 minutes thereafter. It’s a wonderful show to see! Be early so you can get a table at Wee Nam Kee.
5 Responses to “Wee Nam Kee at the Ayala Triangle Gardens”
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gonna have dinner there tonight! sana they have dessert rin para i dont have to go to banapple pa. :p
nice blog!
Kindly give us details on how to order and price for steamed Hainanese Chicken (Whole). What is the store hours?
thank you.
Ang sarap naman nyan lol…hope to visit this restaurant this month…
I went with my whole family last weekend to Wee Nam Kee. The chicken rice was good, except for the pork asado which was too dry, cereal prawn too pricey. Be prepared for their lousy service, few dishes we ordered was not served but was on the bill. The crew are inexperienced, not deserving of the service charge they add on your bill. I would not come back, lot of places offering good chicken rice with better service.
masarap!!!! this is really good chicken rice shop!