The day after I brought my partner to a Singaporean style restaurant, he couldn't stop thinking of the Hainanese chicken rice that he ordered. I think he fell in love with it, and even told me it's so different from Khao Man Gai that he used to try in Thai restaurants.
It was a Sunday that he forced me to wake up before noon time (I usually sleep til early afternoon 😅) and hurriedly told me to get ready. I didn't know where we're going but lunch came to my mind. So I was so surprised we're having lunch at another Singaporean inspired restaurant.
The vibe of the restaurant is so different from the rest of the neighborhood. It's so welcoming with their windows open and an outdoor seating that would really intrigued passersby.
The name of this humble restaurant tucked away in the quiet neighborhood of Ogikubo in Suginami-ku, Tokyo is Mu-Hung. Their specialty? Of course Singapore Hainanese Chicken Rice. The restaurant is closer to Nishi Ogikubo station in case you're commuting like us. The neighborhood is unlike the busy alleys of Tokyo, so I was surprised to find this restaurant here.
We didn't wait that long to be able to settle down, and few minutes after ordering, our food was ready.
Both my partner and I ordered the Hainan chicken rice. You could choose between 3 sizes - small, medium and large.
Honestly I just thought nothing of this chicken, because my partner cooks like this at home, but this one was just so different. There are also 3 sauces to enjoy it with and I like to play and match it with the chicken. My favorite would be the soy and the spicy sauce combination. My partner liked the ginger sauce. The chicken rice also came with a soup in case you want to reset your palate.
We also shared fried calamari (Sotong Goreng) and it was just perfect too with rice. I thought it would be just a few pieces but it turned out to be a lot. My partner doubted at first because he doesn't like it by what he saw on the menu but when it arrived, he was just normally eating it like he liked it.
My partner thought this fried calamari had a curry flavor in it. If he hadn't brought it up, I would never mind the distinct smell and flavor. But it's been ages since I had calamari so I was enjoying it a lot. It wasn't as crunchy as I thought but it was delicious and soft on the inside. Dipping it in their sauce was also one of the best ways to eat it.
I was so full from the delicious chicken rice. I think they really brought the flavors of the rice well. I thought we'd get going already but my partner wanted to order another plate. This time, he got the mixed version - half hainan chicken and half fried chicken.
The hainan chicken is still the same, but for the fried chicken I'm not sure if this is Japanese style or not. I remembered asking my partner how was the fried chicken and he just said it was normal. So probably it's a Japanese style of frying. I could never know unless I order it myself. 😅
While my partner was having his 2nd plate for lunch, I ordered desserts for myself. I was already full and thought of just getting a cold dessert but my partner insisted I get this banana roti. The bananas were great, including this milk and cream cheese that came with it. The roti was hot when it arrived so I had to wait a bit to cool it down before I take a bite again. It's really a great snack but I was so full from the chicken rice. I managed to finish it though because it's just really so good.
Overall, I would definitely come back to this restaurant if I'm craving for Singaporean food. Even though they have limited food choices (like where's bak kut teh?), their chicken rice made up for it. I'm even planning to tell my friends about this restaurant too. 😋
Happy HPUD! Here's me joining the fun this Hive Power Up day.
Thanks for reading!
See you around! じゃあ、またね！
With love,
All photos are taken using my phone unless stated otherwise.
