Chatterbox (restaurant)

Last updated

Chatterbox
Chatterbox Singapore.jpg
Chatterbox ChickenRice.JPG
Hainanese chicken rice at Chatterbox (2008)
Chatterbox (restaurant)
Singapore location map (main island).svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Singapore
Restaurant information
Established1971;52 years ago (1971)
Head chefLiew Tian Heong [1]
Food typeAsian/Singaporean cuisine
Dress codeSmart casual [2]
Street address333 Orchard Rd, #05-03
Postal/ZIP CodeS238867
Country Singapore
Coordinates 1°18′07″N103°50′09″E / 1.3019°N 103.8359°E / 1.3019; 103.8359 Coordinates: 1°18′07″N103°50′09″E / 1.3019°N 103.8359°E / 1.3019; 103.8359
Seating capacity126 (main dining area)
15 (bar)
ReservationsYes
Website Chatterbox

Chatterbox is a restaurant located in Hilton Singapore Orchard. The restaurant opened on 1 August 1971 at The Mandarin Singapore and has since undergone several relocations and renovations. It is known for its Hainanese chicken rice, which was introduced to Chatterbox's first menu by German executive chef Peter Gehrmann.

Contents

Description

Chatterbox is located on the fifth floor of Hilton Singapore Orchard. Its main dining area can seat 126 diners, whereas its bar can seat another 15. [1]

The restaurant primarily serves Asian cuisine. It is known for its Hainanese chicken rice, the recipe for which is reportedly only known by six chefs. [1] The chicken, which is delivered fresh from a Malaysian farm, [3] is steamed in a food steamer and served with aged jasmine rice cooked with ginger, garlic, and pandan leaves. The chicken rice is complemented by soy sauce, chilli padi sauce, and ginger paste. [1] Other dishes served at Chatterbox include coconut ice cream, [4] lobster laksa, ngo hiang, rojak, and salted egg chicken wings. [3]

History

The restaurant opened on 1 August 1971 at The Mandarin Singapore. Its menu was developed by German executive chef Peter Gehrmann and initially offered three local dishes, including char kway teow, laksa, and Hainanese chicken rice. [3] The year of its opening, local politician Tony Tan and his wife celebrated their wedding anniversary with a chicken rice dinner at Chatterbox. [3]

In January 1980, the restaurant moved to the hotel's ground floor and doubled its seating capacity; [5] the relocation cost S$ 168,000 ( US$ 125,373.13). [6] In November 1989, Chatterbox was closed for a month of renovations costing around S$ 750,000 ( US$ 559,701.49); American architect Cliff Turtle was commissioned to redesign the restaurant. [7] The restaurant introduced a chicken rice mascot named "Cheeky Chick" in July 1999; Weekend East described it as "an adorable stuffed chicken with ping-pong eyes". [8]

In August 2006, [9] to commemorate its thirty-fifth anniversary, the restaurant held a chicken rice eating competition; the winner finished his portion in one minute and eleven seconds. [3] In September 2019, Chatterbox Café, the first overseas offshoot of Chatterbox, opened in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. [10] In October 2021, the Singaporean restaurant was closed for major renovations costing around S$ 4 million ( US$ 2.99 million). It reopened on 14 March 2022, after the hotel had been rebranded as Hilton Singapore Orchard. [1]

Reception and legacy

Writing for local newspaper The Straits Times in July 1982, T. Phadoemchit described Chatterbox as "Singapore's most profitable hotel coffeeshop". [11] According to a June 1983 report by the Singaporean Business Times , Chatterbox's chicken rice sales alone earned the restaurant S$ 1.63 million ( US$ 1.22 million), or some 136,000 servings; the restaurant's total turnover for the previous year was S$ 7.8 million ( US$ 5.82 million). [12]

Tatler Asia reviewer Dudi Aureus visited the restaurant after its reopening in March 2022 and praised it for being "a stalwart for elevated local fare in the local F&B scene all these years". [13] Priyanka Elhence of Epicure Asia highlighted the decor and its "calming and elegant spa-like look", [14] whereas Yeoh Wee Teck of The New Paper found the renovations "stunning". [15]

Chatterbox was one of the earliest hotel restaurants in Singapore to serve local cuisine. [16] The restaurant is believed to have popularised the eating of chicken rice as an individual dish, rather than one shared among several people, as had been the norm prior to August 1971. [17] The chicken rice at Chatterbox has been widely regarded as the most famous in Singapore. [3] [18] [19] [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laksa</span> Spicy noodle dish from Southeast Asia

Laksa is a spicy noodle dish popular in Southeast Asia. Laksa consists of various types of noodles, most commonly thick rice noodles, with toppings such as chicken, prawn or fish. Most variations of laksa are prepared with a rich and spicy coconut soup or a broth seasoned with sour asam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Singaporean cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Singapore

Singaporean cuisine is derived from several ethnic groups in Singapore and has developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes in the cosmopolitan city-state.

The Hainan people, also known as Hainam nang or Hainanese people, is a geographic term referring to the natives of Hainan, the southernmost and smallest Chinese province. The term "Hainanese" was frequently used to refer to all natives of Hainan island. Hainam Min speakers often refer to themselves as Qiongwen to distinguish themselves from other groups of Hainan such as the Cantonese, the Tanka, the Hlai, etc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysian Chinese cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Chinese Malaysian immigrants and their descendants

Malaysian Chinese cuisine is derived from the culinary traditions of Chinese Malaysian immigrants and their descendants, who have adapted or modified their culinary traditions under the influence of Malaysian culture as well as immigration patterns of Chinese to Malaysia. Because the vast majority of Chinese Malaysians are descendants of immigrants from southern China, Malaysian Chinese cuisine is predominantly based on an eclectic repertoire of dishes with roots from Fujian, Cantonese, Hakka and Teochew cuisines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hilton Singapore Orchard</span> Hotel in Orchard Road, Singapore

The Hilton Singapore Orchard is a 1080-room five-star hotel located at 333 Orchard Road in Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curry mee</span> Southeast Asian noodle dish

Curry mee is a Maritime Southeast Asian spicy noodle soup garnished with various toppings. In Johor and Singapore, it is sometimes called curry laksa. Numerous variants of the dish, including preparations with a drier or thicker gravy, exist in both the countries of Malaysia and Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sungei Road</span> Subzone of Rochor Planning Area in Singapore

Sungei Road is a road in Singapore situated between Serangoon Road and Jalan Besar and runs along the Rochor Canal. The area around Sungei Road formerly housed affluent Europeans and Asians, and many ornately designed buildings were built there. Since the 1930s, the road has been synonymous with Sungei Road laksa and the Thieves' Market, the largest and oldest flea market in Singapore, where locals can shop for old bric-a-brac or second-hand goods. The market was permanently closed on 10 July 2017 for "future residential development use".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle Road, Singapore</span> Road in Singapore

Middle Road is a road in the Central Area of Singapore, stretching along the Downtown Core and Rochor planning areas. It starts from its junction with Selegie Road and ends at its junction with Nicoll Highway. Middle Road was already in existence in early Singapore, appearing in George Drumgoole Coleman's Map of Singapore in 1836. The area around Middle Road was the original settlement of the Hainanese immigrant community, a community noted for its active role in the food and beverage history of Singapore. From the late 19th century until the Second World War, the area around Middle Road, Hylam Street and Malay Street was also a bustling Japanese enclave known for its brothels of Karayuki-san and traditional shops run by the Japanese immigrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voco Orchard Singapore</span> Hotel in Orchard Road, Singapore

voco Orchard Singapore is a voco hotel in located at Orchard Road, Singapore. It is the first voco branded hotel by InterContinental Hotels Group in Southeast Asia

Chicken and rice is a common food combination in several cultures which have both chicken and rice as staple foods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wenchang chicken</span> Chicken dish from Hainan, China

Wenchang chicken is a type of chicken breed and a chicken dish from the Wenchang city area in the island province of Hainan, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kopi (drink)</span> South East Asian coffee drink

Kopi, also known as Nanyang coffee, is a traditional coffee beverage found in several Maritime Southeast Asian nations. Often brewed to be highly caffeinated in strength, it is commonly served with sugar and/or milk-based condiments. This drink originated from the British Malaya era, with Hainanese cultural roots. The name of the drink is derived from the Malay term for coffee. The term Nanyang, which means "South Sea" in Mandarin, refers to Maritime Southeast Asia. Kopi culture vocabulary is grounded in Hokkien dialect as a result of historical immigration to Maritime Southeast Asia from the Minnan region in the south-eastern part of Fujian Province in Southeastern Mainland China. The beverage is usually served in coffee shops, Hawker centres and kopitiams across the region.

The SingTel Hawker Heroes Challenge was organised by SingTel and was held on 7 July 2013 at the Newton Food Centre. Live streaming of the challenge was broadcast by Singtel on its HungryGoWhere portal, as well as the announcement of results on Mio TV. The challenge involved popular television personality and UK chef, Gordon Ramsay, pitting his skills against a group of chosen food hawkers in Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hainanese chicken rice</span> Southeast Asian rice and chicken dish

Hainanese chicken rice is a dish of poached chicken and seasoned rice, served with chilli sauce and usually with cucumber garnishes. It was created by immigrants from Hainan in southern China and adapted from the Hainanese dish Wenchang chicken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hainanese curry rice</span>

Hainanese curry rice is a Singaporean dish consisting of steamed white rice smothered in a mess of curries and gravy, characteristically accompanied by curry chicken, pork chop, chap chye and kong bak. It originates in Singaporean cuisine and is not thought of as part of the cuisine of Hainan, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prima Taste</span>

Prima Taste (Simplified Chinese: 百胜厨 Bǎishèngchú, is a Singaporean food and beverage brand managed by Prima Food Pte Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Prima Limited. The brand was designed for Singaporean expatriates living abroad. Its Laksa sauce kits were recommended by Singaporean chef, Janice Wong, as foodie souvenirs to take home during the 2018 North Korea–United States summit.

Violet Oon is a Singaporean chef, restaurateur, and food writer known for her food columns, cookbooks, and restaurants specializing in Peranakan cuisine. She has been the food ambassador of Singapore since 1988.

The Malaysian chicken export ban was announced on 23 May 2022 by Malaysian prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, restricting the export of 3.6 million chickens a month overseas until the domestic supply and price surge stabilises. Malaysia exported poultry meat worth US$18.9 million in 2020, making it the 49th largest exporter of the product in the world. The imposition of the ban comes amidst surging chicken prices due to a chicken shortage and rising prices for the domestic market.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Yip, Jieying (24 February 2022). "Chatterbox Lowers Its Famed 'Atas' Chicken Rice Price After Nearly $4mil Revamp". 8 Days . Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  2. ↑ "Chatterbox". Tatler. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Koh, Yuen Lin (11 March 2020). "Chatterbox's Chicken Rice Is Served Boneless — So What Happens To Its Wings?". 8 Days . Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  4. ↑ Tan, Jocelyn (14 March 2022). "Singapore's most expensive chicken rice at Chatterbox is back — here's what to expect". Lifestyle Asia. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  5. ↑ "More space to chat". New Nation. 25 January 1980. p. 18.
  6. ↑ "Food galore at the Chatterbox Coffeeshop". The Straits Times . 1 August 1980. p. 6.
  7. ↑ "Chatterbox reopens". Timeszone Central. 21 December 1989. p. 5.
  8. ↑ "'Cheeky' chicken rice". Weekend East. 30 July 1999. p. 19.
  9. ↑ Chong, Bernadette (29 July 2006). "The Chicken Rice Battle". Today . p. 24.
  10. ↑ Chiu, Anne (15 October 2019). "Chatterbox Café". Time Out . Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  11. ↑ Phadoemchit, T. (18 July 1982). "Food 24 hours a day". The Straits Times . p. 11.
  12. ↑ Lee, Han Shih (11 June 1983). "Mandarin gets $1.6 m from chicken rice". Business Times . p. 3.
  13. ↑ Aureus, Dudi (25 March 2022). "Chatterbox Is Back: What We Think of Its SG$25 Chicken Rice". Tatler . Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  14. ↑ Elhence, Priyanka (28 March 2022). "The iconic Chatterbox reopens its doors at Hilton Orchard Singapore". Epicure Asia. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  15. ↑ Yeoh, Wee Teck (10 March 2022). "Chatterbox's chicken rice makes a comeback". The New Paper . Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  16. ↑ "Chatterbox: A Singapore dining icon". Business Times . 30 October 2020. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  17. ↑ Chou, Cynthia (2015). "How Chicken Rice Informs about Identity". In Cynthia Chou; Morten Warmind; Susanne Kerner (eds.). Commensality: From Everyday Food to Feast. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 148. ISBN   9780857857361.
  18. ↑ Weldon, Denise; San Juan, Thelma Sioson (2001). Malate: A Matter of Taste. LJC Restaurant Group. p. 72. ISBN   9789715694148.
  19. ↑ Seah, May (14 March 2022). "How to make the best chicken rice at home: Secrets of Chatterbox's executive chef". Channel News Asia . Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  20. ↑ "12 best places for chicken rice, picked by ST food writers". The Straits Times . 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.