My family used to eat from Chin Chin Eating House for years. It’s one of those places that has seen generations pass through without changing much.
Located on Purvis Street, right in the heart of what used to be known as Hainan Street, it has been around since the 1930s.
It’s one of the oldest surviving Hainanese restaurants in Singapore, and that history shows not just in the menu, but in the way the place runs.
There’s no branding effort, no glossy food photos, just a straightforward layout with marble-topped tables and old fans whirring above.
Much of the menu hasn’t changed in decades, with favourites like Hainanese Pork Chop ($6/$10/$15), Chap Chye ($10/$15/$20), and Steamed Chicken ($14 for half, $28 for whole).
The Roast Chicken ($14/$28), Claypot Mutton ($12/$20), Hotplate Beancurd ($12/$18), Sambal Kangkong ($8/$12), Sweet and Sour Pork ($10/$15), Black Pepper Prawn ($15/$25), and Prawn Paste Chicken ($10/$15) are also well-known staples.
The Hainanese Pork Chop is where things get nostalgic.
For our foreign friends, this isn’t your typical Western pork cutlet. The pork chop uses biscuit crumbs as batter, a nod to Western-style cooking techniques the Hainanese picked up during colonial times.
Fried till crisp, it is then accompanied with a tomato-based sauce, peas and potatoes.
Some might find it too sweet or too simple, but to me, it’s got that familiar home-cooked feel.
Customers also keep going back to the chicken rice because it’s what Chin Chin does best.
The chicken is poached gently until the meat is just done, with that soft, slightly silky bite you only get when it’s cooked right.
The rice is cooked in chicken stock with ginger and pandan leaves. It’s slightly aromatic and flavourful, though occasionally a bit greasy.
The chilli sauce is sharp and fresh, and the ginger paste is rough and punchy, which is the kind I like.
Another of my favourites is the Chap Chye which is slow-cooked, loaded with cabbage, black fungus, glass noodles and fermented bean paste.
No big flavours, but it’s hearty and mellow.
Chin Chin doesn’t serve elevated cuisine or modern spins on old classics. It sticks to what it knows.
Some dishes can feel dated or plain, but others remind you why people have been coming back for so long.
You may not eat here to be impressed. You eat here to remember.
Chin Chin Eating House
19 Purvis Street, Singapore 188598
Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm (Mon – Sun)
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