Tiong Bahru Chicken Rice is My Singapore Changi Airport Layover Ritual

Dear future just-got-off-the-plane-in-Singapore, tired, plain-faced me,

There is only one food stall at Singapore Changi Airport worth your (our?) time, and it is the Tiong Bahru Chicken Rice stall. You can find it on the second floor of Terminal 2, on the right side of the departure entrance, opposite the Lululemon on the first floor. Look for the “Singapore Food Street” sign—and yes, even I wonder why the name is not the other way around.

Also, before anyone comes at me for my ” the only one food stall ” opinion, this note is for me—the version of me in transit. The one in between flights. The one who has just stepped off a plane with an overpacked backpack and my alma mater hoodie, slightly disoriented, mildly dehydrated, and deeply irritated by the reclining etiquette in economy seating. The one who, for all the reasons above, sometimes forgets which terminal the Tiong Bahru Chicken Rice stall is actually in.

For that version of me, the instruction is simple: go straight to Terminal 3 and get the chicken rice.

What to order at the Tiong Bahru Chicken Rice stall in Singapore Changi Airport?

Get the roasted chicken rice. (skip the set if you don’t want the egg; most of the time you don’t) and a separate side of choy sum. The blanched choy sum is non-negotiable, as they come with that delightful light soy sauce. Mix it with the chicken rice broth and a bit of rice to create the perfect gravy. Also, it might just be your only vegetable intake for the year. The whole thing will cost less than SGD 10, even today.

Pour two servings of the garlic chilli into those tiny white plastic bowls—one with a tiny drizzle of sweet soy sauce (for the Indonesian in us), and one without.

There will be a moment when you consider ordering an extra portion of rice. Follow your instinct. The answer is almost always yes—especially if you are coming from or heading onto a Qantas flight, where the meals are better skipped.

Savour the chicken rice slowly, or as slowly as transit allows. This plate will give you exactly what you need: comfort, grounding, and just enough energy to carry you to your next gate.

There is only one exception. If your final destination is Jakarta, where a table of Amma’s home-cooked food is waiting, then you may skip the Tiong Bahru chicken rice stall. In that case, nothing here can quite hold a candle to it.

Got more time on hand? Next stop is the bookstore for Asian lit to read on the flight, Apple to replace the beaten screen protector, Irvin’s for salted egg chips as a plane snack, and Luventus for temple jewellery browsing.

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