Charcoal Claypot Chicken Review: Guangdong-Style Claypot Soup In Farrer Park

Charcoal Claypot Chicken has Guangdong-style soup in Farrer Park

Like many Singaporeans, I absolutely love claypot dishes such as Klang-style bak kut teh and frog leg porridge. So when I learned of Charcoal Claypot Chicken, a new stall in Farrer Park that offers Guangdong-style claypot dishes, I knew I had to check it out.

We hear that the chef, who hails from Guangdong, China, is eager to present these popular hometown dishes to our local audience. And after trying some of them, I think Singaporeans will find a lot to love with Charcoal Claypot Chicken’s offerings.

Food at Charcoal Claypot Chicken

The stall’s regular-sized claypot dishes are suitable for two or three people, and start from $28. If you’re dining alone, there are also mini claypot options to choose from.

We started with the Traditional Pig’s Stomach with Kampong Chicken ($30), one of the regular-sized claypot dishes I was talking about. What arrived was a large pot filled to the brim with chicken parts, chopped-up pieces of pig stomach, and this bubbling mass of chicken soup. All of this was being continually heated by charcoal fire underneath the pot.

I thought the soup was really good overall. It was peppery but not overly so, and the rich, savoury flavour of chicken and pig’s stomach shone through. The hints of herbal notes in the broth added depth to the broth as well.

Maybe some of that richness came from the fact that kampung chicken was used here. If we’re talking about the meat itself, however, I’d say the chicken was tougher than I’d like. While that might be due to the pot being continuously heated, the fact is that the chicken’s texture wasn’t a highlight.

I had no complaints about the pig’s stomach, however. Each piece of it was smooth and fresh, with a chewy texture that complemented the firmer chicken well.

Next, we tried the Hainan Fresh Coconut with Kampong Chicken ($30), which is another hulking claypot dish that can feed up to three people.

If you’re a fan of coconut, this dish is likely to appeal to you, because boy did it have such strong coconutty characteristics. I would go as far as to say each sip of the soup reminded me more of coconut than chicken, and depending on who you ask, this could be a good or bad thing.

Nevertheless, the sweetness of the fresh coconut slices and water chestnuts in the broth was a standout trait here, and my thoughts on the kampung chicken mirrored those of the previous dish.

To cap off our meal, we decided to try one of the mini claypot dishes, the Signature Braised Beef Organ ($12).

Though this pot was significantly smaller in size than the previous two dishes, it was well-packed with beef chunks, meatballs, tripe and more. And while all of these ingredients were fresh and quite succulent, what really impressed me was the braising sauce, which had a surprisingly intense spicy kick and a deep savoury flavour.

Ambience at Charcoal Claypot Chicken

Charcoal Claypot Chicken is located in the Food Park coffeeshop along Cambridge Road, which is home to popular stalls such as Choon Seng Teochew Porridge. The space itself is quite clean and well-ventilated, so you’ll be able to enjoy your claypot soup without much distraction.

Charcoal Claypot Chicken is a 12-minute walk from Farrer Park MRT Station.

The verdict

Charcoal Claypot Chicken offers a wide and interesting range of claypot dishes. While it’s certainly not the most economical option around when it comes to hawker food, we think that most of the dishes are delicious and worth a shot.

For a Michelin Bib Gourmand claypot rice stall with 40-minute queues, check out our Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice review. For Klang-style claypot bak kut teh in Aljunied, read our Ge Bi Lao Wang Bak Kut Teh review.

Address: 43 Cambridge Road, Food Park, Singapore 210043
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 11am to 9pm
Tel: 9752 2511
Website
Charcoal Claypot Chicken is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Maisie Chong.
This was an independent review by Eatbook.sg.