Ex-founder of “Don Pie” returns to bake his well-loved pies & crab bee hoon at Jalan Besar

Remember “Don Pie”, the homegrown hen pie store that Singaporeans fell in love with within the early 2000s? Don Pie’s ex-founder, Chef Don Lim, is again baking pies once more— this time, at Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab, a comfy restaurant at 39 Tyrwhitt Road in Jalan Besar.

P.S. Read to the tip of this text for an unique promo!

The journey actually hasn’t been straightforward for Chef Don Lim. I bear in mind “Don Pie” prefer it was yesterday, and recall with a lot fondness how these traditional and homey hen pies took Singapore by storm a decade in the past. This was the OG hen pie.

Despite its preliminary success, Chef Don Lim was pressured to promote the enterprise away in 2014 as a result of mounting debt. Thus defined the sudden disappearance of this well-loved pie chain (which frankly, I’ve been questioning about until current day). 

Chef Don Lim needed to begin from scratch but once more. The man who was most well-known for his pies expanded his repertoire and determined to promote crab dishes as a one-man hawker in a Toa Payoh espresso store, to a lot success, and finally labored his method again to the place he’s as we speak.

That would clarify the considerably eyebrow-raising mixture of pies and crabs at his latest residence, Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab, positioned in a shophouse simply subsequent to Jalan Besar Stadium.

This 25-seater restaurant is the epitome of cosy, with emerald inexperienced partitions, darkish brown furnishings and heat lighting setting the temper. What I particularly liked was the cheeky decor that added a contact of character to the house— such because the child (the identical photograph from virtually 20 years in the past at his first store in Raffles Place) consuming a pie within the background (it’s Chef Don’s niece!) and the “You Don’t 鸡派” neon signage. 

For non-Chinese readers, 鸡派 is pronounced as ji pai. Though it’s straight translated to “chicken pie”, it sounds awfully just like…properly… a vulgar Singlish phrase. And sure, that playful double which means is deliberate.

All hen pies and Chef Don’s signature kueh lapis are made in-house, and you may really watch them in motion through the glass panels within the eating space! 

Before I dive into the meals overview, only a fast observe that Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab is Singapore’s first and solely seafood restaurant with pet-friendly seating areas indoors. There’s a quiet cluster of tables in the back of the restaurant which were licensed as pet pleasant, so be happy to deliver your furkids alongside! 

Due to the quantity of dine-in seats accessible, it’s finest to make a reservation through their desk reservation hyperlink. You may even request for them to order their signature gadgets to your go to whereas making your reservation!

What I attempted at Chicken Pie Kitchen

I had to style Chef Don Lim’s signature Chicken Pie, which is on the market in 2 sizes: Personal (S$6.30) and Whole (S$28.80). The Personal Chicken Pie feeds 1 pax, whereas the Whole feeds 4 to six pax.

This Chicken Pie may look fairly easy, however it makes use of Chef Don Lim’s 39-year-old unique hen pie recipe which dates again to 1983, making it a real legend to behold.

What a magnificence. It took me solely a single chunk to move me again to my childhood days. With a crust that’s buttery and flaky, this pie was filled with a wealthy and creamy hen filling, with loads of delicate potatoes and corn. 

I’ve forgotten how good Chef Don Lim’s pies had been. This was nostalgia in a single chunk. I liked how the beneficiant creamy filling comforted me in and out, whereas the golden crust was completely crisp. More importantly, the ratio of crust to filling was equally matched, and each chunk had a little bit of each.

This was so good that I ended up ordering a whole Whole Chicken Pie again for the remainder of the group. Not kidding! Not to say, due to its massive parts, I’d simply contemplate pre-ordering a few pies for any upcoming Christmas and Chinese New Year gatherings.

A dish that I noticed at actually each desk was Chef Don Lim’s Crab Bee Hoon Soup, so you realize that this can be a particular must-order everytime you’re right here at Chicken Pie Kitchen.

Fun reality: Chef Don Lim began out getting ready crab dishes specifically for household dinners within the early 2000s, however it will definitely acquired added to the menu as a result of excessive demand from clients.

Chef Don’s Crab Bee Hoon Soup is barely completely different from the remaining, and makes use of his personal concoction of herbs and spices to create a luscious and milky broth. Prices fluctuate relying on the burden of the crab, and begin from Regular (S$33.80 for 350g – 400g crab) and may go all the way in which as much as XXL (S$108.80 for about 1.3kg crab).

This was a knock-out dish that warmed my complete physique up and the remainder of my eating companions and I spent a great 10 minutes or so slurping the silky soup in silence.

The soup was delicate but full-bodied, with a pleasant contact of herb-like perfume and an fragrant kick from Chinese wine. Rather than the milky and wealthy variations at different seafood eating places, this jogged my memory of natural soups because of the inclusion of dang gui (Chinese angelica root) and ginger. 

Pair it with each day air-flown Sri Lankan crab, fried yam slices, greens and thick bee hoon, and also you’ve acquired your self a hearty and soul-comforting dish that I’d gladly order any day, rain or shine.

For these craving one thing spicier and bolder, attempt Chicken Pie Kitchen’s Prawn & Scallop Laksa Bee Hoon (S$12.80 for normal, S$23.80 for medium).

This zhng-ed laksa got here filled with loads of elements, akin to a plump scallop, prawns, taupok, fishcake and a hard-boiled egg.

The laksa broth was completely lemak and wealthy, with loads of coconut cream and Chef Don’s do-it-yourself rempah to create a strong and creamy gravy that hit the spot. 

A tip for many who want their laksa actually spicy – ask for additional spice! The pleasant group will add in additional rempah for that additional oomph.

Other than Chicken Pie, Chef Don additionally sells his signature Chicken Shepherd’s Pie (S$6.30 for single serving, S$28.80 for entire pie).

This traditional Chicken Shepherd’s Pie varies from the Chicken Pie with its selection of filling and topping— this model comes with black pepper hen and greens, and is topped off with mashed potatoes after which baked within the oven. 

I reckon this might be successful with the youngsters as a result of its silky but hefty mashed potatoes. The addition of black pepper hen provides that well-needed kick of sharp and savoury flavour.

Chicken Pie Kitchen additionally sells Kueh Lapis, a conventional Asian butter cake that’s recognized for its distinct layers. It’s accessible in Half (S$26.80) or Whole (S$48.80).

Fluffy but densely moist, I liked Chef Don’s Kueh Lapis. This signature cake is lovingly made in-house, layer by layer, and takes over 4 hours of labor to bake every tray. If you like one thing a little bit extra diverse, you possibly can attempt its Prune Lapis (S$28.80 for half, S$50.80 for entire) as a substitute.

Final ideas

I totally loved myself at Chicken Pie Kitchen. Not solely was it an absolute delight to have the ability to have a style of Chef Don’s traditional Chicken Pie after so a few years, the communal-style of eating allowed my eating companions and I to share the scrumptious meal collectively. 

On that observe, all of us ended up falling in love with completely different dishes— I personally liked the Chicken Pie, whereas Rachel, our social media guru, loved the Prawn & Scallop Laksa Bee Hoon essentially the most. Ansel, our enterprise improvement govt, picked the Crab Bee Hoon Soup as his favorite. It solely goes to indicate how stellar every dish was!

As a thanks to all SethLui.com readers, quote “SETHLUI” and comply with Chicken Pie Kitchen’s social media pages (Facebook & Instagram) to get pleasure from a particular present for single order purchases above S$39! Note that this promo is till 31 Jan 2023 whereas shares final.

Expected injury: S$6.30 – S$20 per pax

* This article was dropped at you in partnership with Chicken Pie Kitchen.

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