A Taste of Singapore at Hawker Chan.

SM City Sto. Tomas, the fourth SM Supermall in the province of Batangas, prides itself as the first "Singapore style" mall in the Philippines with its stunning, nature-inspired architectural design. With over 150 retail stores, restaurants, and specialty shops, SM City Sto. Tomas has easily become a favorite among Batangueños and those from nearby provinces. Personally, I like this mall because of Uniqlo and Digital Walker (which are not found in SM San Pablo), and the variety of dining options. Among the restaurant choices in this mall is Hawker Chan, where we had lunch last weekend. 

Hawker Chan at SM City Sto. Tomas.

Hawker Chan, which began as a humble hawker stall in Singapore, is a global franchise known for its high-quality yet affordable food. Originally known as "Chan Hon Meng Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle" (Chan Hon Meng being the chef and owner), the stall became popular for its signature dish, the soya sauce chicken rice - tender and flavorful chicken served with fragrant rice, drizzled with savory soy sauce. After earning a Michelin star in 2016*, this small hawker stall catapulted to fame and expanded beyond its original location in Singapore, opening branches in several countries including the Philippines. 

To date, Hawker Chan has nineteen branches all over the country. The new stores, including the SM Sto. Tomas branch, are now dubbed as Hawker Chan 2.0 with its stylish interiors and expanded menu. They've also somewhat evolved to a casual dining restaurant, with orders taken from and served to your table instead of lining up at the counter. 

Here's a quick look at what we ordered at Hawker Chan. 

Soya Sauce Chicken, Php 198.

Yue and Maggie had the signature Soya Sauce Chicken meal, which comes with some peanuts and prawn crackers on the side. Yue had never been to Singapore before so he's not very familiar with Singaporean food, and I was pleasantly surprised that he liked this dish. (Looks like he's ready enough to go on a trip to the Lion City, haha.) 

Roasted Duck, Php 338 + Buchi, Php 98 (4 pcs).

Mom had the Roasted Duck meal which comes with a marinated egg and some prawn crackers. She liked the flavor of the duck, although the meat was not as tender as she wanted it to be. The marinated egg was good, kinda like the mayak gyeran (Korean marinated egg) that I make at home.

Char Siew (BBQ) Pork, Php 218.

Morgan and my sister-in-law had the Char Siew Pork meal, which also comes with some peanuts and prawn crackers like the Soya Sauce Chicken meal.

Hawker BBQ Pork Platefull, Php 280.

My brother and I, on the other hand, ordered a BBQ Pork Platefull each which comes with a cup of rice, stir-fry noodles, prawn crackers, a piece of buchi, a bowl of wonton soup, and a glass of cola. The BBQ pork was tender and flavorful, which I loved, the stir-fry noodles were good, the wonton soup was so-so. The true star of this platter was the buchi with its yummy peanut filling. Yue loved it so much he ordered four pieces for himself.

Our first shopping/food trip of the year. :)

Overall, dining at Hawker Chan was a pleasant experience. Everything was good - the food, the price, the ambiance, and even the service. Will I consider dining here again? Of course! Next time I'll probably try their Hainanese Chicken and Char Kway Teow (Singaporean noodles), and maybe some Chendol too, for that complete "Singapore style" experience. 

*Sadly, Hawker Chan lost its Michelin star in 2021. I'm hoping they earn it back.

Hawker Chan

SM City Sto. Tomas

Pan-Philippine Highway, San Roque,

Sto. Tomas, Batangas