I never would have though to eat at a Wee Nam Kee had my friend Rye not introduced me to it. First off, I've gotten it into my head that you need a bunch of people to eat at a Chinese restaurant to get a good bargain out of it, and secondly I wasn't too confident in their branding, quite honest. For the modest Hainanese chicken rice, I didn't get why it had to be so done in ornateness and glamour. It's just chicken, soup, and rice, right?
But I got over all these things and I realized that it's THE chicken, soup, and rice that they're offering. Even though the place has its roots in a humble Singaporean food stand, you have to somehow put the star item on a pedestal, because it's that good.
And likely nowhere else is the pedestal better than at Shang. The interiors of the Wee Nam Kee here are effortless and chic in clean geometric patterns, crisp neutrals, and the warm pop of red from the seats. It's a beautiful place to have a delectable Hainanese chicken rice dinner. read more