Hawker Chan draws queues in London

Foodies queue for hours to savour chef Chan Hon Meng’s Michelinstarred soya sauce chicken rice

Hundreds of people in London (above) waited patiently as Singapore’s Hawker Chan served his signature chicken rice at pop-up food market Kerb. PHOTOS: KERBFOOD/ INSTAGRAM

Nobody is chickening out because of the long wait.

Foodies clamouring for a taste of the world's cheapest Michelin meal have turned up in droves at London's Granary Square over the past three days.

Hundreds waited patiently in line as Singapore's Hawker Chan dished up his signature soya sauce chicken rice at British pop-up food market Kerb.

Mr Chan Hon Meng was in London from Wednesday until yesterday, as part of a collaboration with Singapore Airlines and the Singapore Tourism Board, reported Eater London.

From 11.30am each day, only 200 portions of his soya sauce chicken rice box were served, priced at £6 (S$11) each.

A snaking queue had formed even before 10am, with some people waiting for up to two hours, according to posts on social media.

Many had to be turned away, but those lucky enough to sink their teeth into the dish said they had no regrets waiting so long.

Hundreds of people in London waited patiently as Singapore's Hawker Chan (above) served his signature chicken rice at pop-up food market Kerb. PHOTOS: KERBFOOD/ INSTAGRAM

A pair of friends, who included a Singaporean woman, told Business Insider in an interview on Wednesday they had arrived at 10.30am, waited 11/2 hours for the food and that it was really good.

The Hawker Chan brand is a spin-off of Singapore hawker stall Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle, which was started by Mr Chan at Chinatown Complex in Smith Street.

In 2016, he was awarded a Michelin star and his $2 chicken rice was touted as the world's cheapest Michelin-starred meal.

After signing a deal with Hersing Culinary, he went on to open outlets around the world - three in Taipei, two in Bangkok and one in Melbourne. More branches are planned for Perth and Manila.

In Singapore, other than the stall at Chinatown Complex, there are three other Hawker Chan outlets at Toa Payoh Central, 78 Smith Street and 18 Tai Seng, a mall in Paya Lebar.

Mr Chan told Eater London: "My dream is to see more Singaporean cuisine and more undiscovered local hawker talent enjoyed on an international stage.

"Whether you're a restaurant chef or a street market hawker, with food, you can never stop learning."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 17, 2018, with the headline Hawker Chan draws queues in London. Subscribe