Chatterbox (restaurant)

Chatterbox is a restaurant located in Hilton Singapore Orchard. The restaurant opened on 1 August 1971 at The Mandarin Singapore and has since undergone several relocations and renovations. It is known for its Hainanese chicken rice, which was introduced to Chatterbox's first menu by German executive chef Peter Gehrmann.

Chatterbox
Hainanese chicken rice at Chatterbox (2008)
Chatterbox (restaurant) is located in Singapore
Chatterbox (restaurant)
Location within Singapore
Restaurant information
Established1971 (1971)
Head chefLiew Tian Heong[1]
Food typeAsian/Singaporean cuisine
Dress codeSmart casual[2]
Street address333 Orchard Rd, #05-03
Postal/ZIP CodeS238867
CountrySingapore
Coordinates1.3019°N 103.8359°E / 1.3019; 103.8359
Seating capacity126 (main dining area)
15 (bar)
ReservationsYes
WebsiteChatterbox

Description

Chatterbox is located on the fifth floor of Hilton Singapore Orchard. Its main dining area can seat 126 diners, whereas its bar can seat another 15.[1]

The restaurant primarily serves Asian cuisine. It is known for its Hainanese chicken rice, the recipe for which is reportedly only known by six chefs.[1] The chicken, which is delivered fresh from a Malaysian farm,[3] is steamed in a food steamer and served with aged jasmine rice cooked with ginger, garlic, and pandan leaves. The chicken rice is complemented by soy sauce, chilli padi sauce, and ginger paste.[1] Other dishes served at Chatterbox include coconut ice cream,[4] lobster laksa, ngo hiang, rojak, and salted egg chicken wings.[3]

History

The restaurant opened on 1 August 1971 at The Mandarin Singapore. Its menu was developed by German executive chef Peter Gehrmann and initially offered three local dishes, including char kway teow, laksa, and Hainanese chicken rice.[3] The year of its opening, local politician Tony Tan and his wife celebrated their wedding anniversary with a chicken rice dinner at Chatterbox.[3]

In January 1980, the restaurant moved to the hotel's ground floor and doubled its seating capacity;[5] the relocation cost S$168,000 (US$125,373.13).[6] In November 1989, Chatterbox was closed for a month of renovations costing around S$750,000 (US$559,701.49); American architect Cliff Turtle was commissioned to redesign the restaurant.[7] The restaurant introduced a chicken rice mascot named "Cheeky Chick" in July 1999; Weekend East described it as "an adorable stuffed chicken with ping-pong eyes".[8]

In August 2006,[9] to commemorate its thirty-fifth anniversary, the restaurant held a chicken rice eating competition; the winner finished his portion in one minute and eleven seconds.[3] In September 2019, Chatterbox Café, the first overseas offshoot of Chatterbox, opened in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong.[10] In October 2021, the Singaporean restaurant was closed for major renovations costing around S$4 million (US$2.99 million). It reopened on 14 March 2022, after the hotel had been rebranded as Hilton Singapore Orchard.[1]

Reception and legacy

Writing for local newspaper The Straits Times in July 1982, T. Phadoemchit described Chatterbox as "Singapore's most profitable hotel coffeeshop".[11] According to a June 1983 report by the Singaporean Business Times, Chatterbox's chicken rice sales alone earned the restaurant S$1.63 million (US$1.22 million), or some 136,000 servings; the restaurant's total turnover for the previous year was S$7.8 million (US$5.82 million).[12]

Tatler Asia reviewer Dudi Aureus visited the restaurant after its reopening in March 2022 and praised it for being "a stalwart for elevated local fare in the local F&B scene all these years".[13] Priyanka Elhence of Epicure Asia highlighted the decor and its "calming and elegant spa-like look",[14] whereas Yeoh Wee Teck of The New Paper found the renovations "stunning".[15]

Chatterbox was one of the earliest hotel restaurants in Singapore to serve local cuisine.[16] The restaurant is believed to have popularised the eating of chicken rice as an individual dish, rather than one shared among several people, as had been the norm prior to August 1971.[17] The chicken rice at Chatterbox has been widely regarded as the most famous in Singapore.[3][18][19][20]

References
  1. Yip, Jieying (24 February 2022). "Chatterbox Lowers Its Famed 'Atas' Chicken Rice Price After Nearly $4mil Revamp". 8 Days. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  2. "Chatterbox". Tatler. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  3. Koh, Yuen Lin (11 March 2020). "Chatterbox's Chicken Rice Is Served Boneless — So What Happens To Its Wings?". 8 Days. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  4. Tan, Jocelyn (14 March 2022). "Singapore's most expensive chicken rice at Chatterbox is back — here's what to expect". Lifestyle Asia. Archived from the original on 30 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  5. "More space to chat". New Nation. 25 January 1980. p. 18.
  6. "Food galore at the Chatterbox Coffeeshop". The Straits Times. 1 August 1980. p. 6.
  7. "Chatterbox reopens". Timeszone Central. 21 December 1989. p. 5.
  8. "'Cheeky' chicken rice". Weekend East. 30 July 1999. p. 19.
  9. Chong, Bernadette (29 July 2006). "The Chicken Rice Battle". Today. p. 24.
  10. Chiu, Anne (15 October 2019). "Chatterbox Café". Time Out. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  11. Phadoemchit, T. (18 July 1982). "Food 24 hours a day". The Straits Times. p. 11.
  12. Lee, Han Shih (11 June 1983). "Mandarin gets $1.6 m from chicken rice". Business Times. p. 3.
  13. Aureus, Dudi (25 March 2022). "Chatterbox Is Back: What We Think of Its SG$25 Chicken Rice". Tatler. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  14. Elhence, Priyanka (28 March 2022). "The iconic Chatterbox reopens its doors at Hilton Orchard Singapore". Epicure Asia. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  15. Yeoh, Wee Teck (10 March 2022). "Chatterbox's chicken rice makes a comeback". The New Paper. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  16. "Chatterbox: A Singapore dining icon". Business Times. 30 October 2020. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  17. Chou, Cynthia (2015). "How Chicken Rice Informs about Identity". In Cynthia Chou; Morten Warmind; Susanne Kerner (eds.). Commensality: From Everyday Food to Feast. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 148. ISBN 9780857857361.
  18. Weldon, Denise; San Juan, Thelma Sioson (2001). Malate: A Matter of Taste. LJC Restaurant Group. p. 72. ISBN 9789715694148.
  19. Seah, May (14 March 2022). "How to make the best chicken rice at home: Secrets of Chatterbox's executive chef". Channel News Asia. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  20. "12 best places for chicken rice, picked by ST food writers". The Straits Times. 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
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