Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice

If u don't have the extended patience, I will suggest you skip this stall, Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice. Please don't assume what the owner estimated to you is accurate. My order was placed at 5:35pm yet other customers who walked in after me got their orders served before me. Not 1, not 2 but at least 5 or 6 orders which they explained was advanced orders. The very same people who stood around my table to wait for their table seats before going to the counter to place their orders. Such a coincidence that all are advanced orders.

It's been a long time since I last visited, and I suddenly remember why the moment I got my order, it's the heat of the environment - very warm/ uncomfortable. The wait is 'legendary', they accept phone orders/ takeaways, and the queue builds before they open at 3pm. It was a Saturday, they have not turned on their lights, I ordered in person at 2:50pm, and would get my claypot rice at 3:40pm (dine in). I like the idea that it's still charcoal fire claypot, self service mix of oil/ dark soy sauce, and served with a plate to separate the chicken from the rice. But that nostalgia is the only highlight. The chicken was average, and the $3 added chicken didn't feel like good value. The rice was also normal, nothing spectacular, and certainly not worth that wait. But the deal breaker is the dining environment. Maybe it's my fault for coming at 3-4pm, but if it was later in the evening, the wait would be worse. There's no natural breeze in that corner, the fans only blow warm air around, and I felt that I ate in a type of 'sauna'. I pity the folks who work there, must be quite rough.

This food court in Chinatown, recommended by AI, seems to have recently been recommended by Michelin! I went after get off work one evening, and it was indeed bustling with activity. Not only was there a queue, but after ordering, I had to wait about 30 minutes. The owner asks you to find a seat in advance and give them your queue number and phone number to register. Once your food is ready, it will be brought to your seat; you don't need to wait. Following the example of the uncle next to me, I first poured oil around the sides of the clay pot to soften the crispy rice at the bottom, so that after eating the rice, you could enjoy the slightly charred, fragrant rice crust. I ordered the mixed rice, and it was indeed rich in ingredients, including salted fish, sausage, and chicken—a strong-flavored dish that left a deep impression. Many of the diners were locals, and mostly older people, indicating that this stall has many repeat customers. No wonder it's Michelin-starred! I recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it. The portion size can be adjusted according to the number of people. My portion cost 10 Singapore dollars and was very filling. Paired with the craft beer at this food court, it was a truly enjoyable experience. If I had to offer some criticism, it would be that the food court in Chinatown Complex is dimly lit, stuffy, and a bit oppressive, but this kind of old building can't be changed.

29th Jul’26 Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice/联合本记煲飯 is famous for its Michelin Bib Gourmand traditional charcoal cooked claypot rice. Located inside Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre, the stall is run by a team of women known by locals as the Three Sisters. The claypot comes packed with marinated chicken pieces, savoury Chinese sausage/lap cheong (腊肠), & salted fish, which are supposed to give the rice an intense punch of umami. However, to me, the flavour wasn’t as strong as expected, possibly because there wasn’t enough salted fish. The bottom layer of crispy, scorched rice crust is another highlight for many people - but I must be one of the few who doesn’t really like it. The waiting time is around 45 minutes, so be prepared to wait. If you haven’t tried it before, you can give it a try & see if it’s your cup of tea.

Awesome Claypot Rice

4.5/5 First time trying their claypot rice, and we waited about 40 minutes on a weekday. We ordered the mixed claypot rice, which came generously topped with tender chicken pieces, Chinese sausages, and probably the most generous amount of salted fish I've ever seen in a claypot rice. Even the chicken breast pieces were surprisingly tender and flavourful, which isn’t always the case. The moment it arrived at the table, it gave off an enticing aroma. The rice was flavourful and delicious, with the ingredients complementing each other well. While the wait can be a little long, it's understandable given that the rice is cooked from scratch over a charcoal fire. Good things take time. I'd gladly have it again if I'm in the area around dinner time. It's definitely one of the better claypot rice dishes I've had in Singapore. The $15 portion was also surprisingly substantial and was enough to feed the three of us, albeit with two small eaters in the group.

First off, you have to wait very long. Alot of local folks buying. Place is not comfortable. You have a lot smoke from other stalls, zi char, satay. Satay around the area is great. Always had satay while waiting for my claypot rice. Okay so do not expect fantastic, surprise, amazing meal. I considered this as local comfort food. Nostalgic local meal. A time where by family, friend get around to chit chat and wait for your meal. It's like a local ritual. They are still trying to keep the standard throughout the years. Appreciate their effort. At least the food is decent, price is decent.

Wednesday - 6th May 2026 Wifey and I heard pretty good reviews on the Claypot Rice Stall in Chinatown Food Centre - Lian He Ben Ji Claypot (联合本记). We are regular visitors of Chinatown Fresh Food Market and Food Centre but had never heard of this famous stall. It’s because they start serving only from 3pm till 9pm and they’re closed on Mondays and Thursdays. We were forewarned that waiting time is between 40 minutes to 90 minutes. Hence we arrived the stall at 3:10pm. There wasn’t any queue (we thought) so I headed right up to place our orders of 1 Claypot Rice and a bowl of Lotus Root Pork Rib Soup. Server told us that waiting time would be 40 minutes. My wife and I wondered, “Hah, no customer and yet got to wait 40 minutes???” When we sat down and looked around, nearly all the tables had people sitting there (in pairs or threes) - no food. Only then we realized that those seated people were patrons who had placed their orders. Examining the stall closely, there were 10 charcoal stoves (all red hot burning claypots). All the stoves were “occupied”; apparently the chef cooked each Claypot from scratch upon order. Hence the waiting time of at least 40 minutes (for the first batch of patrons). Subsequent patrons, I heard the server told them 50 minutes…so the later arrivals will get their orders later. While some patrons were “delivered” their Claypot orders, we saw a couple arrived about 20 minutes later than us, went up to the server and said something - and they got their orders about 10 minutes later (and we were still waiting). We were puzzled? Are they regular patrons who got “special preference”. Anyway, I told wifey that our 40 minutes waiting time wasn’t up. True to promise, our Claypot was delivered to our table about the 40th minute. Wow! How did they do that?? Shortly followed by the Lotus Root Soup (which came from the Steamer in adjacent stall). I enjoyed the Claypot Rice thoroughly - the $12 Claypot gave us 5 bowls of rice. The bottom layer was a bit burnt but I liked it that way, needed to squeeze in some pork oil to scrap the bottom layer. There were bits of Chinese Sausages (both standard and liver), chopped chicken pieces and shiitake mushrooms. We could taste presence of salted fish but couldn’t find any salted fish chips. Wifey and I would prefer more ingredients (we are basically meat eaters🤣🤣) and salted fish. If we patronize again, I thought maybe we can request additional ingredients (with additional cost of course) but same amount of rice. The Lotus Root Soup was clear and tasty. At $2.50, it was really a good buy. There were five pieces of pork ribs. To solve our curiosity, before we departed, we asked a server how come some patrons didn’t have to wait so long, he replied that we could also call in to place our order in advance and inform them our arrival time; but we needed to be punctual. Immediately he gave us a “calling card”. Nice. This is a stall worthy of returning to; especially when I crave for claypot rice.