After a three-year hiatus, Niven Leong is back in the chicken rice game.
On May 29, the second-generation hawker opened Sin Kee Chicken Rice (Margaret Drive) at a food court in Ubi.
That name might sound familiar to local foodies, especially those from the older generation.
The iconic brand was opened by Niven’s late father in 1971, and five decades later, his son is looking to keep the legacy going.
Niven took to Facebook on May 23 to announce his decision to open Sin Kee Chicken Rice (Margaret Drive).
“‘This would do my late father proud,” the caption read.
Accompanying the heartfelt caption were photos of final touches on the stall ahead of its first day of operation.
In a separate Facebook post, shared on May 27, Niven expressed his initial reservations about whether he could match up to the standards set by his late father.
He explained: “I’m getting old, and the fact was I did not do chicken rice for the last three years.”
Despite this, pre-opening day preparations went “more than good”.
Niven was appreciative of how receptive his testers were and was set to get back into the groove of cooking chicken rice “the way [he] knows how”.
It seemed like opening Sin Kee Chicken Rice (Margaret Drive) was a cathartic experience for him.
“Frankly, I just found out how much I missed cooking this dish, thank you dad,” Niven said.
AsiaOne has reached out to Niven for more information.
In the comments sections of both posts were netizens rooting for him.
A Facebook user commented: “Success is waiting for you! Go get it!”
“Congratulations bro! He will be very proud!” another netizen said.
Keeping the legacy going
Niven’s father died in 2008, and his sons, Niven and Benson, decided to pursue their own separate businesses to continue their dad’s legacy, Shin Min reported.
Benson’s business is named Margaret Drive Chicken Rice and located at a Holland Drive coffeeshop.
As for Niven, he sold his father’s recipe to his two apprentices for $42,800, according to the Chinese daily.
He then went on to start the now-defunct Uncle Chicken Rice.
In 2015, the hawker opened Sin Kee Famous Chicken, which was even featured on Netflix’s Street Food: Asia Singapore episode.
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.