Slowly but surely, Tokyo is becoming a hot spot for chicken rice

One of Singapore's most iconic dishes, the humble chicken rice is given an upscale treatment at a new Marunouchi cafe. | CHATTERBOX CAFE TOKYO

Aug 16, 2026

In Tokyo’s ever-expanding landscape of regional cuisines, chicken rice is far from a newcomer. But the arrival of a legendary Singaporean name makes a case for a new top dog in the scene.

On a recent afternoon at Chatterbox Cafe Tokyo, an upmarket Singaporean restaurant that opened its first permanent location in the Marunouchi business district in January, a full house of 90 salarymen and tourists chose for lunch the Mandarin chicken rice that earned the original Singapore icon its fame.

For ¥2,800 ($17.60), the offering of sliced chicken breast and thigh, jasmine rice and chicken-based soup sings to my Singaporean tastebuds: The meat, served separately and drizzled with soy sauce and poaching stock, is moist and tender. The rice, which some argue is the true star of the dish, is sauteed in chicken fat before it is cooked in the same stock used for the meat, resulting in oily, savory grains.

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