Solid bowls of curry chicken & laksa in Queensway

What is that heavenly smell?

This question was the only thing on my mind as I window-shopped my way through Queensway Shopping Centre one day. Following the aroma, I navigated from the top floor all the way to the ground floor. The source? Queensway Original Curry Chicken.

I couldn’t possibly leave without finding out if their curry chicken tasted as good as it smelled, right?

The stall is smack in the middle of the ground floor. If you’re a laksa fanatic, perhaps you’ll recognise its facade. Queensway Original Curry Chicken operates from the same kiosk as the famous Janggut Laksa, better known as the “Original Katong Laksa”.

The no-frills kiosk is lined by several counter tables and small square tables for dine-ins. Despite my visit being on a Thursday afternoon, most of these seats were filled. Still, patrons ate and left quickly, allowing me a seat in no time. 

Service was efficient too; my food arrived quicker than I could say “Queensway Original Curry Chicken”.

What I tried at Queensway Original Curry Chicken

Queensway Original Curry Chicken’s signature dish is its Curry Chicken, needless to say. It comes in Small and Large portions, priced at S$5.50 and S$7.50 respectively. I opted to pair my Large Curry Chicken with Bread, though you’re free to choose Rice instead.

As opposed to the usual French loaf, the curry was served with 3 slices of white bread, which I much prefer. There’s a subtle sweetness when the soft bread is eaten with the curry. Also, it just soaks up every bit of that curry better, you know?

I’d describe this curry as everything you’d want in a classic chicken curry. It was immensely fragrant and tasted like it smelled – savoury and spicy, balanced out by the creaminess of coconut milk.

It’d be impossible not to soak or spoon up every last drop of thick curry in the bowl without wanting more. Delicious as it is, I must admit that there simply wasn’t enough gravy to leave me feeling fully satisfied.

While they could’ve been more generous with their gravy, they definitely did not scrimp on their chicken. My Large bowl was loaded with 5 huge pieces of chicken mid-wings and drumsticks. Yay, protein! These were accompanied by a large chunk of soft potato.

However, I was left underwhelmed as I tore into the chicken. The meat was tougher and less flavourful than I had expected. It wasn’t foul or inedible; I just wished for better harmony between the curry and chicken.

Hock Shun Traditional Homemade Curry: Nostalgic claypot chicken curry from $3.50 at Redhill

For my second dish, I got Queensway Original Curry Chicken’s only other curry offering, the Chicken Cutlet Rice with Curry Sauce (S$6/S$8).

The rice is topped with a layer of sliced chicken cutlet and then doused in a healthy amount of curry sauce. I was drawn to its reminiscence of a messy plate of Hainanese curry rice, one of my favourite comfort foods.

To be brutally honest, the plate that I received didn’t seem the freshest. While the chicken cutlet bore a breaded exterior, it did not hold a crisp and was instead tepid and soggy. Nonetheless, I found myself able to put that aside as it was pretty well-marinated and tasty.

I did also feel that the curry, once absorbed by the rice, lost a fair bit of oomph and full-bodiedness. With the combination paling in comparison to the pairing with bread I had, I remained in Team Bread.

Seeing the bowls of Janggut Laksa (S$5.50/S$7.50) on almost every surrounding table, I couldn’t leave without trying it. Moreover, I was fuelled in part by curiosity, having tried the Katong Laksa from 328 Katong Laksa (which sits on the same floor).

The Janggut Laksa consists of cut-up strands of thick bee hoon, fish cake slices, taugeh, cockles and 2 small prawns , all soaking in a milky orange broth. A dollop of sambal chilli is placed on the side, though you can add more as you wish from the containers on the table.

I’ve always liked the idea of using only a spoon to eat Katong Laksa. It’s just so convenient and easy to scoop everything up and shovel it into your mouth.

I’ll put it out there that I thoroughly enjoyed this bowl of laksa. The broth was the biggest stand-out – it was flavourful and creamy, with a subtle smokiness and nutty hints. The delightfully springy thick bee hoon and the briny cockles complemented the broth perfectly, bringing a perfect balance to the dish.

Final Thoughts

To answer my question: yes, Queensway’s curry tasted as good as it smelled. In my opinion, this can be owed entirely to its stellar, flavoursome gravy. Trust me, it’s delicious and will leave you wanting more, which is why I felt that they could definitely afford to be more generous with their portions of curry.

I do feel that their Curry Chicken could benefit from a few tweaks, especially with regard to the chicken element. It was lacklustre in comparison to the gravy I’ve sung praises about.

Overall, I still believe that you can definitely rely on Queensway Original Curry Chicken if you’re in search of a simple and comforting yet tasty bowl of curry chicken. You can’t go without trying their Janggut Laksa either – it’s famous for a reason.

Expected damage: S$5.50 – S$8 per pax

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