Shop Reviews

One of the better Claypot chicken rice. The only negative aspect is the long wait time and It can stretch up to 1.5 hours. To me, its worth the wait. The kalian is well cooked.

We enjoyed a very hearty meal for two at this well established Claypot restaurant we had heard so much about. Absolutely 10/10 for the claypot rice flavours and textures. We really loved how succulent the meat was and how the lap cheong sausage and salted fish flavours embedded themselves in to the rice. Well worth the wait for a classic Claypot meal in a nice corner spot of the food court. We also enjoyed the pork rib and watercress soup which complemented the burnt rice flavours really well. Plus, the family running it were super nice!

Waiting time is tolerable and depends on the queue. Great food experience. The staffs are very kind. Not the best environment but will surely feed your hawker experience.👌

We have been patronising Lian He Ben Ji the claypot rice shop for many years (actually since young). There have been multiple reviews before mine that remarked on the long waiting time. That’s true, and waiting time can be 1.5hrs or even longer! To avoid disappointment, one can call the number on the Google review beforehand to book your claypot rice in advance, so you do not need to wait at the hawker centre for 1.5hrs straight. When it’s about your turn, just make payment and you’ll be served promptly. We ordered these few dishes: * Claypot rice for 2 pax * Yao Choy (Oyster sauce vegetables) * Old cucumber pork ribs soup Lian He Ben Ji seems to be the rare case in which the taste of the claypot rice just gets better over time! The claypot rice is cooked to the extent that there’s a layer of crust at the side of the claypot; it looks charred and inedible but it isn’t and in fact crispy! Chicken was succulent, and the lup cheong adds to the flavours of the rice without too overpowering. The good thing about this shop is that you’re given your own dark soy sauce - you get to control how much soy sauce to add in yourself in accordance to your preference. Just remember to stir it well! Oyster sauce vegetables were above average with a strong oyster sauce taste but not outstanding. The old cucumber pork ribs soup was pretty rich too for its price and serving! We paid S$ 20.50 in total. The auntie might sound a bit rude, but IMO it’s understandable given she has to manage so much orders and payments at the same time. Will definitely drop by again if we are around the area!

We came here to try the infamous claypot rice that was listed in the Lonely Planet (albeit a bit outdated), and we expected a long wait, as with most of these Michelin star places. Sadly, it was a huge disappointment in the end. The rice was flavourless, unless you drown it in sauce (a thick dark brown soy sauce of some kind). There was very little meat to eat because it was mostly bone! The lady taking orders was extremely unpleasant and rude. I understand that it gets busy, but if you can't hack it, do something else, like wait on tables or do the clean-up. On top of it all, the wait was indeed long (1 and half hour), so can confirm definitely not worth the money or the wait in the end. Do not recommend.

A place that deserves its reputation. Real intense seeing how they cook over the charcoal, when you get close for a photo it's so hot! Amazing service, amazing food, so unique and so tasty. The rice cooking onto the clay hotpot = wow! If in Singapore, this is a must!

With a wait time of over 1.5 hours and a long queue of eager diners, we had high expectations for Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the most disappointing meal of our trip. We ended up waiting nearly 2 hours – 30 minutes longer than the estimated time. To make matters worse, a local couple took our reserved table despite the usual tissue-packet system, forcing us to scramble to adjust our order. Given how busy the stall was, getting their attention was a challenge. When the food finally arrived, it was underwhelming. There wasn't enough meat, the rice was clumped to the pot and overly burnt, and the overall flavours were bland. If we didn't have the soy sauce, it would have been inedible. For the price and incredibly long wait, we expected much much better. Hands down, the most disappointing food experience we had in Singapore.

It was quite busy when I went to this hawker stand and I had a 1.5 hour wait for my chicken claypot rice and a side order of veg. Best to check and order in advance if you want to eat here to avoid having to wait around. Was it worth the wait? Yes and no. Everything was freshly cooked and arrived piping hot. As well as the chicken, there was bits of chinese sausage and dried fish mixed into the rice. The customary claypot crispy rice was also present where the rice is in contact with the surface of the pot as it's being cooked. The dish seemed to lack flavour and just needed a bit more seasoning, even with the addition of soy sauce and what I think was sesame oil, it still was a little tasteless. This is still a good option though if you're looking for clean, fresh, minimal, non-greasy meal. Loved the veg with the crispy toppings!

Kitty and I were in Chinatown for some Chinese physician therapy, and we found ourselves near the hawker center where Lian He Ben Ji is located. I'd been there before, and I knew it was a popular spot for delicious claypot rice. The last time I was there, I waited for an hour, so we were prepared for a bit of a wait this time. Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice is a culinary institution, celebrated for its mastery of the classic Singaporean claypot rice. More than just a hawker stall, it offers a deeply satisfying culinary experience rooted in tradition and perfected through years of dedication...or so we thought. It's a small stall on the second level of a busy hawker center, and it's always packed. Be prepared to wait at least 30 minutes; it's definitely not the place to go if you're in a hurry. This time, we waited about 50 minutes for our claypot rice. We ordered the claypot rice for two, and we also tried the braised greens to round out our meal. Unfortunately, this time around, our experience was far from the rave reviews we'd heard. It was far from the delicious claypot rice I remembered from the first time I tried it. The claypot rice was a disappointment. It was very bland, lacking the depth of flavor we remember. The rice itself wasn't undercooked, but it lacked that signature "wok hei" flavor that makes claypot rice so delicious. We tried adding a lot of dark soy sauce, but it didn't quite make up for the lack of flavor. The soy sauce itself was very watery, which didn't help. We couldn't pinpoint exactly what was missing, but the salted fish seemed less flavorful, and the soy sauce might have been inferior. Anyone who's a true claypot rice lover will know exactly what I'm talking about. We're not sure what went wrong, but we suspect it might be due to a change in the chef preparing the clay pot. The braised greens were also disappointing, and even the chili sauce they provided was watery. Overall, we were left feeling that the quality had declined significantly. It's a shame because Lian He Ben Ji used to be a go-to for us. However, based on this recent experience, I can't recommend it anymore. It might be worth trying again in the future, but for now, we'll be searching for other claypot rice options. Rating: 2 out of 5 stars (as much as I'm reluctant to do so, but I have no choice but to give this establishment a 2 star for now).

We ordered the chicken clay pot rice and were told that it would take one hour. Naturally the expectation was high… Did the food meet the expectation? I hate to say but it didn’t. It was meh… Thr rice didn’t have much flavor to it, it was just OK… We are glad we did it though. There were a lot of local people eating there, and we got to talk to some of them, which was a fun experience.