Attracted by the promise of a meal that would satisfy a multi-generational family, we visited The Hainan Story outlet at Jewel Changi Airport – grandparents, a teen and a primary schooler in tow – to see what it had to offer.
The Hainan Story: The Chapters So Far
The Hainan Story is a homegrown chain, founded in 2020 on the premise that Hainanese food in Singapore deserves more shelf space than chicken rice alone. It has since spread across formats — full restaurants, self-service coffeehouses, a bakery line, and takeaway kiosks — with the three restaurants organised under a “Chapter Series” concept. There’s the opera-inspired Chapter One at Hotel Boss, Chapter Three at Jurong Point, where zi char meets Hainanese tradition, and Chapter Two, which is the one at Jewel.
Chapter Two sits in Jewel’s basement at #B2-201/202, and its theme is British colonial — vintage fittings, dark wood, the black-and-white bamboo chick blinds reminiscent of a 1900s colonial home.
The Colonial Kitchen
The Hainanese arrived in Singapore in the late 1880s, after the Teochew, Hokkien, Cantonese and Hakka were already firmly entrenched in their respective enclaves and professions. With most doors closed, many Hainanese found jobs as domestic helpers or cooks in wealthy Peranakan and British families.
They learned Western technique while staying rooted in Chinese cooking, blending the two to create unique local comfort foods like the Hainanese pork chop. These Hainanese cooks were also eventually responsible for commercializing labour-intensive heirloom Nonya recipes, making them accessible outside Peranakan homes.
That is how chicken rice, breaded pork chops, laksa, fish head curry, kaya toast and Swiss rolls are all Singaporean-Hainanese cuisine and sit on one menu coherently. All the better for choice we say!
The menu is organised into named sub-brands. Aside from an expansive Coffee & Toast section, the main brands are Newspaper Hainanese Curry Rice, Uncle Robert Hainanese Western and Wee Nam Kee Chicken Rice (yes, the actual eponymous institution which is featured as a heritage partner brand). A full food court offering within a single order.
The Hainan Story Chapter 2 Food Review: What we ate
As guests of the restaurant, we sampled a curated selection of their signature dishes and specials.
The stars for us from this meal were:
The breaded chicken chop was succulent – crispy, yet moist and tender – slathered with the piquant onion and tomato-based sauce. The large chop came with a generous side of coleslaw, mash potatoes and fries, and was so hearty that the accompanying 8-inch cheesy pork sausage lay largely untouched for us. This dish was, predictably, the kid favourite.
This dish was touted as the “Star of the House” under this sub-brand, which offers a whole 9 variations of the dish! A large fragrant curry drumstick was the highlight, alongside tasty Hainanese stewed mixed vegetable, a sunny-side up egg and sambal for extra kick. Grandma gave this a thumbs up, while kids found it a tad spicy.
Signature Hainanese Curry Fish Head ($28)
The aromatic tangy lemak flavour of this version hit just the right spot with my fish-head curry loving husband. The fish was appreciably fresh in this moderately-spicy rendition, and was accompanied by tau pok, brinjal and ladies fingers in a gravy kept bubbling at the table on a tabletop burner.
Hainanese Steam Chicken Mix Roast Chicken ($20 for half) and Mix Platter Roast Pork & BBQ Pork ($13.50 for small portion) with fragrant rice
As you’d expect from this beloved household name since 1987, this was a satisfying take on the dish. The chicken was tender, the sauce flavourful, and the rice fragrant without being too oily. Grandpa also gave the crispy skin on the roast pork his nod of approval.
We also sampled the Chapter 2 Gourmet Hainanese Thick Bee Hoon Laksa ($15.80) and Signature Fried Kway Teow ($11.90) which were touted as menu highlights. The former was a little too rich and the latter too sweet for our tastes, but they were generous with the ingredients, including whole prawns. And notably, this is the first version of laksa served with char siew slices that we’ve encountered.
It’s worth noting that any main on the menu can be upgraded to a value set that includes a mushroom soup and/or a Swiss roll ($2.50 – $5.80).
Also, should you still need them amidst the plethora of choices, 2 specific kids meals are available under the Uncle Robert Hainanese Western Hainanese menu -– a Hainanese Chicken Cutlet Bento and Junior Mac & Cheese Bento (both $10.50).
As you might expect, local kopitiam beverages take pride of place on this menu, including the store special Hainanese Three Treasures ($4.80) – a concoction of kopi, tea and milo.
If you still have space for dessert (we didn’t, unfortunately) you’ll be glad to know that Chapter Two is conveniently co-located with The Hainan Story Bakery where variations of British Hainanese Swiss rolls, Hainanese Englishmen Cream Horns and Asian-inspired cookies feature on the menu.
Outlet Specials: Fossa x Mr Kiasu Limited Edition Bars and the Monster Kongzilla
There are two specials currently ongoing at Chapter Two.
The first is a tie-up with local award-winning chocolate maker Fossa Chocolate, which has collaborated with beloved Singaporean comic icon Mr. Kiasu on the “Everything Also I Want” Limited Edition Chocolate Bar. The bars come in two unique local flavours – Min Jiang Kueh and Kopi Gao, and are available exclusively at Chapter Two, sold in the bakery section at $13.08 each.
Playfully wrapped in Mr Kiasu comics, they make for a novel gift. Personally, we felt the Min Jiang Kueh bar was the more unique one, with Kopi Gao bar, as its name suggests, essentially a very intense (and shiok!) cacao shot.
The second special is the Monster Kongzilla, a giant 40cm cheesy chicken sausage on a grilled baguette drizzled with nacho cheese and tomato sauce and served with coleslaw and tempura sweet potato fries. This monster hotdog was admittedly the odd-man-out on the menu and we were hard-pressed to see the link with the heritage theme of the outlet.
It was visually impressive, but even the kids found the combination of heavy bread and sausage a little odd – and very filling. Easily enough for three as a dish on its own, Chapter Two is offering it as a set ($18.90) with two large traditional drinks – which is the only link we can see to anything Hainanese. We felt it was more for the ‘Gram.
Overall Verdict
The Hainan Story Chapter Two has an expansive menu, with the variety and east-meets-west coverage likely to mean that everyone in the family will be able to find something to taste. Even my child with food allergies had his pick.
The array of local delights provides comfort food aplenty for local diners and a convenient introduction to many of Singapore’s distinctive dishes to foreign visitors. Portions are generous and chock-full of ingredients, making the dishes ideal for sharing and sampling. All said, it is a solid choice for the extended family on a day out to Jewel Changi Airport, or for visitors arriving at, or leaving from the airport.
Hainan Story Chapter Two
Where: B2-201/202, Jewel Changi, 78 Airport Blvd., 819666
