Har Har Chicken! by Michelin-star chef Han Liguang aims to be in all the malls and even travel overseas
The takeaway kiosk serving har cheong gai-focused menu items will open on Jul 5 at Junction 8, and will soon be followed by two more outlets.
28 Jun 2024 09:54AM (Updated: 28 Jun 2024 10:09AM)
Singapore doesn’t have a fried chicken fast food joint with local flavours to call our own, but Har Har Chicken! aims to change that.
The casual takeaway kiosk, opening on Jul 5 at Junction 8, is a project by one-Michelin-starred Restaurant Labyrinth’s chef-owner Han Liguang and social media personality Lennard Yeong.
The two friends, who met through a mutual acquaintance, are joined by two of Han’s buddies from his school days: Restaurateur Tay Jianli of now-closed seafood restaurant Momma Kong’s, and investment professional Bevin Desker, formerly from food tech company TiffinLabs.
Har Har Chicken! is all about har cheong gai or fried prawn paste chicken wings, a popular staple at zi char restaurants and a local specialty. On the menu are Har Har Wings (S$3.20 per piece, S$18 for six); Har Har Pops (S$4.80); and a rice box (from S$6.90), which includes fried chicken, a fried egg and an Asian slaw inspired by achar.
“Many countries have a representative brand of fried chicken, like Jollibee from the Philippines or KFC from the USA, but Singapore does not,” Han told CNA Lifestyle. Har Har Chicken! has the potential to represent a flavour loved in Singapore on a global stage, he thinks.
Two more outlets are opening in the coming months at ION Orchard and VivoCity, and the brand hopes to eventually be in every major mall in Singapore in addition to expanding overseas, Han said.
His har cheong gai dish, “based on a traditional recipe”, made its debut during the COVID-19 pandemic, when Labyrinth started a casual dining concept called Miss Vanda. The har cheong gai was the most popular item on the menu, he recalled.
On another occasion, “My wife came to me and said, ‘I’m hungry. I want har cheong gai. But, I can't order just one wing.” This was the beginning of a new business idea.
“Har cheong gai is never really the star dish in zi char. It’s always a side dish. We want to give har cheong gai that focus. And, you can have as much or little as you want.”
He continued, “I won’t say it's the best, because everyone has different preferences, but we want to make sure the quality is standardised throughout. You want har cheong gai? Har Har is there for you.”
The name started out at a joke, but it grew on the team. “It expresses positive emotions,” Han said. And the logo featuring Har Har’s mascot, a chicken wearing a prawn on its head, is done in a nostalgic, cartoony style.
Getting the chicken to travel well and remain crispy was a long process, but a priority for the chef, as Har Har Chicken! will soon be available on delivery platforms.
They are in the process of applying for Halal certification, having modified the recipe to exclude Shaoxing wine. They also source Halal certified prawn paste.
Find HAR HAR Chicken! at B1 of Junction 8. (Photo: CNA/May Seah)
Eventually, more menu items will be offered, including an upcoming National Day special, Han shared. At the moment, the menu is small because of space constraints. “Our central storage is our cars — all four of us. Our cars are being used as storage for microwave ovens, waters and packaging!”
It is “a new challenge” and “a whole new world” for a chef with a fine dining background. “Labyrinth will always be my baby, the first child. It’s built on passion. This is a different kind of interest,” he said.
Har Har Chicken! opens July 5 at #B1-K15 Junction 8, 9 Bishan Place.
