Hakka Yu VivoCity Baked Chicken

Do you know that the Hakka community is the fourth-largest Chinese-speaking group in Singapore?Hakka cuisine has always been food for the patient. The dishes are humble but precise, focused on coaxing depth from simple ingredients. Hakka Yu 客语, a restaurant from Guangzhou, has built its name on these principles since 2013.

With over 80 outlets in China and awards recognising its heritage cooking, it opened its first overseas branch in Singapore at Jewel Changi Airport.

We tried their outlet in Vivocity, and got a few staples. The true test would be the salt baked chicken; something I grew up eating at home.

The pork soup was authentic enough, it had the home cooked taste from my grandmothers’
Not to be mistaken with the pepper pork tummy soup, 🥣 which shares the base make-up. The soup was 7/10

The steamed squid (not Hakka?) was superb at 7.5/10

The fried vegetables were good especially the cauliflower (they added cardamom or star anise to deepen the flavour)

The abacus seeds were a little of a letdown though at 6/10.
The fried dried shrimp condiment also lacked depth. But if you’re out for authentic Hakka food, Hakka Yu won’t disappoint.

The finale, The salt baked chicken was superb at 7.5/10
Hakka Yu has perfected some claypot technology, allowing them consistency

Again, we realise all these food are coming from a central kitchen; and while the claypot salt baked chicken transported wonderfully, the yam seeds did not. I found them a little stiff not chewy.

And as with any new trendsetting eatery in Singapore, there’s a snaking queue daily outside.