Hawker Chan’s best-selling Soya Chicken Rice (Hawker Chan Philippines/Facebook)

Hawker Chan founder Chef Chan Hong Meng (Photo from Hawker Chan Philippines/Facebook)

Metro Manila’s bustling dining scene has just zoomed several notches higher when Hawker Chan, also known as the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world, opened on July 26. The internationally acclaimed Singapore-based restaurant brings to the Philippines its delicious dishes, including its best-selling Soya Chicken Rice.Hawker Chan’s global popularity belies its humble beginnings. The restaurant was founded by Malaysian chef Chan Hong Meng, the son of a farmer, who flew to Singapore in the 1980s and trained under a Hong Kong chef. It was under his mentor’s guidance that he learned to prepare the now famous Singapore Soya Sauce Chicken and Noodle. In 2009, Chef Chan opened a small store at the Chinatown Complex, the largest open-air hawker center in Singapore, where he served Soya Sauce Chicken Rice, which quickly caught the attention of diners across Singapore. In July of 2016, Michelin’s Singapore Guide debuted and among those recognized was Hawker Chan, making it “the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world.”Filipinos can look forward to the same mouthwatering dishes that have captivated people across the region as Foodee Global Concepts opens the first Hawker Chan at SM Mall of Asia. Among the dishes offered at Hawker Chan Manila are its signature combination platter of char siew, roasted pork, and pork rib, and the whole chicken platter, which are priced reasonably, or P100 to P150 on average. “We’ve seen how Filipinos try to visit the top-rated restaurants whenever they travel, so we thought why not bring these restaurants to the country? Since Pinoys love to visit Hawker Chan in Singapore, we thought we’d bring it here, and offer the same combination of great food and affordable luxury to them,” said Foodee Global Concepts chief executive officer Rikki Dee. The 86-seater restaurant is located at the ground floor, Entertainment Mall, SM Mall of Asia Complex.