Where fried rice is concerned, the people at Din Tai Fung usually know best. If you happen to be craving for Din Tai Fung-style fried rice, here’s where you’ll find it in Singapore.
Din Tai Fung is synonymous with xiao long bao, but the Taiwanese restaurant chain is also well-loved for its egg fried rice. The famous Din Tai Fung fried rice is characterised by its light golden colour and grains with a firm yet moist texture.
Using a large wok, the restaurant starts by cooking generous amounts of eggs until they are about 70 to 80 percent done before adding the rice in – they allegedly use a Japanese medium grain variety. Instead of soy sauce, the flavour comes from salt and monosodium glutamate, and fresh scallions are tossed in before the dish is done. For toppings, the restaurant chain’s fried rice can be ordered with prawns, pork chop, or shredded pork.
It is a lovely, comforting dish but DTF charges S$15 for a plate, which can be expensive considering how basic its ingredients are. Fortunately, several imitators have popped up over the years to sell the same style of fried rice in Singapore at more affordable prices. Some of them are helmed by former DTF chefs, including Chef Wang Fried Rice, Fire Rice, and Hao Lai Ke.
Most of them are also chains, with the most prominent being King of Fried Rice and its over 30 stalls around the island. On the other end, Taste of Jiang Nan offers the same styles of fried rice from its single outlet at Maxwell Food Centre. Check them out below.
(Hero and featured images credits: @ashleyoms / Instagram; @hao_lai_ke / Instagram)
The best Din Tai Fung style fried rice in Singapore:
1 /8
Chef Wang Fried Rice is the namesake food stall of Wang Jing Jun. After working in the kitchen at Shang Palace and Din Tai Fung, he set out on his own in 2021 to offer his version of DTF fried rice. Other than the classic egg fried rice, Wang has a sambal option and serves it with abalone. He has outlets in Beo Crescent, Pek Kio, and Old Airport Road.
From S$4
(Image credit: @yippi312_eatdrinklove / Instagram)
2 /8
Like DTF, Feng Food is a Taiwanese restaurant. The eatery was founded by Taiwan native Yu Cheng Min in 2017 to feature his hometown flavours including lu rou fan, braised beef noodles, and of course, egg fried rice. Besides toppings of prawn, pork chop, and chicken cutlet, he also has a low-calorie option and shrimp and kimchi fried rice. Feng Food has outlets in Yishun and Woodlands.
From S$8.80+
(Image credit: @fengfoodsg / Instagram)
3 /8
Run by ex-Din Tai Fung chefs, Fire Rice brings variety to its egg fried rice with toppings such as black pepper pork chop, har cheong gai, mushroom, and Taiwanese chicken cutlet. There’s also the sambal fried rice series, which features the condiment for a pungent, fiery kick. Fire Rice has outlets in Yishun and Toa Payoh.
From S$4.50
(Image credit: @firericepengxiang / Instagram)
4 /8
Another day, another former Din Tai Fung chef who opened a joint to sell the restaurant’s fried rice. This time, it’s Hao Lai Ke, which has it on the menu among dan dan noodles and wantons in chilli oil. There are only two options here – pork ribs fried rice and the shrimp fried rice – but they’re close to DTF quality at a fraction of the cost. Hao Lai Ke has outlets in Kallang, Bedok North, Pasir Ris, and Serangoon North.
S$6.50
(Image credit: @hao_lai_ke / Instagram)
5 /8
With over 30 stalls in Singapore, King of Fried Rice is the most ubiquitous purveyor of Din Tai Fung-style fried rice here. The chain was founded in 2018 by then-21-year-old Lester Li at Golden Mile Tower, which eventually expanded into all corners of the country from luxury malls and heartland hawker centres. The fluffy egg fried rice is what shot them to fame, which can be topped with ingredients such as crab meat and tobiko (flying fish roe). Other fried rice flavours include fried rice with XO sauce, mala fried rice, and tom yum fried rice. See here for information on all their outlets.
From S$4.50
(Image credit: King of Fried Rice / Facebook)
6 /8
Mr. Egg Fried Rice brings variety to its namesake. The original, which glistens yellow thanks to the generous amounts of egg, comes topped with either luncheon meat, pork chop, chicken chop, prawns, or salmon. The stall also has tobiko egg fried rice and a tom yum flavour. Don’t skip out on the homemade fried shallot chilli oil, either. Mr. Egg Fried Rice has outlets in Bishan, Novena, Yishun, and Clementi.
From S$4.80
(Image credit: Mr. Egg Fried Rice / Facebook)
7 /8
Housed inside Maxwell Food Centre, Taste of Jiang Nan serves staples from regions south of the Yangtze River, which encompass cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing. The egg fried rice is fragrant and contains plump and juicy prawns, while the pork chop fried rice has tender yet crunchy pieces of breaded pork.
From S$4.50
Sunday – Friday, 11.30am – 8.30pm
Closed on Saturday
(Image credit: 江南味道 – Taste of Jiang Nan / Facebook)
8 /8
Yummy Fried Rice’s version always begins with four eggs, which gives the dish a lovely richness. The stall offers toppings like prawns, chicken cutlet, and pork chop, as well as different flavours including mala, chilli, and tom yum. There is also the Secret Fried Rice, which is heady with garlic and dark soy sauce. The stall has outlets in Bukit Batok and Woodlands
From S$4.30
(Image credit: Yummy Fried Rice SG / Facebook)
