When the chef of a Michelin-starred restaurant decides to start his own fried chicken fast food joint, you can bet he’s going to take things seriously. Har Har Chicken! is the brainchild of Han Li Guang, better known as LG Han, chef-owner of the one Michelin-starred Labyrinth.
Among his partners in this new venture are social media personality Lennard Yeong, restaurateur Tay Jianli, and investment professional Bevin Desker. While the quartet’s love of har cheong gai (prawn paste chicken) sparked the business plan, it all began with Han’s bestselling boneless har cheong gai, which he sold under the Miss Vanda brand for takeaway and delivery from Labyrinth’s kitchen during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
It was around that time that he noticed a gap in the market. With har cheong gai typically sold in medium to large portions at zi char restaurants, one could not easily purchase a single wing to satisfy a craving. “A lot of these zi char places are in heartland areas. To offer accessibility, we wanted to bring it to the malls and premium central locations,” he adds.
It took the four partners two years to realise their idea. All had different opinions about what made the best har cheong gai. For this reason, they researched what was popular, tasting more than 10 brands locally and experimenting with between 10 and
12 recipes.
“We discussed the flavours, what the concept should be, and what would be most suitable for the mass market. As a result, Har Har Chicken! was born,” says Han.
Located in the basement of Junction 8, a heartland mall, Har Har Chicken! currently operates as a casual takeaway kiosk. Two more outlets are slated to open in VivoCity and ION Orchard by the end of this year.
Since this is Han’s first fast food venture, he had to learn how to work from a small space and meet other challenges, such as producing at full capacity and churning out volume. “We also needed a recipe that was consistent and easy to execute to ensure quality.”
Having tasted so many versions of har cheong gai, Han believes the perfect version is the one that balances umami, saltiness, and sweetness. Crispiness is also important.
He recommends Har Har Chicken!’s HAR-ty Double Wing Rice Box, which includes two whole wings, aromatic Hainanese chicken rice, house-made achar-slaw, and chilli sauce. “As a Hainanese, I grew up eating Hainanese chicken rice, and it remains close to my heart,” he says.
