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Nestled in an quiet Bukit Merah industrial canteen where Western chain Botak Jones is located, catches 8days.sg ’s eye with its striking poster advertising 桶仔鸡 ( tong zai ji ), or what it calls “ Taiwanese chicken in the bucket”. Chicken House is not to be confused with a similarly named eatery in Thomson. It is not chicken served in a bucket a la KFC , but rather the Taiwanese speciality where the bird is traditionally smoked in a barrel with a sugarcane and charcoal fire. Both barrel and bucket are called ‘tong’ in Mandarin, hence the slightly confusing moniker here. Besides its signature chook, the four-month-old stall helmed by entrepreneur-turned-hawker Gilbert Chua, 54, also offers a variety of affordable chicken dishes like Hainanese chicken rice, Taiwanese-style three cup chicken, and kung pao chicken. No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from  8days.sg . Serial entrepreneur Though Gilbert has been in the property and facilities management industry for more than two decades and still does consulting work on the side, he identifies himself more as a businessman.  Over the years, he has invested in many businesses and together with his wife, who is from Penang, started an optical chain which has 11 outlets across the Malaysian state. When he was based there years ago, he also ran several eateries. During the pandemic, he shut the F&B businesses and returned to Singapore in 2021, so he could spend time with his ageing mother and daughter, now 18, from a previous marriage. “Life was comfortable. I semi-retired 14 years ago when I was 40. When I was semi-retired, I used to draw an average five figures a month, but I gave it up to become a hawker ’cos I enjoy cooking and sharing good, affordable food with people,” declares Gilbert. He also wanted to rebuild his F&B business. “My objective is to create brands and concepts through partnerships. If it’s legal and can make money, I will give it a try,” he says. He’s a strict vegetarian, but can cook meat well  This is also why, despite being a vegetarian, he had no qualms about starting Chicken House when he saw how successful his friend’s tong zai ji chain was in Taiwan.  Gilbert turned vegetarian 12 years ago due to health and religious reasons (he’s Buddhist) and is very strict about not consuming meat — even while cooking at his stall daily. His tong zai ji is adapted from his friend’s recipe and Gilbert recreates his other chicken dishes based on his memory of their taste. “It’s challenging, but I’m very passionate about food and cooking, so I will make it work,” he shares. “I only taste the sauce and marinade, and if I am happy with it, I will cook the dish for friends and family to try. I know it’s tasty when everyone tells me it’s good.” Does he ever feel tempted to sneak a bite? “I’m no longer tempted to eat meat,” laughs Gilbert. “I am fine with just having soft-boiled eggs or plain roti prata and thosai when I am at the stall.” Also runs food court stall selling Taiwanese cuisine Besides Chicken House, Gilbert also runs food court stall Fortune In Your Mouth selling Taiwanese street food and cuisine at Koufu in Singapore Management University. The stall opened in January 2023 and is now run by his two staff. After returning from Penang, he spent two years R&D-ing dishes for his chicken business. He even set up a huge charcoal dome cooker in the living room of his mum’s three-room HDB flat in Queenstown, where he lives (he rents out his own East Coast condo), so he could perfect his tong zai ji recipe.  Isn’t it smoky, we ask.  “I don’t do it very often, just once or twice a week, three chickens each time, so the house isn’t very smoky. There weren’t complaints from neighbours,” says Gilbert. He had planned to sell his tong zai ji at the Koufu stall but wasn’t permitted to smoke chickens at the food court. It took him almost a year to find this canteen space in Bukit Merah which he took over from a chicken rice stall. He was attracted to the affordable rent and most of the kitchen equipment was already in place. “The location wasn’t an issue as I believe Singaporeans will travel for good food. I am confident in my food and hope to grow Chicken House through partnerships and franchises. When things are stable, I will work on opening other concepts,” he says. What is ? Tong zai ji is essentially chicken marinated in a simple seasoning of five-spice powder, soy sauce, oyster sauce and smoked in a stainless steel barrel over a charcoal fire. Sugarcane chunks are added during the smoking process to infuse the chook with a smoky, sweet flavour. The drippings are   then filtered and served as a dip alongside spiced salt. Gilbert’s chicken, which he smokes at his stall, is slightly different from the traditional version.  “I find my friend’s recipe too salty, so I created my own char siew-style marinade, which is sweeter. I also do not serve the chicken drippings as it is too ‘black’ (sooty),” says Gilbert. Instead, you can pair it with his spicy sambal. No matter. Gilbert tells us he has received positive feedback about his tong zai ji and a supermarket chain has expressed interest in selling it in its more than 30 outlets. While it’s a boon for his brand, manpower is a major concern. “As it is, I have problems hiring staff to work at my stall. I handle all the cooking and have to close shop whenever I go out for meetings. How can I manage a central kitchen and supply chicken to a supermarket chain?” he says. “Being a hawker is tough work. If you don’t have passion, you won’t be able to last long in this line. I used to go to work in branded clothes, suits and cufflinks, but now…” Gilbert laughs, pointing to the burns and scars on his arms. To keep the workload manageable, he currently limits orders to 60 tong zai ji a day. The chicken must be pre-ordered a day in advance and collection is available at six time slots: 11am, 12pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm and 6pm. The menu Chicken House offers 14 varieties of chicken dishes. Apart from tong zai ji , the other best-sellers are sesame oil chicken in claypot, honey charcoal roast chicken rice, and spicy Thai basil chicken, all priced at $5. There are also $2 sides like Shanghainese drunken chicken as well as non-chicken options such as chye poh omelette and blanched baby kai lan. Tong Zai Ji, $38 for whole 1.6kg c hicken (8 DAYS Pick!) While we’ve never tried tong zai ji from Taiwan, Gilbert’s version, glazed to a golden-brown sheen and smoked to perfection, is a winner. The large chook is served whole, uncut, with head and claws. Plastic gloves are provided so you can rip it apart. “That’s the best way to enjoy it, finger lickin’ good,” says Gilbert, as he demonstrates how it’s done. Gilbert uses fresh Malaysian kampong chickens weighing about 1.6kg to 1.8kg. The birds are brined for eight hours then marinated overnight in his “secret char siew-style marinade” before they are charcoal-smoked for around an hour. Fresh sugarcane chunks are periodically added to the fire not only to enhance the flavour of the bird, but also control the intense heat from the coals. “The juice from the sugarcane dampens the flames and also helps to generate smoke to cook the meat,” says Gilbert. The result is a super juicy and tender bird with a sweet-smoky aroma and subtle notes of five-spice impressed us is the breast meat, which remained moist when we ate the leftovers a few hours later.  Honey Charcoal Roast Chicken Rice, $5 If you forgot to pre-order the tong zai ji , this smaller honey charcoal roast chicken thigh fillet, which is charcoal-cooked the same way but with added honey, is a decent, if sweeter, alternative. Infused with smoky char, it’s succulent and satisfying. It’s served with Hainanese chicken rice -style grains cooked in chicken broth and pandan leaves. Nicely fragrant and not too oily. Taiwanese Three-Cup Chicken In Claypot, $5 (8 DAYS Pick!) For $5, you get five mid-joints bubbling in a rich, umami-laden gravy. Made by braising in sesame oil, hua diao rice wine , soy sauce, garlic and basil, the chicken is fragrant and bursting with flavours of the herb. A little overwhelming at first, but the more we ate it, the more appetising it became. Served with rice. Shanghai Drunken Chicken, $2 for three pieces   This cold, boozy side is not for featherweights. Poached and then brined overnight in hua diao rice wine, chicken stock, ginger and goji berries, the mid-joints are refreshing, aromatic and pack a punch. The gravy is on the salty side but very shiok. Bottom line Though Gilbert’s tong zai ji is not quite the traditional Taiwanese-style barrel-smoked chicken, we find it tasty nonetheless and worth the trek to the industrial area of Bukit Merah. Just remember to pre-order your bird before heading down. If you can’t get your hands on a whole chook, the smaller honey charcoal roast chicken thigh is a pretty good alternative, too. The details Chicken House is at 118 Depot Lane, S109754 . T o pre-order tong zai ji , WhatsApp 8552 6482. Open daily except Sun from 10am till 6pm or till sold out. More info via Facebook . Photos: Aik Chen No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from  8days.sg .