What do chicken pies and crabs have in common? Not much, unless you’re Don Lim, the 62-year-old chef-owner of Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab, a new restaurant that opened in the hip Jalan Besar area in October. (Good luck remembering its mouthful of a name, though).

If you think his name sounds familiar, well, chicken pie was his first claim to fame. After 18 years as a head chef at Hewlett Packard Singapore’s canteen serving his famous pastry as a teatime snack, Don struck out on his own to launch a chicken pie brand in 2000 – starting with a flagship outlet at China Square.

In 2006, Don appeared on a Channel NewsAsia cooking programme where he showcased another specialty – crab dishes. “Customers started showing up at our shop asking for crabs! Since there was demand [for crab dishes] and we had enough space for dining in, I decided to add them to the menu at China Square,” he says.

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Seasoned towkay

In 2014, Don sold off the chicken pie biz (which had expanded to four outlets at the time — it now has two) for undisclosed reasons. A year later, he started selling crabs at a Toa Payoh kopitiam. Don’s team requested us to omit the names of his previous ventures due to “legal reasons”. But it isn’t exactly difficult to guess the name of the pie chain he founded.

8days.sg visited the Toa Payoh stall back in 2018 and we were impressed by his tasty crab dishes. At the time, Don said he would not be selling chicken pies anymore as he wanted to focus on his crab business. In August, Don left the stall due to a “clash of business beliefs” with his partner.

Now, both chicken pies and crabs are served at the new restaurant. We have Don’s regular customers to thank for adding the former back to the menu. “A lot of them say, ‘Don, it’s wasted that you let go of your famous pie’. Many of them have not eaten my chicken pies for seven years and it makes me happy to see them enjoy my pies again here.”

Teaming up with family

The sprightly chef – who’s hardly aged since our previous photoshoot and still bears a resemblance to Hong Kong actor Sammo Hung – is teaming up with his family to open his biggest restaurant yet.

Don’s nephew Kelvin Leong, 32 and his wife, Vanessa Tan (pictured), 30, are partners in the biz. “I knew he wasn’t too happy at Toa Payoh and he talked about taking a bank loan to start his own thing. I felt that it was a big risk for him to do that at his age and decided to help him out,” says Kelvin, who works full-time as a software developer.

Vanessa, who runs her own logistics biz and occasionally models at motor shows, was supportive from the get-go. “I’ve always wanted to open a pet-friendly restaurant that serves good food. Thanks to Don, we managed to put the two things together,” shares the glam owner of two dogs who currently handles daily front of house duties as well as marketing for the restaurant.

The decor of the 20-seater is charmingly quaint, with a teal palette, dark wood and retro pendant lights giving off an elegant English pub vibe. There’s an open concept pastry kitchen overlooking the main dining area where you can observe the restaurant’s signature bakes. At the back is the restaurant’s pet-friendly area, which includes a booth and several counter seats.

Fixed prices for crab

The standardised prices for crab dishes, all made with live Sri Lankan crabs, prevent any surprises when the bill comes. There are six sizes available, from $33.80 for regular (about 400g) to $108.80 for XXL (about 1.3kg). For the non-crab seafood bee hoon dishes, prices range from $12.80 for a single portion to $23.80 for the medium order, which can feed two to three.

Chicken Pie, $6.30

The puff pastry is light and fluffy, but not buttery enough for our liking. Though the pie is generously stuffed with plush bites of potato, chicken and hard-boiled egg, we wish the filling was a little more creamy to boost its overall flavour. This “personal-size” pie is a hearty snack for one. Whole pies, good for four to six pax, are priced at $28.80.

Black Pepper Pie, $6.30

Similar to the chicken pie, spiced up with sharp notes of fresh black pepper. We prefer this to the chicken pie as it boasts a more distinct flavour.

Chicken Shepherd’s Pie, $6.30

This features the same filling used in the black pepper pie. The mashed potato topping is on the dry end of the spectrum – not unpleasant, but less fluffy than most. Go for the black pepper pie instead.

Crab Bee Hoon Soup (Regular), $33.80; feeds 1-2 pax

The signature crab bee hoon soup is at once delicate and robust – featuring a broth made from dried sole fish, ikan bilis and crab shells that’s augmented with dang gui (Chinese angelica root), ginger, Chinese wine and evaporated milk. It’s nothing like the super rich crab bee hoon that you find at the likes of Melben. Instead, Don’s version reminds us of nourishing herbal soups from Cantonese restaurants.

The Sri Lankan live crab, weighing around 400g, is fresh, with sweet and plump meat, while the thick bee hoon, having soaked up the delish soup, is incredibly slurp-worthy. Get this if you enjoy the flavour of Chinese herbs.

Black Pepper Crab Bee Hoon, $33.80; feeds 1-2 pax (8 DAYS Pick!)

Not your usual dry crab bee hoon. This one is stronger-flavoured as it's smothered in a briny, garlicky, lightly spicy gravy lifted by black pepper and house-made chilli paste. The umami thin bee hoon is served with plenty of onions, scrambled eggs and yummy crab. The sauce is so addictive and flavourful that one can perhaps forgive the absence of wok hei (the kitchen uses induction stoves). We prefer this dry version over the herb-forward soup one.

Lala & Prawn White Bee Hoon, $23.80; feeds 2-3 pax (8 DAYS Pick!)

For the medium serving, you get four large, succulent ‘ang kar hei’ (red leg prawn in Hokkien) and a smattering of juicy clams along with thin bee hoon, scrambled eggs and nai bai. Yummy paired with the zingy house-made chilli sauce.

Prawn & Scallop Laksa Bee Hoon, $23.80; feeds 2-3 pax

Don makes his own laksa rempah for this dish, which is not too spicy and has a robust hae bee flavour. The atas laksa comes with a fresh bounty of four big prawns and two scallops, served on the shell, as well as staples like sliced fish cake, beansprouts and a hard-boiled egg. Before serving, Don sprinkles a copious shower of laksa leaf powder – painstakingly dried and ground by the chef himself – to round off the dish with fresh, verdant aroma. Not bad.

Bottom line

While Don’s famous pies have a loyal fan base (we’re told the pastries are often sold out by 7pm), we prefer his stellar seafood dishes, which are a combination of super fresh ingredients, well-executed flavour and great prices. All served in a quaint, comfy setting, too. Definitely worth a visit.

The details

Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab is at 39 Tyrwhitt Rd, S207538. Open daily 10am to 9pm. WhatsApp 6993 3333 or visit their Facebook or Instagram for more info.

Photos: Alvin Teo