Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice now has a sit-down restaurant at Jewel, not another hawker counter. The 98-seat flagship at Basement 2, unit B2-243/244, opened on 22 August 2026 beside Food Republic. It is the brand's sixth Singapore outlet and its largest, built so travellers who miss the Maxwell Food Centre stall still get a plate before they fly.
Second-generation owner Loi Mui Yin told CNA Lifestyle the Maxwell queue still sells out, and tourists who hear "come back tomorrow" are often already leaving Singapore. Jewel sits landside, so you do not need a boarding pass. Hours are 10am to 10pm daily, according to both Time Out Singapore and Jewel's own dine listing.
Jewel lists the brand as a Michelin Bib Gourmand name from 2016 through 2026. The original Maxwell stall dates to 1986, when Loi's mother, Foo Kui Lian, opened it with Loi's uncle. The Jewel room keeps the blue signboard colour, rattan shades, greenery and banquette seats. Chickens hang in the glass kitchen, steamed and roasted, the same split you see at Maxwell.
The $11 set, and why it is not Maxwell pricing
An individual chicken rice set is $11. You pick steamed or roasted, with rice and a bowl of chicken soup. Half steamed and half roasted is 80 cents more. Time Out compared that with Maxwell, where a medium plate is about $6 and a small roasted plate is $5. Same kitchen style, airport rent.
Time Out's tasting notes match what regulars already argue about. The rice is softly broken and a little starchy, with a faint chicken fragrance, not the firmer, grain-separated style some other stalls chase. Steamed chicken kept the gelatinous layer under the skin. The sauce is a thicker, sweeter reduction, and that same gravy turns up on add-ons.
Dishes you will not find at Maxwell
The Jewel-only list is the reason to sit down instead of grabbing a takeaway box.
- Madam Foo's Steamed Chicken Curry ($13.80). Family recipe, previously a staff meal. Steamed chicken in curry with potatoes and fried beancurd skin, with rice, yellow noodles or toasted baguette. Loi told CNA the kitchen needed at least ten failed batches before her mother signed it off.
- Crystal chicken feet ($9.80). Deboned until only the collagen-rich skin is left. It used to be a Maxwell staple, then dropped because deboning every day was too slow. Time Out found them lightly dressed, so you need the chilli and dark sauce.
- Tian Tian Heritage Platter ($25.80++). Built for two to three people: ngoh hiang, Hainanese pork chop, Thai-style fried tofu, tiger-prawn beancurd rolls and fried salad prawns.
- Gizzards and liver from $1.60 a serving. Time Out said the gizzards were tender rather than snappy.
Soft-opening 20 percent off ran 11 to 17 August. The 88 free takeaway packets on 22 and 23 August are gone. Blind boxes (chopping board, chicken, chilli bowl, plus a secret design) were $10.80 with a $30 in-store spend from 22 August, while stocks last. Ask the counter if they still have them.
This is the last-Singapore-meal option for people who will not make it to Maxwell, and the sit-down option for families who want the platter and curry on one table. If you want hawker prices, stay at Maxwell. If you are already at Jewel, or you have a suitcase and two hours, this is the branch built for you.
Practical Details
- Dates: Opened 22 August 2026, ongoing
- Time: 10:00am to 10:00pm daily
- Venue: Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, #B2-243/244, Jewel Changi Airport, 78 Airport Boulevard, Singapore 819666
- Nearest MRT: Changi Airport (CG2)
- Price: Chicken rice set $11; half-half +$0.80; Madam Foo's curry $13.80; crystal chicken feet $9.80; heritage platter $25.80++
- Website: Jewel listing for Tian Tian
