Hillman 99 Restaurant 喜临门大饭店

Hillman 99 Restaurant or 喜临门 as it is popularly known is a restaurant at Pasir Panjang renowned for serving traditional Cantonese dishes. 

A little bit of history - the first Hillman Restaurant was opened in 1963 by a Mr Wong (nicknamed Gou Lou Wong 高佬王 supposedly due to his imposing height) along Cantonment Road (at the site where the Pinnacle at Duxton currently sits). The focus was on Cantonese claypot dishes, which gained so much popularity that a second branch was opened at 99 Pasir Panjang Road called Manhill Restaurant. This was later re-branded as Hillman 99 Restaurant. The main branch was later relocated to Kitchener Road, where it still sits today in a conservation shophouse.

Many locals count this eatery as the meeting point for simple family gatherings, while it also serves as an ideal place for business meals among expatriates. In fact, the menu used to come with Japanese translations for each dish as it counted many Japanese as its regulars.

The restaurant won the prestigious World Famous Restaurant by the World Association of Chinese Cuisine in 2008, boosting its standing in the international arena.

Having frequented the restaurant since childhood, visiting the eatery brings added nostalgia to me - my late grandmother celebrated her birthdays here, while my Dad often drove us here for weekend treats. 

The restaurant is famous for their claypot dishes. The earthern pots retain the heat of the dishes very well so that the contents remain piping-hot throughout your meal. It has also been claimed that since the claypot walls are porous, "the flavor of the food is retained, seasoning the claypots each time a meal is cooked - the more seasoned a pot is, the better the flavor of the food will be produced" (source: hillmanrestaurant.com).

That all about explains - if you've tried Hillman's claypot dishes, the broth base is always extremely flavourful. 

Claypot Beef Brisket 瓦煲焖牛腩 ($18)

Just like this Claypot Beef Brisket. The beef brisket I’ve had are very often stew-like and drowned in oil. Here, they are deceptively clear but still packed full of flavour. There is a beefy depth to the broth, the type that hooks you into slurping them up spoonful after spoonful without the oily after-feeling. The meat is succulent, and tendons are braised till they are all wobbly.

I could have just this with a bowl of rice, and I would leave happily satisfied.

Claypot Tofu with Roasted Pork 瓦煲焖豆腐 ($18 for small)

This is our family favourite - the Claypot Tofu. The tofu is cut into cubes, then fried till golden brown. Then they throw in some roasted pork, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, carrots, fried onion bulbs - all simple ingredients but the flavours come together so well to form such an awesome broth. It’s not heavy, very drinkable and again, goes very well with rice.

Paper Wrapped Chicken 脱骨纸包鸡 ($16 for 6 pieces)

The outlet is also popular for its Paper Wrapped Chicken 纸包鸡. This item is one of the highlights of the menu for me, and is a must-order. The boneless chicken pieces are succulent as they come from the thigh, and are marinated overnight in a house-blend of spices. Each wrapped tightly in paper, then fried till they are just about cooked. The deep-frying process is said to also help caramelize the juices of the marinade. The fragrance of the meat plus the juiciness of the meat wins it for me, every time. These are the best 纸包鸡 I have eaten thus far, hands-down.

Fried Garoupa Slices in Sweet & Sour Sauce 酸甜炸鱼片 ($18 for small)

The Fried Garoupa in Sweet & Sour Sauce is another of my must-order here. They use real garoupa slices, lightly coat them in flour before deep-frying them. But it’s all about the sauce for this - the tanginess & sharpness of the vinegar is very much on-point, making it very appetizing. The style is very old-school, and eating it makes me think of my late grandmother's cooking.

Fried Pork Ribs in Chinese Style 排骨王 ($26 for medium)

These pieces of Fried Pork Ribs in Chinese Style look deceptively dry, but are actually quite succulent. It has a good marinade - I detected chinese wine - and the drizzle of plum sauce just before serving added a nice layer of tanginess to the palate.

Omelette Egg 芙蓉蛋 ($24 for medium)

Whenever we eat out with kids in tow, the Fuyong Eggs are a must-order as it is something they look forward to. Obviously if it was down to me, I would never order this and instead opt to try out other special dishes. This was quite well done - still nicely-moist on the inside - but at $24 for an egg dish, it's too pricy. I'd give this a miss, if I had a choice.

Garlic Kang Kong 蒜蓉蕹菜 ($11 for small)

Kang Kong is never the same without sambal belacan, but to cater to the little ones, Garlic Kang Kong is typically the default veggie nowadays. Nothing extraordinary, but it serves as obligatory fibre for the meal. I've tried the Sambal Kang Kong here before and their version is pretty good, if not a little oily. 

Pot Noodle 瓦煲什锦生面 ($20 for medium)

The Pot Noodle is another dish I like to order here. It is light in taste, yet the broth has this depth that makes something as simple as this so comforting to the palate. It's my guess, but it could be those little bulbs of onion that they throw in to sweeten the broth. 

Fried Rice (Yangzhou Style) 扬州炒饭 ($9 for small)

The Yangzhou Fried Rice was decent, nothing fanciful although it was nicely-done with a hint of the requisite wok hei. 

The eatery whips up many good Cantonese-style dishes, and is a great place to have a delicious meal in a nostalgic setting.

You can check out the reel above for a closer look at Hillman 99 Restaurant.

Address: 99 & 99A Pasir Panjang Road 

Opening Hours: 11.45am to 1.30pm, 5.45pm to 8.45pm. Closed on Mondays

Date of Last Visit: 11th June 2023