Hai Onn Restaurant Delicious Hainan Chicken Chop

You need patience to eat the Hainan Chicken Chop at Hai Onn Restaurant.

Hai Onn Restaurant has many classic and no-frills authentic Hainanese dishes ranging from Hainan Chicken Chop, Pork Chop, Hailam Mee, Roti Babi, stir-fried dishes, and many more.

When other places have raised their prices, the food here is affordable.

However, be prepared for a long wait (45 minutes or more) if you go during peak hours and the restaurant is packed.

Pro Tip: Go when it rains like me, and you get to order, eat, and leave within an hour.

What we really like is their Hainanese Chicken Chop is the old-school style, like how my family makes it at home.

The chicken cutlet, a deboned chicken thigh, is sliced into small pieces with intact skin and fried with an eggy omelet batter.

Just eggs, no flour.

It is drenched with light brown sauce and served hot.

Hai Onn Restaurant

Hai Onn Restaurant at Burmah Road Penang is one of the stalwarts of traditional Hainanese restaurants in George Town.

The restaurant has been around for more than 60 years or more.

I remember my first visit with my dad as a little girl.

There are always some tables of old uncles sitting in a corner, drinking coffee, reading a newspaper, and discussing politics.

My dad would joke that when he was old, he would park himself there, join the old uncles, and talk about everything and nothing in particular.

He would order his Kopi O and let me drink a little from the saucer.

I got some squares of butter Roti Bakar with my Kopi while the adults ate hawker food and noodles.

Back in the day, Hai Onn used to have several hawker stalls on its premises.

The Koay Teow Th’ng was a favorite Penang hawker food.

I remember a Lor Bak Stall and a Penang Hokkien Mee operated by an old couple.

In the morning, it was Roti Bakar and Eggs from Hai Onn, and From noon onwards, this place operated as a restaurant.

Hai Onn Menu

There is no actual menu per se.

The Aunty will come to your table and take your order.

You can try their signature dishes of Hainan Chicken Chop, Pork Chop, Roti Babi, and Hailam Mee (black or white)

If you want to eat rice, Aunty will recommend some dishes, and you place your order.

Hai Onn Hailam Mee

Hailam Mee is a simple dish of fried noodles without the thick black soy sauce that Penang Hokkien adds to their cooking.

Hainanese stir-fried noodles with a light soy sauce in a starchy gravy.

The starchy sauce has a delicious taste that goes well with the yellow noodles, which is the original way Hainanese people have their stir fry.

You can request Bihun Mee, a mixture of rice vermicelli and yellow noodles.

You get a pale stir-fried noodle with pork, prawns, and sawi (mustard green) slices.

They usually serve it with a side dish of sambal.

I was tickled when the two sisters were astonished that I ate my Hailam Mee without the sambal.

I’m a bit of a food purist and tend not to add sauces – except Amo Tau Ewe, the best accompaniment for Inchi Kabin and Hai Onn Chicken Chop.

Hai Onn Chicken Chop

Hai Onn makes an old-school chicken chop that is different from those sold in Kopitiam Western cafes and restaurants.

I like the delicious flavor of the starchy brown gravy, which is plentiful and fills the entire plate.

You need to order toast bread to mop up all that delicious gravy.

Hai Onn is the only eatery that provides a fork, knife, and spoon with every order of Chicken Chop.

I spoon up the remainder of the gravy whenever I eat there.

The best way to eat it is to lightly dip the chicken cutlet in the Amo Tau Ewe for a more rounded taste.

You can order pork chop if you want pork.

Other Snacks at Hai Onn

Hai Onn Restaurant also serves a type of Hainanese toasted bread (French toast) called Roti Babi.

It is not easy to find an authentic Roti Babi in restaurants.

The version is made with a filling of minced pork, onions, salt, and pepper.

The filling is stuffed in bread, coated with egg, and deep-fried until golden brown.

It is served with ketchup, chili sauce, and Amo Tau Ewe for good measure.

Conclusion

Drop by the iconic restaurant if you crave an authentic Hainan Chicken Chop.

Remember that service can be slow when it is crowded.

The chef takes his time to prepare and cook the dishes just right and serve them piping hot.

Pros

• Authentic Hainanese food
• Affordable
• Tasty
• Nostalgic
• Old school cooking

Cons

• Hard to find parking
• No parking along the bustling Jalan Burmah
• Slow Food
• Need to wait

Hai Onn Restaurant
53- 55 Burma Road
10050 Penang
Hours: 11.30 AM to 5.30 PM (Closed Mondays)
Contact: 017-575 6685

Facebook: Hai Onn Restaurant