Quick answer
The questions we hear most, answered plainly. In short: the Singapore Pie is a soya-sauce chicken rice pie; it has no pork, no lard, and is not Halal-certified; DonChef™ is the name the kitchen bakes under today; there are five outlets and none in Toa Payoh; and the Fa Cai set is a seasonal Chinese New Year item.
Questions on this page
- What is Singapore Pie?
- Is Singapore Pie halal?
- Who is DonChef?
- Who is Chef Don Lim?
- Who was Lim Tee Kheng?
- What is inside the Singapore Pie?
- Is the Singapore Pie sold all year?
- What does the 發財 stamp mean?
- Is Singapore Pie the same as Don Pie?
- Where can I buy DonChef's pies?
- Is there a Toa Payoh outlet?
- What are the opening hours?
- Do you deliver?
- Can I order pies in bulk for an event?
- How should I store and reheat a Singapore Pie?
- What allergens do the pies contain?
- Who runs this website?
About the pie and the family
What is Singapore Pie?
Singapore Pie is the heritage brand of our family kitchen, Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab, and the name of its soya-sauce chicken rice pie. The pie folds the flavours of Lim Tee Kheng's Hainanese chicken rice (soya sauce chicken, rice, braised egg, ginger, sesame oil and garlic) into a golden, flaky crust. Read what is inside the Singapore Pie.
Is Singapore Pie halal?
No pork, no lard, not Halal-certified. The kitchen uses no pork and no lard in its pies, but neither the Singapore Pie nor any other product is certified Halal by MUIS, and the kitchen does not claim that any product is Halal. The flagship restaurant serves alcohol and welcomes pet dogs indoors, which is part of why it cannot be certified. If you need a certified pie, see this round-up of certified halal pies in Singapore.
Who is DonChef?
DonChef™ is the name Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab bakes under today. Every pie that leaves the kitchen is a DonChef pie, made to the original recipe that Don Pie founder and kitchen co-founder Chef Don Lim created in 1983.
Who is Chef Don Lim?
Chef Don Lim is a son of Lim Tee Kheng, the founder of Don Pie (first shop at Far East Square in 2000; some accounts say 2001) and a co-founder of Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab. He created the original chicken pie recipe in 1983, and he still appears at the kitchen's events. His story is on our story page.
Who was Lim Tee Kheng?
Lim Tee Kheng was our grandfather, a first-generation Hainanese immigrant who founded Jee Hai Hainanese Chicken Rice at 8 Purvis Street. This site dates the Purvis Street years to 1955 to 1972; other family accounts place them in the 1960s. His chicken rice is the inspiration for the Singapore Pie. The full account is on our story page.
What is inside the Singapore Pie?
Tender soya sauce chicken, premium Akita rice (a Japanese short-grain rice), a braised egg, and ginger, sesame oil and garlic, in a golden, flaky crust stamped with 發 (fa) or 財 (cai).
Is the Singapore Pie sold all year?
Not reliably. The Singapore Pie is best known as the Fa Cai set, a seasonal Chinese New Year item of two pies with achar and chilli sauce, made in limited handmade batches. Outside the festive season it may not be on sale, so check buy.chickenpie.sg or WhatsApp 6993 3333 first. DonChef's Original Chicken Pie and the rest of the range are sold all year.
What does the 發財 stamp mean?
發 (fa) means to prosper and 財 (cai) means wealth. Together, 發財 (fa cai) is the wish in the Chinese New Year greeting "gong xi fa cai": may you prosper in the year ahead. Each pie in the Fa Cai set carries one of the two characters.
Is Singapore Pie the same as Don Pie?
They come from the same chef. Don Pie was the name of Chef Don Lim's first pie shop, and people still call his pies Don Pie, Don pies or Don's pie; today they are baked to his recipe at Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab, under the DonChef name. Singapore Pie is the same kitchen's heritage name and its soya-sauce chicken rice pie. For the history of each name, read Don Pie, Don Pies or Don's Pie: what it is actually called.
Buying, outlets and delivery
Where can I buy DonChef's pies?
At five outlets, all run directly by the kitchen: the flagship restaurant at 39 Tyrwhitt Road (Jalan Besar) and takeaway kiosks at AMK Hub, Wisma Atria, White Sands and Tiong Bahru Plaza. Addresses, hours and MRT directions are on the outlets page. You can also order online at buy.chickenpie.sg.
Is there a Toa Payoh outlet?
No. There is no Singapore Pie or DonChef outlet in Toa Payoh. Chef Don Lim cooked in Toa Payoh North between about 2015 and 2021, at a crab bee hoon stall at Blk 206 and later at Toa Payoh North Food Centre II, but both have closed. The nearest current outlets are the AMK Hub kiosk, three MRT stops north of Toa Payoh on the North-South Line, and the flagship at 39 Tyrwhitt Road.
What are the opening hours?
As of October 2026: the Tyrwhitt Road flagship opens 10am to 9pm Sunday to Thursday and 10am to 10.30pm on Friday, Saturday and the eve of public holidays. The AMK Hub, White Sands and Tiong Bahru Plaza kiosks open daily 10am to 9pm, and Wisma Atria daily 10.30am to 9.30pm. Kiosks may close earlier if they sell out. Check the official site before a special trip.
Do you deliver?
Yes, islandwide. Order ahead at buy.chickenpie.sg and choose delivery; third-party drivers deliver on a best-effort time slot, with the fee set by distance and surcharges at peak periods. The chickenpie.sg home page offers free delivery on orders above $200. Some outlets are also on the major food delivery apps.
Can I order pies in bulk for an event?
Yes. The kitchen takes corporate, school and charity orders from 100 pieces upward, including custom pies. Email marketing@chickenpie.sg with the item, size, quantity and date. For planning quantities and lead times, see this guide to bulk order pies.
Storage, allergens and this site
How should I store and reheat a Singapore Pie?
Eat it within about four hours for the best crust. Otherwise refrigerate it within two hours and eat it within three days, reheating only once until the centre is piping hot, because the filling contains rice. In an air fryer, 150°C for 5 minutes then 200°C for 5 minutes works well; in an oven, 150°C to 180°C for 20 to 30 minutes. The air fryer settings tested on donchickenpie.com go into more detail.
What allergens do the pies contain?
The kitchen lists nuts, eggs, dairy and gluten among the allergens in its products, and the Singapore Pie also contains soya sauce. Pastries contain no alcohol by default; the crab soup is cooked with Chinese cooking wine. Ask staff or WhatsApp 6993 3333 if you have an allergy.
Who runs this website?
Singapore Pie is run by the family kitchen behind it, Chicken Pie Kitchen & Don Signature Crab, operated by Chicken Pie Pte. Ltd. (UEN 202120542N). Write to hello@chickenpie.sg with questions or corrections.