'Mr Chicken Rice': British teen's love for dish lands him a stint at eatery

He loves chicken rice so much that he used to eat it every week with his grandmother, from the time he was five years old.

- Sherlyn Sim

At 13, Joshua Alexander Jun Wei Gilby approached Nam Kee Chicken Rice Restaurant to ask for a part-time job. It would have been a dream come true for the Briton, but he was too young, so they turned him down.

He didn't give up and asked again, a year later. This time, the answer was "yes" — much to his delight.

In the middle of July, Joshua started his first part-time job at the eatery's Upper Thomson outlet, working every Tuesday and Thursday from 5pm to 8pm for a month.

He learnt how to speak to customers, take orders, clean the tables, help with takeaway orders and pick taugeh or bean sprout roots.

Speaking to The Straits Times, Joshua said: "I've been going to this restaurant since I was five and I've always wanted to know their secret recipe.

"My parents joked that I needed to work there to find out. We kept joking and it became a reality."

Chicken rice, he said, is his ultimate comfort food, and tucking into Singapore's national dish is a weekly ritual and source of joy for him, especially on tough days.

Joshua, who is studying at United World College South East Asia, is a Singapore permanent resident.

Nam Kee owner Dave Chew, who turned him away the first time, but asked him to try again when he turned 14, said he was worried that at 13, Joshua was too young to work in his restaurant.