Sweeney Todd and Edward Scissorhands have nothing on Jong Choon-jin. The Singaporean chef can debone a chicken in less than two minutes. His swift blade has been preparing Hainan chicken rice across east Asia for more than 14 years and he now plies his trade at BreadTalk's Toast Box cafe (operated by the people behind the Food Republic counters) in Jordan's JD Mall. By his count, he has stripped more than 350,000 birds. At a tasting last Thursday at the Malaysian-Singaporean (Nanyang) cuisine outlet, he dispatched a chicken in 97 seconds.

'On average I debone about 60 to 70 Hainan chickens a day, so after a while I've learned to do it really quickly,' Jong said. 'The main thing is to practise the method until you can do it almost without looking. The hardest part is the back area. If I use too much strength, the tender meat will tear. My record is 120 chickens in one day. I only discovered I was quick because we had a competition after work with colleagues.'

As well as Hainan chicken, Jong will be serving such Southeast Asian favourites as char kway teow, pandan chicken and fried tofu with minced pork. The Singaporean has also grown fond of local dishes. 'I've been in Hong Kong for five years now. My favourites are Hong Kong-style curry beef brisket and stir-fried instant noodles. I like the fusion taste. It's strange but really yummy.'