Besides being a common dish on this little island, I believe the chicken rice is a dish every single Singaporean can relate to. Simply put, it's the food that we grew up eating when every neighborhood coffee shop religiously has a chicken rice stall, or something we can fall back on when there's nothing good to eat around the area. Plus, when asked what you want for a takeaway meal, chicken rice is the most convenient food as almost every place has it.
But what does it take to cook a good plate of chicken rice?
First, the rice must be soft and fluffy, well coated with oil but not too greasy and very importantly it must but fragrant and flavorsome after being well cooked with garlic and the other essential ingredients. The steamed chicken must be tender and succulent while the roasted ones must not be too dry and yet well roasted enough to give out the sweet smelling scent of roast chicken. The sauce is what makes or breaks the dish and it cannot be too salty and must be tasty. And of course not forgetting the sauces; the chilli and ginger combination and dark sauce which must be good to compliment the dish yet not being too overpowering.
Disappointingly, Wah Nam Kee Chicken Rice which I read as being rated among the top 10 chicken rice in Singapore, doesn't make the cut. Well, not to say that it's bad, which it isn't. But being rated as one of the best, one would always expect something more. However, I feel that the food served is only average or only slightly better than what you would be able to order in a coffee shop.
The chicken we ordered was tender which is good but somehow, it all ends there. The sauce was normal tasting and was even on the verge of being too salty. The rice was a complete disappointment. It was slightly undercooked and it wasn't fragrant at all while the chilli sauce was also too salty.
The shrimp dumpling or water dumplings were not bad though to give them some credit. But overall, it better than average, just not quite there yet. Besides, they also have tze char items which most patrons ordered so I wouldn't be passing judgment too quickly.
Well, I've definitely tasted better chicken rice around this sunny island and I hope to review them soon.
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9 comments:
YD, have you tried Xin Kee at Margaret Drive food centre, Commonwealth Drive? I find it good, just my HO though.
Hello Angie! I've read kitchancrazydaffy blog about it a few times before but i've yet to try it. I recall frequently eating at a chicken rice stall at queensway (near the old cinema) but I'm not sure if it's the same one. any directions how to get there?
I may be presumptious here but I believe the venue is the same place where I get my cha kua teow fix but on the first floor i.e. the upper level. http://dancingblueseal.blogspot.com/2006/08/hai-kee-teochew-cha-kua-teow-margaret.html
I heard that the chicken rice place had a split and some of them are now located at mei chin street
http://dancingblueseal.blogspot.com/2006/09/mei-chin-rd-food-centre-mei-chin-rd.html
but I could be totally misinformed.
Hope that helps.
Paisei paisei abt my deleted comments, was trying to insert in the complete url link.
I was saying that D is right about the split, according to this link. Not sure abt the Char Kway Teow, coz I always go there on Sunday evenings, where not many stalls are opened.
Check out the link below, look for Sun Kee under the column "Which Stall". There's a map too :)
http://www.can.com.sg/content/neocan/en/archive/spotlight/margaret_drive/commonwealth_avenue.html
I hope the link can be inserted completely now.
Oh dear, the link is still cut off. Why leh? To continue from /archive, it's
/spotlight/margaret_drive/commonwealth_avenue.html
Angie: I actually have no problems seeing your complete link even in the first post. I'm using firefox mozilla though, not sure if different internet browsers would make a difference.
Oh okok! thanks alot! I'm quite certain that it's the one my dad used to bring us to and I'm planning to go real soon cause I also just read reviews about the char kuey tiao and chicken rice from a blog called ieatishootipost. It's a darn cool blog man!
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