Knife skills are a surprisingly important factor that contribute to the enjoyment of this dish, separating the basic chicken rice stall from a true poultry specialist. One will have you clucking in annoyance as you pick out bits of bone from your mouth, while the other provides a smooth and seamless eating experience.
Restoran Kong Sai is my personal favourite. The feel of its poached chicken in your mouth is out of this world — slippery and delicate and barely needs any chewing. The star of the show is the onion oil dipping sauce. It’s made with spring onions, ginger and coriander in an oil and soy sauce emulsion. This sauce is one of the best pairings with poached chicken that I’ve tasted. I’d always crave it whenever I go to other chicken rice outlets.
Restoran Loke Yun. This Ampang institution is famous for its oily and fragrant chicken rice. The grains are nicely separated, which makes eating it a pleasant experience compared with some of the clumpier chicken rice out there. The smooth kampung poached chicken goes very well with the black sauce that’s provided in the squeeze bottles on every table.
Restoran Wong Soon Kee needs no introduction. This stall used to be occupied by Lim’s Fried Chicken but the new operators are equally good, if not better. They do a brisk business and there’s always a rack of freshly fried chicken still hot from the fryers. The chicken here is fabulous — juicy and tender with a crispy exterior. It pairs well with the coconut rice (optional), topped with some curry and sweet sambal.
Restoran Hoe Fong Chicken Rice is a no-frills fried chicken rice place. The restaurant just does one thing perfectly, and that’s the fried chicken. Eating it on its own is already delicious because of the sweet soy sauce and garlic marinade but it tastes even better with the usual soy and garlic chilli sauces as accoutrements. Then there is the salted vegetable soup which balances out all the greasy flavours.
LRT/MRT: Kelana Jaya
Distance: 600 metres
Operating hours: 10.45am-3pmLRT/MRT: Taman Paramount
Distance: 500 metres
Operating hours: 8am-4pm, closed on Wednesdays and Sundays
