Ipoh Hainan Chicken Rice @ Greentown Suria, Ipoh
January 13, 2011 | 22,048 viewsHainanese Roast Chicken Rice (RM5/USD1.60 per portion)
Finally something Halal from Ipoh for a change? Yes I know, I’ve not been an ardent hunter for Halal cuisine in Ipoh for more reasons than one. Firstly, there are only a mere handful of Malay restaurants (read : restaurants; a proper eatery with air-conditioning unit and proper menu) in Ipoh; and I think I might have tried the most premium of all; Laksamana Cheng Ho. And that was not good.
Wait, we went TWICE. And both visits were … blah …..let’s drop that. Hence you never read about the restaurant even after almost 3 years in existence; this Motormouth from Ipoh.
Crunchy bean sprouts blanched to the right degree/texture; lightly seasoned with pepper and dash of soy sauce, then garnished with chopped scallion and red chillies. (about RM4/USD1.30, if I’m not mistaken)
And since Ipoh’s synonymous with “Nga Choy Kai” or Ayam Tauge, also commonly named as Bean Sprouts Chicken (if you’re confused, read through this list of all the ‘Nga Choy Kai’ outlets I have bulldozed my way through ….), it’s only fair that the Muslim counterparts get to taste what this hoo-hah was all about.
Usually the halal version of chicken rice equals margarine cooked yellow (to a scary extent) rice, served with almost dehydrated roasted chicken and a sweet chili sauce, or sweet soy sauce (kicap manis). That, my friend …. is far from the original Hainan chicken rice we’re talking about.
So let’s see what Ipoh Hainan Chicken Rice; this chain (two branches now) outlet with a cleaner and presentable facade offers to the Malay community in Ipoh …..
Though named as Butter Rice in the menu; this oil rice (cooked from chicken oil, usually, the stock from the roasted chicken/poached chicken) vaguely passed off as the real deal. Only less ginger than compared to the Chinese version.
Some argue it’s always the chili sauce that makes the difference. While others stand firm on their choice of fluffy grains of aromatic rice. Me? The chicken, the rice and the chili sauce play equally important roles in determining the sheer value of a good Hainan chicken rice.
With all due respect, this Ipoh Hainan Chicken Rice (let’s call them IHCR in short) deserves to be crowned as one of the better halal chicken rice in Ipoh. Since competition ain’t tough at all, and the dearth of proper eateries serving reputable cuisine, I foresee them going far in promoting Halal Ipoh cuisine to the masses.
Kerabu Mangga – A mango salad with crispy cuttlefish, chopped cili padi and onions.
Deep Fried Beancurd in Oyster Sauce – Now this is good. Surprisingly. Very smooth and eggy beancurd fried until the exterior layer become crispy, then cooked in a sweetish oyster sauce base.
The side dishes are there for the sake of filling the vacuum spots in the tummy, I guess. The portion ain’t large, you can even down two plates if you’re really hungry.
The chicken was okay, certainly made a better impression when we had them at the original outlet on Anderson road (Jalan Raja Musa Aziz) way back in 2008. That was when they first operated, I presumed. Even the poached chicken was good back then.
See? This shot was taken with my ever reliable Nokia 5610. Now the phone’s been passed on to the previous generation. Hehe … Mum’s the new owner now.
Nescafe Shake – Though not as freezingly refreshing as I had imagined (who remembered way back in the 80’s or early 90’s, when Nescafe Shake was the BOMB?!)
The new outlet at Greentown Suria; where the new DWJ Hotel is located at. Find out more about the new boutique hotel from emily’s blog.
Anyway, this lunch was a memorable feat, not so much for the FOOD, but more for the company. Good to know that there are still simple souls with a heart and a penchant for food back in my old workplace. People change, life changes, but good friends remain the same forever.
“Don’t give up on the Good Fight …”
*Ipoh Hainan Chicken Rice has two outlets in Ipoh; strangely about 1-2 kilometres apart from each other. I don’t have the address or contact number, but one is on Anderson Road; a short distance away from the hospital roundabout, while the other is behind of Greentown Mall; at the new shops named Greentown Suria. Here’s a GOOGLE MAP for easy reference.
You can read more from Eatz.me, MsM Perak, and they even have a Facebook group HERE.

I always pass the one along Anderson road but never bother to go in.. but after looking at these pictures, I sure want to go!! Greentown suria? Must go and look for it..
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oooh… expert in Hainanese Chicken Rice now huh???
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Nah … can’t even claim to be an amateur. Especially when there are so many choices around in Klang Valley.
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can have gatherings here…cool!
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I also dun understand why malay-style chicken rice has to be margarine cooked and always come with the super dry chicken, salty soup, salty soya sauce and sweet chili. I prefer Chinese style.
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Yup, hence when this Halal one resembles Chinese style of Hainan chicken rice the most, I knew that they will go far.
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I also have the same opinion that the chili sauce really can make the different for chicken rice eg: If the rice or chicken not nice I will pour plenty of chili sauce to eat with, haha ^^
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 12:51 pm
Yeah …. especially those with a cili padi kick, and lots of garlic. Preferably with a squeeze of lime. Heavenly!
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The chicken rice there looks good, I like chicken rice so much that I’m kinda fussy when eating it.. When it’s nice, I would go there again and again.. haha 😀
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 16th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
Me too. But seldom can find one that’s really really good. I shared this same sentiment back then, when we used to eat chicken rice for lunch at least once a week in old town of Ipoh.
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md: penipu.selalu takda yang steam punya.alasan tak nak buat.pemalas.tutup kedai la.
chaom: betui tu…orang dtg jauh2 nk mkn ayam stim, 2 malam dtg berturut2, dua du mlm tak ada ayam stim…tinggal ayam roasted je..penipu atau malas? sama ja…
mak jemah: bukan nak pekena hainan ciken rais… tapi tak sungguh org tak mngata..lain kali jadikan ini sbg pengajaran..mak jemah customer always rite.
pak deris : harap nama dan kedai ja lawa.tp pemalas nak juai nasi ayam steam.kata khas nak juai kat customer cina.awat…..orang melayu tak mampu nak bayar nasi ayam hainun steam tu….mampu la woi….
azhar idrus: tapi awek waitres kat kedai tu cas!!!! Comey belako!! keras trus
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ramlie yahaya : kalau tak pecaya cuba pi kat hainan grentonwn malam ni, atau malam esok, atau malam bila2 la..dalam kul 8.30-9.00pm…try order nasi ayam stim tu….pak cik jamin mesti awek yg buat org keras tu akan bg alasan ayam stim dah habis…bosan…
haaa..pi awal tau haritu…kecewa anak2 pak cik tak dpt makan ayam stim..huhu
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Bean curd oyster very very tasty. We love it
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Bean curd oyster very very tasty. We love it
Whenever we go to Ipoh, we will drop by there.very delicious
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