The Best Chicken Rice in Malaysia. Or … Was This?
October 23, 2011 | 21,558 views
Notice the more saturated tones of yellow on the chicken skin? Compared to the ones with a lighter shade of yellow, the “choy yin gai” (farm chicken) possess a definite advantage in terms of flavour, texture and yeah … monetary values, of course.
Just came back earlier this afternoon from a self-declared heaven on earth.
Yeah it was indeed a very timely excursion to one of the most obscure places in Malaysia, yet brimming with potential, exuding characters unparalleled and just plain screamed for attention, albeit in a subtle manner. Wait for the post in another few days.
For now, let’s talk CHICKEN RICE.
Half a chicken (option of the usual chicken or “choy yin gai”) poached to a marvelous extent; retaining the natural juiciness of the flesh with a toothsome bite (we picked the “choy yin gai” at more than RM30 for half a chicken), garnished with bits of fried shallot and coriander but not before being drizzled lightly in the usual soy sauce-based concoction.
Satellite Chicken Rice and the countless New Restaurant Ipoh Chicken Rice outlets were none too impressive, but Hong Seng in Section 17 was a clear winner when it comes to roasted chicken.
And then here’s the supposedly champion of all champions; Loke Yun Ampang Chicken Rice. But …. seriously?
A very brilliantly done combination of piquant chili sauce (one of the MOST important component in a perfect chicken rice meal), and mashed ginger for you to customize the condiment to own preference. And let’s not forget the oil rice. Never opt for bland white rice. Duh.
This was immediately after Foong Foong Yong Tau Foo, thus we held back on the orders. And this was not even lunch yet.
Loke Yun (they have a website at www.lokeyun.com, but my computer detected a virus when I opened the page, hence I won’t submit the link here) has been hailed many times over by media, critics, food reviewers and bloggers to offer the BEST Hainanese chicken rice not only in the Klang Valley, but in Malaysia.
Crunchy strands of lightly boiled chicken intestines, served in the customary sauce consisting of soy sauce and shallot oil, with a dash of sesame oil detected. Very addictive side dish, and far from being gross. Trust me. I may eat everything and anything but this is definitely not one of those Fear Factor moments.
Verdict? The muscly farm chicken had this definite crunch; a firmer bite compared to the usually softer texture of the usual fowls. And the taste was different too, in a good way. The aesthetically more pleasant appearance of the yellow skin was not of solely cosmetic advantage either. Bouncy and without the scary bits of fats underneath, I managed to finish every part of the chicken without leaving behind a trail of excess.
Aside from the bones, of course.
The rice was fragrant, every grain separated and no lumps detected. The chili sauce lent a punchy kick to the feast, with customizable amount of mashed ginger for adjustment of heat and flavours.
Not the BEST there ever was. But above average, definitely. Though my dining companions were not as agreeable. One commented on the rice being less flavourful, while another was not a fan of the poached farm chicken.
Taste is very subjective, I’d say. To me, Loke Yun projects a very positive image; serving good old Hainanese style of chicken rice in Ampang without compromising on the quality and portions, or falling prey to the lure of commercialization which leads to dilution of quality/values inevitably. (Updated 24.10.2011 – Loke Yun DOES have a branch now at Eat Food Village @ Publika Shopping Gallery)
Tiled walls, mosaic floors and almost elbow-to-elbow tables layout. The back portion had air-conditioning, so you don’t have to sweat profusely while downing their ginger-chili concoction.
158, Jalan Besar Ampang
Pekan Ampang, 68000 Ampang, Selangor
03-4291-9884
Business Hours: Mon-Wed, Fri-Sun 10:30am–3pm, 5:30–7:45pm
Closed on Thurs.
GPS : 3.148588,101.762371
*A short distance away from the Ampang traffic police station.
They have a branch at Publika Solaris Dutamas. Same taste and quality.
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 24th, 2011 at 12:28 am
Thanks Ken. As I was informed by Citygal the moment I posted this up too.
Will visit this Publika place and see for myself the many new eateries there.
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Taste is very subjective, true. In my mind (and heart, really), the best chicken rice in Malaysia is the one cooked by my Mom… and I guess this is true for a lot of Malaysians (uhm, cooked by their own mothers, I mean, haha).
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 24th, 2011 at 11:59 pm
Haha …. mine does not cook good chicken rice, so I won’t compare.
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I think the best chicken rice comes from Ipoh! Fatter chicken more meat and tastier! haha
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 24th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
Yeah meh ….?! Bean sprouts, yeah. Definitely. But the rice… hmm, even some of Ipoh’s best have failed to impress. Maybe it’s just me.
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onekaicha Reply:
October 25th, 2011 at 10:37 am
could it be due to rice being of lower grades and not properly cooked? sticky, lumpy, or even undercooked sometimes. The rice cooker malfunctioning ? Seems to be a common trait among many eateries acrose the entire price range. Lousy rice standards are well tolerated because it is often considered the ‘filler’ and not the prime dish or main attraction. .
Question is whether the rice forms an important part of chicken rice. Is it a typical rice dish with chicken the side attraction or the other way round ? What constitute good chicken or good rice, not forgeting the chilli sauce.
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 25th, 2011 at 11:34 am
I guess for myself, it has to be the chicken, rice and chili sauce combination. Everything has to be perfect, not under or overwhelming.
CS Chua Reply:
October 30th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
You forget a 4th but most important combination. Soup. Any Chicken Rice stall or shop that does not serve soup don’t get my patronage.
for a moment i tot the white strands was HOR FUN t_+
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 24th, 2011 at 11:57 pm
Haha … .misleading? Yeah, one of us thought so too. But at least that got him trying the supposedly gross part of the chicken.
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You! Make me craving for poached chicken & luckily I can got it near my office to fix my craving temporarily as I know I definitely will try this most probably at Publika since it’s nearer for me 😛
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I saw the Halal sign on the glass panel… is it really halal?
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yeah I saw the branch at publika too but haven’t tried nor eaten loke yun in a loooong time.
eh so how often do you go back to ipoh ah? looking to make a trip there sometime nov 😛
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those chickens hanging are a little scary, the food looks good but after reading the descriptions I changed my mind, still, the half chicken looks delicious!
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You finally did this.
This place is much better than Low Wong or Ong Kee in Ipoh. I was there (Ipoh) last week. The way these two places are fighting each other they forgot what it is that makes quality Chicken Rice. Now there is a third place in that Chicken Rice Junction to lure mindless tourists to a place that has long forgotten it’s past glory as the best Chicken Rice in Malaysia. The only saving grace is the bean sprout, still fattest of them all but again this too is been prepared sloppily like the Chicken Rice.
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J2Kfm Reply:
October 31st, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Hmm, yeah. Sad to say, I have to agree with you on this, although I’m from Ipoh myself.
Lou Wong and Onn Kee can’t make good chicken rice, thus go for the hor fun if there’s any consolation.
Still, I am keeping my hopes up for a better chicken rice somewhere out there.
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CS Chua Reply:
January 29th, 2012 at 2:40 pm
Ipoh’s hor fun is still ‘king of the hill’. The gripe I have is both these places are very stingy wth their ‘hor fun’. Its the same miserable ‘five spoons and you are done’ quantity whether you order large or standard. You would think ‘hor fun’ capital would have plentiful supply. A ‘hor fun’ experience from either one only reminds me of the Japanese occupation stories of ‘porridge, water more than rice’.
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J2Kfm Reply:
January 29th, 2012 at 8:49 pm
Yeah … maybe the reduced quantity would result in extra orders, or complementing the portion of chicken/taugeh just as well?
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Well, I have to try to see whether it leaves up to the name. To me, as long as it is tasty and suited my taste, it will be my best. Best of the best is only a commercialize term crown by media to drum up sales.
To be the best, it must be authenticate and have all the required ingredient and stay true to its heritage as well. I try both chicken rice in Malaysia and Singapore.
Both is best to me because the eating method is not the same. 🙂
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