Thursday, May 14, 2009

Tasty Chicken Rice @ Sunway Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya


bit players in a Chicken Rice drama; forks and spoons on the table, the kiam chye boey that perks up appetites and their Taiping hor fun that reminds me of Kakak in Taiping

I confess, I often find that chicken rice here in Malaysia never seems to measure up compared to Singapore's famous Hainanese chicken rice. Phew! I said it! I'll probably be branded unpatriotic but honestly the Singapore version often gets my thumbs up because they serve such aromatic rice vs the Malaysian versions. It seems to be an island-trend as no matter where I've eaten in Singapore, it has been exceptionally good whether it is the Four Seasons Hotel or just a stall in Maxwell Food Court (albeit a very famous one which we had to queue for).


silky smooth poached chicken

It's probably the reason also, why I have shied away from blogging about chicken rice as nothing strikes me as exceptional. For this place, I had very high hopes since it came with a title - the stall was crowned the Malaysian Hainan Chicken Rice Open Competition champion in 2007.

the exceptionally excellent braised chicken feet - all gelatinous and melt in the mouth

So did it pass the test? While it didn't get close to the aromatic rice you get in Singapore (definitely wins hand down!), it was a class above the normal chicken rice - fluffy but I felt lacked the aroma of the chicken fat. However, my dissapointment was consoled by discovering one of the best ever braised chicken feet. Hold on, what about the chicken? It was good with a silky smooth texture but after eating the chicken feet, it seemed to pale in comparison as my tummy seemed to signal, "I just want chicken feet only".

the rice in question that often makes me wish I lived in Singapore instead

The chicken feet in question? If you love them soft and gelatinous in your mouth, then you'll love their version as it literally melts in the mouth. Gorgeous stuff! Be warned though, it can give you a slightly sticky sensation to the lips from all that gelatin. However, no dish is ever perfect as I the sauce was a little too sweet for my liking. The dark brown sauce has a thick consistency since part of the gelatin melts into it.

The side dishes here are pretty good too - the sourish kiam chye (stewed mustard greens) perked up the appetite and the chilli sauce was good but not very fiery with rough bits of garlic and red chillies. Minced ginger sauce is also served at the side. If you prefer noodles, they also serve hor fun (rice noodles) that remind me of those found in Kakak, that famous stall in Taiping but not as laden with MSG. Overall, it makes a great lunch place as service is pretty fast and parking can be found around this area since it seems quieter that the middle part of the shophouses.

Restoran Tasty Chicken Rice
22A-1, Jalan PJU 5/16
Dataran Sunway
Kota Damansara
Petaling Jaya

Tel No: 012-555 5591

(Non Halal. Open from : 9am to 3.30pm, 5pm to 8.30pm from Monday to Fridays. For Saturday and Sunday, it is open from 9am-3.30pm. The shop is at the same row as Sentul Yap's Hokkien Mee and opposite the ICCA Cake decorating centre.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. This review is time sensitive; changes may occur to the place later on that can affect this opinion. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from this place for writing the review.

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19 comments:

Sean said...

i haven't managed to overcome my aversion to chicken feet. they just repulse me, and i can't help it! i'm keen to check out this place, but i'll definitely stay away from those feet! :D

Sugar Bean said...

O.o I never know that Singapore's chicken rice is that good. Haven't had it for it for ages.

The verification by listening is quite tough! Haha!

J2Kfm said...

boo, there's one Singapore chicken rice right near my office in old town of Ipoh. the chicken (only roasted) is very good, the sauce flavourful, with a hint of wine, if i'm not mistaken.

the rice also fluffy, not sticky, and fragrant.

a hit with the office crowd, but not known to outsiders i supposed.

eiling lim said...

I'm a lover of chicken rice and being a Hainanese myself, I must go try this!

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

yeah i dunno wat the hype is with sg chicken rice..so u mean its more of the rice than the chicken?

maybe its worth to part with 40sg to try the infamous mandarin oriental hotel 1 then?

Allie said...

Me too feel that Malaysia chicken rice is lack of aromatic rice.

Precious Pea said...

The chicken feet sure looks tasty! Would be even better is they braise some peanuts using that gravy.

email2me said...

Boo ..... I think you order the wrong chicken. They are famous for roasted and not the poached. :D no wonder you disappointed with it.

Rebecca Saw said...

Haha Ken been askin me to chk out tis plc aft my unfortunate incident w the Hainanese chic rice in DJ.
there's also atr one in Ampang, this one winner of 2008 Best CR it seems.
U sod chk tht one out too!

email2me said...

The most famous poached chicken I ever had is Loke Yuen located opposite Ampang Police station. Very near to the YTF restaurants.

Famous for their chilis, rice and corn fed chicken. Can on par with SG's.

thule a.k.a leo said...

It seems that you already have a benchmark to compare chicken rice... I like to keep my expectations low so I will satisfy easily :) but then if I complain about a place... then it will definitely get bombarded by you.

KY said...

ooo they do look good, now if only they can fix the whole traffic jam thingy going there...

worldwindows said...

The chicken feet and the fragrant and aromatic rice. I prefer poached chicken but very few very good ones around.

boo_licious said...

Sean - awww, chicken feet is the best ever. Sorry to hear that you're not fan of it though, you just don't know what u're missing.

sugarbean - Spore chicken rice is yums. Always a must have when I visit down south.

j2kfm - awww, it sounds so good. Must remember to go visit that when I visit Ipoh. Thxs for the tip.

eiling - yeah, see if the judges got it right or wrong.

Joe - I ate at chatterbox long long ago when I was a teenager and it was good then. Now I'm not sure though. If you're looking for high end ones, then the 4 seasons Hotel one was pretty good. Had it last year when I did a whirlwind Spore trip.

Allie - they use cheap rice hence not nice. Rice quality in Spore is much better though.

precious pea - come we go and try next week? esp since you'll be a free woman by then.

email2me - How very weird, shouldn't it be poached chicken he is famous for since that is Hainanese chicken rice? I've heard abt Loke Yuen and walked past their shop in Ampang New Village. Must give it a try as I remember all the guide books said it is nice and compare it with Kee Kee in Kelana Jaya.

thenomadgourmand - LOL, the DJ one you went to is not great as I remember not being impressed long ago. Am surprised, it survived all these years.

leo - LOL, my stds are not that high. I'm easily satisfied, give me smooth chicken & aromatic fluffy rice and I'm bought!

KY - the jam is not that bad though. Reckon you just need to know yr way around the place.

worldwindows - yeah, me too. I always eat poached chicken vs roasted ones. Healthier and yummier, I think.

Bangsar-bAbE said...

Like Sean, I find the chicken feet quite geli looking! =P

Julian Si said...

I so can't wait to try this ... unlike most other food-types, chicken rice is perhaps one that Singapore can claim a "lead" over us! So any good chicken rice locally available is a contender to tip us back over the edge :-)

ps - Enjoyed rama v? :-)

qwazymonkey said...

Hey, this is McCutie's favourite Chicken Rice store! As you can tell already how much of a Chicken King he can be. :)

ai wei said...

errr... chicken feet?! it's not my type but would love to try as ur photos are really attractive!

singapore chicken rice that great??? can't believe. keke

boo_licious said...

bangsar-babe - it can look scary. Seen pixs of it hanging on a piece of string looking so "hand-like"

Jules - Loke Yun sounds like a good contender from what Ken is saying. Must go try that as honestly, no where here is as good as Spore. Didn't get to go Rama V so can't comment but the pixs on Ciki's blog look delectable.

qwazymonkey - wow! what a coincidence. I guess great tummies think alike? I'm dying to try Loke Yun, as it is said to be better.

ai wei - weird but true as the rice they use is of higher quality.

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