In Pursuit of Good Chicken Rice

... Hainanese Chicken Rice, that is.

We have a 5-point scale covers the salient, er, points.
* Chicken (types of chicken / do they debone)
* Rice
* Chilli Sauce
* Soup
* Extras (eg, is the price reasonable? is service good, esp if the queue is long? anything else that differentiates them from the rest?)

Over the past 3 years or so, we have visited more places than the ones listed here, but these are the ones that have 'stuck' - for good or bad reasons. I share what I like about these places, and leave the rest for the good reader to discover / infer (and share comments, thoughts, feedback). Disclaimer: in gastronomia, it's more a matter of personal taste, so what I love, may not affect another person in the same way.

Our kind of chicken is smooth, soft, not too hot, and (ideally) deboned. While we know some prefer their chicken bone-in, deboned chicken allows us to savour the experience with no worry of a bone chip lodging itself in our teeth. Also, deboning (especially the wing midsection / tip) reflects the skill of the person cutting the chicken. Of course, flavouring / seasoning, doneness, freshness, tenderness of the meat, etc also matter. The Katong one adds garlic bits to the chicken - surprisingly delicious.

Rice is important too - so many people just eat the chicken and leave the rice. Good rice doesn't get left behind. We like the longer, slimmer grained rice. It has to be bathed in the correct blend of flavours - this is definitely a 'personal taste' thing! And it must be al dente. There are places where we might order just the chicken, without rice. Other places, we polish off every single grain of rice, carbo overload be damned (Tian Tian!).

Good chilli sauce definitely leaves its own aftertaste (and accompanying garlic breath), but so many of us feel that it is worth it. Yeah! As for soup, the cantonese places do excellent soup. I am talking about Chew Kee (Upper Cross Street). Their soup is so good, I don't bother to order drinks with my chicken rice / noodles when I eat here.

As for extras, these would include good service, value for money... I don't mind queueing if service is brisk and cheerful. I guess the Hainanese are better known for being excellent cooks than for polite service. Hey, at least they cook well!

Good Year Local Chicken Rice Balls (to give the shop its full name) is a place that serves the rice shaped into balls. They also serve rice on a plate if you ask for that. The thing is, the seasoning / flavour of the rice seems different in a ball vs on a plate. This is value for money - a set for one comes to under $4.  Apart from this place, I only see chicken rice served this way in Melaka. The shop used to be at Jln Besar. 

There are two well-known places in the Chinatown area. One of them is Heng Ji Chicken Rice (open from 3pm). Around 7 pm, be prepared to wait in line around 20 mins to be served. This place definitely has its following (one of whom is an old friend and mentor, J)! Auntie here is cheerful and serves up flavourful chicken (they don'd debone). She knew it was my first time, when I only took only one chilli sauce serving (for a half-chicken / two bowls of rice) and kindly put a second chilli sauce dish on my tray. This place does not serve soup. 

The other place in Chinatown, Tian Tian, has a queue perpetually attached to it (sometimes even at 2pm or after!). A book or sudoku easily make good the 15 minute wait. The queue consists of loyal regulars like ourselves and camera-wielding tourists (Asians, Caucasians, etc). I could eat here twice a month and still be back for more. They typically sell out around 7pm for dinner. They don't even need to advertise; enough bloggers sing their praises - everyone knows Tian Tian! We love that Tian Tian continue to do their thing well. I swear the carpark is emptier on Mondays when they are closed. We hope they never open another outlet. Tian Tian also offers the kind of chilli sauce that we love - it is slightly tart, and just spicy enough. It complements both the chicken and the rice beautifully. And yes, they debone (on request).

Memorable chicken rice places visited include (in alphabetical order)

Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice (#B1-85/87 Katong Shopping Centre)

Good Year Local Hainanese Chicken Rice Ball (30 Foch Road #01-02 S 209276)

Heng Ji Chicken Rice (Blk 335 Smith Street #02-131 Chinatown Complex Market S050335 * Dinner only / closed Sunday)

Lucky Chicken Rice (#02-110 in an 'Original Condition' mall on Orchard Road across from Ion, Wisma Atria and Ngee Ann City)

Nan Xiang Chicken Rice (The original outlet, at Whampoa Food Centre * Closed Fridays)

7th Storey Hotel (when it was at Tan Quee Lan)

Specialist Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice (#05- Far East Plaza)

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice (Maxwell Food Centre * Closed Mondays)

Special mention:
CHEW Kee Eating House - 8 Upper Cross Street (different from the brother's place, CHIEW Kee, 32 Upper Cross Street)
Chicken House (255 Upper Thomson Road, S574382; T 64560698)

Something that gets me, though...
Why is it that once the shop becomes famous, and they decide to open more outlets, it (usually) results in a decline in quality / service? BTK comes to mind. Since business remains brisk, it's OK, I won't be missed.

There remain a number of places we have yet to sample (please feel free to suggest / recommend!)
- Wah Kee (Redhill Market *Lunch only)
- Jin Jin Coffee Shop (Seah Street)
- Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice 56, Smith Street S058961