Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice @ Katong Shopping Centre

So I have heard that there is a very popular Chicken Rice stall at Katong Shopping Centre food court. In fact, I have heard of Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice for years but I have not been able to make my way down to the far east to check out the chicken rice. By chance I needed to run some errand in the area so I made my way to the basement food court hoping to get a quick meal a couple of weeks back. However to my horror, there was a snaking queue and I ended up waiting for a good 45 minutes.

Hainanese Chicken 4.5/5

While the name of the stall is known as Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice, the chicken is not served boneless unless you request. The Hainanese Chicken is chopped into big chunky pieces and topped with fried garlic. The chicken is definitely dipped in cold ice water to get the jelly like skin because the chicken tasted chilled. Overall the chicken was really very tender. No wonder the stall is so popular with patrons willing to wait for a good 30 minutes or more.

Chicken Rice 3.5/5

The Chicken Rice has a nice garlic aroma but it was not as fluffy as I would have liked. In fact it was almost on the dry side.

Achar 3/5

Lotus Root Soup 4/5

What I think is very generous of the stall is the complimentary Achar and Lotus Root Soup. The achar is cut into chunky pieces and patrons can help themselves to them as many times as they want. Although simply seasoned,  I am not complaining since it is free flow. The Lotus Root Soup on the other hand was rich in flavour. The soup should have been boiled for hours with pork ribs and chicken feet that literally fell apart when I picked them up with my chopsticks.

Bean Sprouts 4/5

Since I have queued for so long, I might as well ordered more dishes to try. I had the Bean Sprouts which surprisingly is topped with a few slices of abalone. A nice crunchy side dish to go with the chicken rice.

Overall I agreed that the chicken served at Delicious Boneless chicken is ready delicious as per its name. I do like the way the chicken is chopped into big chunky pieces. I prefer it to be smaller. The complimentary achar and soup are definitely a bonus and generous of the stall. However will you wait 45 minutes for the chicken rice?

*All photos in this post is taken using the new Samsung Galaxy K Zoom LTE smartphone.


Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice
Katong Shopping Centre
865 Mountbattan Road
#B1-85/87
Singapore 437844
Nearest MRT: Dakota (CC Line), Mountbattan (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sun: 1030am - 8pm
(Closed on Mon)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Dakota MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to bus stop at Blk 99 Old Airport Road (Stop ID 81181). Take bus number 10 or 32. Alight 5 stops later. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Mountbattan MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop at Blk 2 Mountbattan Road (Stop ID 80279). Take bus number 12 or 14. Alight 7 stops later. Journey time about 16 minutes. [Map]

Sawadee Thai Cuisine @ Tan Quee Lan Street (Bugis)

For those that stay in the Northern part of Singapore would be familiar with Sawadee Thai Cuisine which used to be located at Sembawang near the famous Sembawang white beehoon. Sawadee Thai Cuisine has sinced moved from its previous premises to their new home at Bugis along Tan Quee Lan Street in December 2013, just beside the new Bugis downtown line MRT exit.

Betel Leaf Wrap 4/5

Betel Leaf Wrap 4/5

The last time I had the Betel Leaf Wrap ($12/$18) was at the defunct Sweet Salty Spicy. Not many Thai restaurants in Singapore serve this. I am glad that I got to try this street food again at Sawadee Thai Cuisine. To eat just grab a bit of everything with the homemade special sauce and have it like a wrap. You will get a burst of flavours in the mouth as you chew on the betel leaf wrap.

Green Mango Salad 3.5/5

I realized that the Green Mango Salad ($10/$15) served at the Sawadee Thai Cuisine is a bit different to the rest. A check with the kitchen confirmed that they used 2 different types of mangoes for the dish. The ripe one for sweetness and the unripe one for the crunch. While this was good, I like my Thai salad to be rich in the fish sauce and spiciness. The seasoning can be further up a notch.

Thai Rice Crackers Dip 3/5

A delightful starter would be the Thai Rice Crackers Dip ($9/$14) that is served with a rich, savoury creamy chicken dip.

Crab Spring Roll 3.5/5

While the Crab Spring Roll ($10/$15) was very enjoyable with its crispy deep fried exterior, I could not really tasted any crab meat in the filling instead. While it is understandable for cost reason, I still hope the filling mixture would have more crab meat flesh.

Tom Yum Talay 3.8/5

A staple Thai soup dish, the Tom Yum Talay ($10/$15) will whet up your appetite with its spicy and sour characteristic.

Thai Stuffed Chicken Wings 3.5/5

The Thai Stuffed Chicken Wings ($10/$15) was quite flavourful and easy to it as they have been deboned. While it is pretty enjoyable, I still preferred my chicken wings to come with bones.

Thai Style Otah 4.5/5

Served in a traditional clay earthenware, the Thai Style Otah ($15) was one my favourite dishes for the night. The steamed fish paste or mousse has delectable firm and chunky texture that comes with a subtle spiciness.

Olive Rice 4/5

Nowadays I don't go for pineapple rice but olive rice instead whenever I visit a Thai restaurant. I find olive rice is more flavourful than pineapple rice. The Olive Rice ($13/$18) at Sawadee Thai Cuisine is served with chicken and deep fried dried shrimp. The deep fried dried shrimp is quite an interesting combination which goes very well with the olive rice.

Hearty Duck Curry 4.2/5

The red curry of the Hearty Duck Curry ($15/$22) was rich and creamy. It goes very well with a plate of rice. The use of lychee and pineapple gave the dish a fruity sweet balance which worked excellently with the roasted duck.

Spicy Steamed Fish 4.2/5

I have always enjoy having Thai Spicy Steamed Fish ($28). The combination of the sweet, sour and spicy which are the fundamental of Thai cuisine fully accentuated the fresh and moist fish.

Stir Fried Fish Maw with Beansprouts 4.8/5

The simplicity of the dish coupled with an element of surprise in terms of textures and flavours blown everyone on the table away. The Stir Fried Fish Maw with Beansprouts ($12/$18) comes with soft and flavourful fish maw coated beautifully by a layer of eggs, stir fried with beansprouts. It was so good that I kept going back for more. I even exclaimed that this can be a healthy version of orh luak.

Durian with Glutinous Rice 4.5/5

Mango with Glutinous Rice 3.8/5

Wrapping up the dinner, we have the Durian Glutinous Rice ($5) and Mango Glutinous Rice ($6). Being a durian lover, my vote went to durian glutinous rice. The aromatci durian and sticky glutinous rice drizzled with coconut milk worked beautifully on the palate. For the mango glutinous rice, the purple glutinous rice stood out with its sweetness that is so good that I can have it on its own. I only wish there could be more coconut milk.

Moving to the new premises at Bugis, Sawadee Thai Cuisine has also gone upscale with its centralized location. Prices are a bit steeper compare to neighbourhood Thai restaurant. Considering the foreign working crowd in the vicinity and catering more for family dining, the Thai food at Sawadee Thai Cuisine is not as spicy and bold in flavours. Nevertheless, just asked for the kitchen not to hold back in the seasoning if you prefer a more authentic taste of Thailand.


Sawadee Thai Cuisine
9 Tan Quee Lan Street
#01-01
Singapore 188098
Tel: +65 62386833
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SawadeeCuisine
Website: http://www.sawadee-cuisine.com/
Nearest MRT: Bugis (EW Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 230pm, 6pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Bugis MRT station. Take Exit D. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Ipoh Lou Yau Bean Sprouts Chicken (怡保老友芽菜鸡) @ Chinatown Point

Ipoh Lou Yau Bean Sprouts Chicken (怡保老友芽菜鸡) is the latest chicken rice chain in Singapore's food scene from Ipoh Malaysia. Brought to Singapore by the Select Group, this chicken rice chain supposes to be quite popular in Ipoh. Currently there have 6 outlets in Singapore at IMM, Centrepoint, Chervon House, VivoCity, White Sands and the newly refurnished Chinatown Point.

Kampong Chicken 3.5/5

It is understand that Ipoh Lou Yau Bean Sprouts Chicken uses only free range kampong chicken imported from Malaysia. I ordered the Kampong Chicken ($9.50 for 2 pax) and 2 plates of chicken rice separately for $2.40. The chicken has a more intense yellow skinned colour compare to those we commonly had. Besides that there is nothing special about the chicken. I also find the serving a bit stingy with the pricing for 2 pax portion.

Bean Sprouts 3/5

The other authenticity of Ipoh Lou Yau Bean Sprouts Chicken is the short and plump Bean Sprouts ($3 small, $5 big) imported all the way from Ipoh. Blanched and bathed in a savoury sauce, the bean sprouts were definitely sweeter and crunchier from the north.

Pork Ball Soup 3/5

I realized that the eatery does not serve soup for my chicken rice, so I separately ordered a bowl of Pork Ball Soup ($5 small). The pork ball was rather decent and bouncy.

Overall I am quite disappointed with Ipoh Lou Yau Bean Sprouts Chicken. I still prefer my plate of generous and cheaper Hainanese chicken rice from the hawker centre that comes with a bowl of soup. Ipoh Lou Yau Bean Sprouts Chicken need to be more generous in their servicing or they are going to lose their customer base.


Ipoh Lou Yau Bean Sprouts Chicken (怡保老友芽菜鸡)
Chinatown Point
133 New Bridge Road
#B1-52
Singapore 059413
Tel: +65 67020192
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IpohLouYau
Website: http://www.ipohlouyau.com.sg
Nearest MRT: Chinatown (NE Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 1030am - 10pm

Direction:
Alight at Chinatown MRT station. Take Exit E. Walk to Chinatown Point. Journey time about 3 minutes.