The husband and I accomplished another ‘hike’ over the weekend but this time, we weren’t on any designated walking trail amidst lush greenery or nature. We actually explored Geylang Road -> Joo Chiat Road -> East Coast Road on foot and probably covered 5km in distance within 1.5 hours which was quite a decent workout. Feeling ravenous by the end of our walk, I suggested to stop by Katong Shopping Centre for dinner where there’s a really popular chicken rice stall at the basement food court.
The food court ‘Katong Gourmet Centre’ looked pretty run-down, so was the whole Katong Shopping Centre. In fact, I thought the atmosphere there felt a little eerie because most shops were closed when we were there and it was just extremely quiet in the very old building. But the moment we reached the food court that was bustling with people, I felt a little warmed up. Lol, I know I have a very imaginative mind sometimes :p
We were there just before 6pm and there was already a long snaking queue. This chicken rice stall was the only stall that had a queue pole and signage to tell people where to line up. In fact, it was the only stall in the entire food court that even had a queue. Probably 90% of the patrons there were having chicken rice. Did we hear the ka-ching?
Yes, this feast was for the two of us and we were just stuffed as there were so much food. This meal cost around $16 (or was it $18, couldn’t remember) and came with complimentary (and refillable) servings of achar (pickled vegetables) and pork rib peanut soup.
The chicken was served slightly chilled (after soaking in cold water) to my delight. There was a lovely layer of gel-like gelatin beneath the skin which was almost non-existent in many other chicken rice stalls. Normally, I try to avoid the skin of poached chicken (I prefer the skin of roasted ones) but I really liked the chicken skin here because it was so smooth and silky, it’d just slip down your throat. Even though we had mainly the chicken breast cut, the meat wasn’t dry at all. Tender, succulent and juicy that was made even more flavoursome with the sauce. The fried garlic was a perfect condiment to go with the chicken because it gave that garlicky aroma and crunchy texture. Oh man, I could easily devour the whole plate myself!
By the way, even though this was supposed to be ‘boneless’ chicken rice, the chicken wasn’t deboned unless you requested for it to be so please let them know if you want the bones removed.
We also had a plate of roast pork and char siew to share but they weren’t that outstanding. The char siew was too lean and chewy and the roast pork skin wasn’t crispy at all. Taste was so-so, nothing to shout about. Just go for their chicken, that’s the best bet.
I loved the achar – big chunks of pineapples & cucumbers, sliced onions and julienned carrots – all pickled in a well-balanced sugar-vinegar solution. So crunchy, so refreshing. Really whetted our appetite.
We were equally impressed by the pork rib & peanut soup that was delicious to the max. The meat was tender; the peanuts were so soft that they could almost melt in the mouth. There was so much flavour in the soup from all the essence of the ingredients. Definitely had been boiled for ages! And I was pretty sure no MSG was used because we didn’t feel thirsty after finishing the entire bowl and they probably added extra sugar because it was on the sweet side. It worked for us though. Thumbs up for this!
As for the rice, it wasn’t really fluffy and nowhere as flavoursome as the rice from Tian Tian or Boon Tong Kee. The only plus point? It wasn’t greasy. The chilli sauce was normal but anyway I didn’t have too much of it because the chicken was just good on its own without condiments.
Overall, I thought the poached chicken here was indeed beautifully executed. A winning formula in terms of taste and texture. This chicken rice stall is definitely one of the best I’ve tried in Singapore so far. Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice – truly lives up to its name.
Delicious Boneless Chicken Rice
#B1-85/87, Katong Shopping Centre
865 Mountbatten Road
Tel: 9789 6073
Opening hours:
10.30am to 8.00pm (Tue-Sun)
Closed on Mon