My friend P who is Thai, would always look forward to coming to Singapore because he loves our chicken rice a lot. He never fails to pack Boon Tong Kee’s chicken rice back home whenever he comes here as he couldn’t find a chicken rice in Bangkok that is as good as BTK’s.
When I asked him what would be the closest we could get in Bangkok, he recommended me Go-Ang Kaomunkai Pratunam or better known as Kaiton Pratunam Chicken Rice, which is well-loved by locals and tourists alike (though he still kept emphasising that Singapore’s chicken rice was better, lol).
Ok, maybe I shouldn’t go with too high expectations.
Kaiton Pratunam Chicken Rice is located on Phetchaburi Road (Soi 30), directly opposite The Berkeley Hotel Pratunam and is only a short walk away from the Pratunam Market or Platinum Fashion Mall.
Kaiton Pratunam Chicken Rice
960-962 Phetchaburi Road (Soi 30)
Makkasan, Ratchathewi
Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 252 6325
Opening hours:
11.00am to 2.00pm, 5.00 pm to 2.00am daily
There are two chicken rice eateries in this vicinity but you shouldn’t miss Kaiton Pratunam Chicken Rice because they have pink banners hanging outside the shop.
We came here just before 5pm and there wasn’t a queue yet so we were speedily ushered to an empty table inside.
Almost 60 years of history
We had a Hainanese Chicken Rice (40 baht/plate) each which came with a dipping sauce and soup. Price was definitely cheap but portion was quite small too. Sufficient for us though because we had been eating the whole day and would be eating more after this, lol.
I liked the rice that came in separate grains and the texture wasn’t stodgy. It had a chewy bite to it. Didn’t have much flavour but it wasn’t oily too. It seemed like the rice was cooked in just natural chicken broth without additional seasonings. Healthy.
The chicken meat was firm like kampong chicken meat and it didn’t have a lot of fats underneath the skin.
What really stood out for me was that black dipping sauce which you definitely have to eat this chicken rice with. It tasted garlicky, vinegary and spicy – really delicious.
The soup wasn’t a standard chicken soup but it was peppery like pig stomach or bak kut teh broth. Really whetted the appetite though.
Overall, I did enjoy this chicken rice even though I must say P was right as the chicken rice in Singapore was so much more flavoursome (albeit oily). But I didn’t think we could compare between the two because the styles were still somewhat different. Also, the dipping sauce here was really piquant and appetising.
Best thing was, I felt I could fulfil my chicken rice craving without feeling all that grease in my mouth or heaviness in the tummy. The Thai version feels way healthier, which is really my kind of chicken rice. Plus it’s probably one of the healthiest things to eat when in Bangkok, lol!
Worth trying! ?? ??