Xiang Ji Chicken Rice

Just tried the chicken rice there today because of the rating. It was normal, wasn’t fantastic as people online had recommended.
I even ordered the 3 dollar portion and all I seem to get was more rice. In fact, stingy on the roast chicken even. Rice was dry and clumped together.
Now, I have high standards for chicken rice and this place serves no different from, lets say, spinning a bottle and pointing to the next coffee shop I see that serves chicken rice. Mediocre at best but no where even in the Top 10 for me. Definitely not worth mentioning… at all.

This place has über long queues on weekends and it comes as no surprise, really. Their chicken rice is so fragrant, and is infused with so much flavour. Love their chilli too, it has a hint of ginger and is really tantalising. If you’re not sure what meat to go for — take my advice and choose the char siew over the roast chicken, or get both together. The char siew sauce (I bet there’s some secret ingredient there) is both rich and sweet, the best kind IMHO. The servings are decent and start at 2.50.
Previously, they used to serve to patrons’ tables (if you were not tapaoing) but now I think the stall is one woman down (their daughter) and you need to self serve. But still, worth the queue and the wait. If you don’t want to wait, either come after 2pm or before 11am.

One of the very few stalls that has been able to resist inflationary pressures, this place still sells chicken rice at $ 2! I decided to try it out, and I can safely say that the quality of the dish is not compromised. The rice — the most important part of the dish — exudes a distinctive aroma, is uniformly infused with flavour, and doesn’t come across as clumpy or mushy. The chilli — the second most important aspect — is both spicy and infused with ginger, and is one of the more distinctive chilli sauces I’ve tasted before. The roasted chicken is juicy and flavourful (I fear the overly dry chicken chunks at chicken rice stalls, and thankfully this place is not one of them). The vegetable soup is lightly flavoured and not salty.
Even though business is brisk and queues are always forming in the morning and during lunchtime, the stall owners are friendly and patient with orders. The servers will even ask if you need more chilli (I recall a particular server bringing six small holders of chilli sauce for a family of three), and will entertain requests for more soup as well.