Rooster & Rice

3.5 stars.
Happy that the chicken rice came with the chicken broth! The jasmine rice itself was a bit soggy and breaking apart from being soaked chicken fat broth. The sauce was nothing I’d quite ever experienced — it was a mix of sweet, sour, and spicy with cilantro and soy beans. Tasted good with the chicken, but I’d still prefer dark soy.
Fried chicken skin was the best I’ve had yet! Oh-​so-​sinful and artery clogging, but a few pieces couldn’t hurt ;)
There’s no indoor seating, only two tables outdoors, and it can get pretty chilly in the shade. The food also cools down pretty fast unfortunately.

Rooster and Rice does one thing, Thai chicken and rice, and does it really well. 4.5 stars. I’d give it a full 5 stars if the portions were a little bigger. When I’m really hungry, I might have to double up.
The original is $ 10.95. You can also get a brown rice and skinless chicken breast version for $ 2 more or a vegetarian version with tofu for $ 2 less. Add-​ons like a poached egg, extra broth, extra chicken, extra sauce, and extra rice are available too.
The broth is rich, flavorful, and perfect on a cold rainy day. The meat is tender and moist. It’s simple. It’s good.
There are no seats inside, but you can eat standing at a narrow counter or sitting at the two tables outside.

Very good, the rice was flavorful and the chicken was super tender! The only complain I have is that I wished they gave a little more chicken.

Love this place so much, I try to go there whenever I’m actually home around meal time, rain or shine. The chicken is always perfect. How? just how? and I don’t usually like how people cook chicken, or even like chicken that much.
Great food, lovely people. Love it!

Mission accomplished. Delivered. Simple yet complex in so many ways — often attempted, rarely successful.
If you know what Thai Chicken rice is, AKA Hainan Chicken rice, then you are in for a treat. The portions are enormous — you could probably be break it down into two meals, but once you sink you teeth into the succulent, tender, and aromatic chicken, I highly doubt you’ll leave any seconds.
Typically, I go with brown rice, but sometimes you just gotta go full carbo-​blast jasmine white to get the full experience. Use the briny soybean concoction for a quick swirl brings out the flavor of the chicken — you can certainly douse the bird with it, but I like to dip so I can control the salt.
Now for the coup de grace — the sous-​vide egg. This brings yet another dimension to the dish. Imagine a Thai chicken and rice eggs Benedict. Because that’s what it is. The addition of warm, gooey, and familiar goodness brings it all together — wow. Chew on a stalk of cilantro and you are transported back to the streets of Southeast Asia.
It comes with a cup of Chicken soup/​broth, which I suspect is part of the preparation of the protein. Perfect closure to an already glorious meal.
Well done.

One of the cheap (er) restaurants in the cow hollow/​marina area, this place is quite good. Just what the restaurant name says, this place is mostly a lunch plate type of restaurant. Boiled chicken with garlic rice basically. It’s posed as a Thai type of food yet I find it very similar to what hoilan chicken at a Chinese restaurant is. Same preparation of chicken with a side of fried rice. The main and probably the biggest difference is that at a Chinese restaurant, they serve the chicken with ginger and green onions, while this place have a tangy bean sauce in the side. It is a good small restaurant, better for to-​go. They also sell sides to umph your meal like; egg, vegetable etc. As a tip, if you like spicy food, ask for their habanero sauce. Really good!

When I used to order the steamed chicken with some regularity at Hunan Homes, the manager there used to point out that it was refreshing to see someone order it since his grandmother was the only other person he knew that loved that dish as much as I do. Since I don’t live in Shady Pines yet, I thought that made me something of a freak since I would get looks of disdainful nausea when I dined with friends and ordered it. That’s my long-​winded preface as to why I gathered such great anticipation in trying this place in the Marina after fellow Unilocaler Cherylynn N. gave me the heads up about it.
I convinced Jamie W. to accompany me on a cross-​town MUNI to get here, and I was a bit surprised at what a small operation it is on Filbert right off Fillmore. All they serve is Thai Chicken Rice, which really is Hainan chicken as far as I could tell. Actually they serve two variations — the $ 10.95 Original which includes a breast and a thigh with jasmine white rice and the $ 12.95 Marina which consists of a skinless breast with brown rice — plus a $ 8.95 Vegetarian with organic tofu and veggies because, well, it’s the Marina after all. But I didn’t come this far for tofu, so we both went for the Original.
We got a complementary cup of chicken broth which we sipped studiously as it was quite nippy that evening (photo:
). Warmly delicious. I even went for the $ 2 egg prepared sous vide which went aginst my cardinal rule of combining chicken with eggs on a plate. It’s a mother and child stigma I have about it. Anyhow, the chicken arrived, and it was quite succulent if a tad lukewarm for my taste. The crunch of the cucumber slices was a nice contrast, though it really didn’t need the garlic and soybean sauce to enhance the flavor (photo:
). I feel vindicated for my long-​standing need for steamed chicken. Now if he could just open a shop in SoMa.
FOOD — 4 stars… finally Hainan chicken served with enough gusto to stand on its own, a tad pricey but it is the Marina after all
AMBIANCE — 3 stars… a small space, clean but sitting out in the Marina cold was not ideal
SERVICE — 3.5 stars… nice, maybe they could offer blankets
TOTAL — 4 stars… warmer weather will bring me back… though I am serious about adding a SoMa spot

Okay, their chicken is pretty good. The sauce is pretty decent as well. But I think you are paying a little too much for a chicken rice that you can probably get at a chinese bbq place. Granted, they do have a pretty nice garlic-​ginger-​soysauce thing that is bomb.
You also get soup with your chicken order.

My god this place is so delicious. If I lived closer, I would come here to eat Hainan chicken every single day. The plates here are deceptively small looking, but the portion you get is incredibly filling. I love that when you finish your meal, you feel like you just ate an extremely healthy meal. Seating in this place is a bit limited, so be prepared to take your food to go. They don’t have that big of a menu, so if you don’t like Hainan chicken… you’re out of luck, and you should probably go somewhere else for lunch.

When I lived in Singapore, one of my favorite dishes to get at the hawker center was Hainese chicken rice. Since moving to San Francisco, I have been looking for a good chicken rice place — only to be let down multiple times. When I found out that there was a chicken rice place serving khao man gai (the Thai variation of Hainese chicken rice) opening in the Marina, I was ecstatic. If you live in the Marina, you know that there aren’t many good Asian restaurants in the area.
The chicken rice here is so flavorful and delicious! The chicken was extremely tender and juicy and the rice was garlicy, aromatic, and fragrant. You don’t even need the ginger/​soy/​chili sauce that comes with it because the chicken and rice is so good on its own. The soup made out of chicken broth that came on the side was perfectly salty and refreshing to have as a side.
Rooster and Rice has the original (breast and thigh with skin and jasmine white rice), the Marina (​all breast, skinless chicken with organic brown rice) and the vegetarian. I would absolutely recommend the original if you want an authentic experience. The chicken skin provides the little bit of fat that makes this dish delicious.
There are only two tables outside so if it’s cold and/​or rainy, I’d recommend it getting it for take out!

Most restaurants in the Marina/​Cow Hollow are overpriced, but Rooster & Rice has pushed the boundaries. Small portions and to add on any items (egg, veggies, etc) that really should be included in the cost jack up the price considerably. I ended up paying $ 18.00 for lunch and left hungry. I won’t be back. To be fair the food is all organic and tasted fine, if not a little bland. I’m always looking for new lunch places in my neighborhood, it’s unfortunate this won’t be on my list.
Update: Rooster and Rice saw my review and very kindly refunded me my lunch. I hope at some point they can work out their pricing, very nice people.

Delicious thai style street food cart ginger scented poached chicken rice…
for those who are not familiar with this its similar to Hainan Chicken Rice the Chinese style with a very garlicky gingery sauce
Since I’ve been to Portland original nongs ko man gai which is completely delicious and addictive and is number one in my mind… SF doesn’t really have an equivalent but I figure this is probably the closest
$ 11 for the number one original which includes dark and white meat with skin on rice a side of chicken soup and a soy ginger garlic soybean dressing
overall the dinner is flavorful not too salty and the dressing that goes on top of a chicken is a soybean base which is interesting… a little bit on the sweet side but still very good
I ate the whole thing so there you go… I’m sure there is msg it is what it is and we will see in a few hours and I am super thirsty or not!
a very good chicken rice option for San Francisco since I don’t believe there’s any others but nothing compare to Portland
come now!

Wow so simple yet so good! This was my first time trying this type of poached chicken dish and I already know there are many more to come!
I really appreciate the clean taste of the chicken. The texture was also perfect, juicy and tender but with a slight firmness. I could also eat a whole bowl of just the chicken rice itself lol. It reminds me of broken rice because of its small uneven size. What pulls the whole dish together is the sauce: a soybean sauce with garlic, ginger, and chili. Soo tasty! A bit too salty so I didnt use the whole sauce cup. I also tried a bit of their habanero sauce and it had a unique flavor that I really like. It’s spicy but not overwhelmingly so. I did not eat much of it with this dish because I wanted to savor the true taste of the dish with the original sauce (so I took it home to put on everything else) The chicken soup that comes with the order is also really good. Simple with a nice clean taste and no hint of msg.
Overall, I recommend this place if you are looking for a comfort dish that’s easy on the stomach. I got the Original for $ 10.95 +tax which in my opinion, was a bit too steep for the portion size. The bill could stack up really easy if you add extras like egg and vegetables. For that reason, I can’t give it the full 5 stars that it was so close to earning!

Really good. Free range chicken. Better than in Thailand because of the quality of meats. And they have real sriricha!

Delicious, soul-​warming, homey chicken and rice — an unlikely gem hidden in the Marina! Like any pictures of Hainan Chicken, the photos on Unilocal may be a bit bland and discouraging, but don’t be discouraged — the food is flavor-​packed and hits the spot.
This tiny restaurant was previously a hot dog shop. It’s nestled quietly on Filbert, and offers a few outdoor tables, but most people order to go. The menus has three simple options: 1) normal with skin, 2) breast only, no skin, and 3) tofu. Each box comes with a bowl of rice with chicken, and on the side: sweet/​savory sauce, chicken broth, and cucumbers. I liked the standard version, the meat was super tender. My only issue was that the poached egg wasn’t runny and a bit disappointing for a $ 2 add-​on!
Pro-​tip: Get a tiny bit of that spicy jalapeño sauce — it’s extremely hot but so good. I liked the broth and appreciated that it was included — it was salty and flavorful just like I expected.
Can’t wait to return!

now Roost, Roost, Roost, Rice!
Roost, Roost, Roost, & Rice!
Roost, Roost, Roost, & Rice!
broth! hold up! tag team!
Roost witcha boy now Rice & Rice!
Roost witcha boy now Rice & Rice!
Roost witcha boy now Rice & Rice!
pause! eat up! Rooster & Rice!
ORIGINAL W EXTRA CHICKEN
clean post-​gym way to reprotein
esp skinless x brown rice «marina» version
i wish more veggies to accompany meat
*fried skin no longer on menu*
now who dat is with the Rooster & Rice?
meal ain’t nom without the Rooster & Rice!
whatchu want some Rooster & Rice?
all the marina like Rooster & Rice!

Simplicity is the key while taste is paramount. That seems to be the modus operandi of Rooster & Rice. They specialize in Thai khao man gai aka Hainan Chicken Rice Thai style. No messing around with their menu as they get right down to the nitty-​gritty, a comfort food well known all over South East Asia! The whole menu consists of 3 items (can it be any simpler?) including a vegetarian tofu version, nothing more… nothing less. Their location seems like a total misfit in the Marina that has not been known for any great Asian eateries. Parking in this area of course sucked! The place is tiny. They do more take-​outs than sit-​downs with 2 tables on the sidewalk and a small bar area. Basically, it is essentially bare bones and no frills take-​out place.
If you are a lover of chicken and rice, it is hard to find another dish that celebrates both quite so thoroughly. There are 2 accompaniments; a good old fashioned chicken broth in its original sweetness and flavor uncontaminated by MSG; next, the traditional ginger and fermented soybean sauce served with a drizzle of chili and garlic. The sauce has good depth and strikes a delicate balance between sweetness and tanginess. Just so you know how popular Hainan Chicken Rice is, it is considered the national dish of Singapore and ubiquitous in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Did I say there were only 3 items in the menu?
1. The ORIGINAL ($ 10.95) with thigh and breast meat. Chicken is poached to perfection ensuring smoothness and tenderness. Above all, the meat including the breast is über «s-​m-​o-​o-​t-​h». Typically, in Asia, the chicken commonly used is like what we call «yellow feather chicken» which has less fat and more meat than a broiler chicken. It has more bones though and I prefer chicken with bones on. Asians love to gnaw on the skin and bones when it comes to Hainan chicken. It is poached with skin-​on so that the skin remains smooth and unblemished. Also, I don’t think it is too gross at this time and age to offer offal meats like liver, gizzards and hearts as sides. The Japanese izakaya places offer them in their yakitori menu.
2. The MARINA ($ 12.95) is for the more health conscious. It has basically the same offerings as the ORIGINAL except using only skinless breast meat and brown rice. I am not even sure if this is an available option in Asia.
3. The VEGETARIAN ($ 8.95) with poached tofu (instead of chicken), brown rice and blanched kale and sautéed mushrooms. Hmm… Hainan Tofu?
The rice, not to be outdone, has got to be perfect as well. Suffice it to say that it was cooked in its own chicken broth. The rice emitted a nice aroma, which was a fragrant mixture of ginger, garlic with a hint of chicken fat. The rice was soft yet not soggy and complemented the chicken. Dip the chicken in the dope-​like sauce and you will set off an umami bomb!
Over the years, I have had Hainan Chicken all over Asia and the US and I dare say that Rooster & Rice’s rendition is one of the best outside of Asia. You might even consider parking in an illegal space or double park until the chickens come home to roost!

Saw this restaurant pop up under hot & new in my Unilocal feed and decided I needed to try it. I’ve been craving some Khao Man Gai since my last trip to Portland and for comparisons sake I will say that is the gold standard. You can see that review here.

So you should be asking how does it compare. I would say it’s pretty close. Here is probably what you are asking.
Is the chicken juicy — Check.
Does the chicken have good flavor — Check
Does the sauce bring add that extra layer or garlicky flavor — check
Is the soup tasty and homey — Pretty close. You can tell it is made from scratch but man was it hot. Not that that is a bad thing but do be careful when you take a sip.
Does parking in the area suck — Quadruple check. If you are heading here it’s not actually much of a sit down place anyways. They only have 2 tables outside and a small bar area for 2 to stand and eat. So it’s best to take it to go and eat somewhere. Since parking out here is a B*tch you might want to drop someone off, have they order and take it to go somewhere nice like the marina green or chrissy field. What’s funny is even though I say this I got a space right across the street the second I passed the location. Go figure.
Some drawbacks were no fried skin that day. Fryer was down and and really wanted some. Booo. There is no extra stuff like liver etc if you like that kind of thing.
The guys inside were real flexible and if you wanted just dark only they could do that. The problem in SF is with so many good takeout type spots in the city is this the one I would go to if I only had 1 meal in the city like KMG in Portland. Probably not, but if you are craving some Asian chicken rice, make your way out to this spot. It will satisfy your fix. Also remember it is probably a drop someone off take out kind of place.

4.5 STARS
If I had to choose just one dish that I would have to eat everyday for the rest of my life, it would be Hainan Chicken.
Yup, chicken. And poached at that. Something about that comforting simplicity gets me feeling some type of way.
Besides, it’s [somewhat] healthy and it’s cheap. Which means… I can burn my spanx collection and I can afford to buy ¼th of a loft in SF. If Stephanie Tanner could live in a bathroom, so can I!
My heart skipped a beat when I saw the new Unilocal listing for Rooster & Rice. Their specialty is Khao Man Gai, the Thai version of the national dish of Singapore: Hainan Chicken. It’s extremely hard to find a well made version in SF, unless you count those in dingy HK cafes like ABC and D&A that’s pumped up with msg.
I was a bit skeptical though…
Of all the neighborhoods in SF, Rooster & Rice choose The Marina to open a Hainan Chicken shop?! That’s like opening a pupuseria in Chinatown; 95% of peeps who live there probably don’t know what pupusas are. Shit, my Americanized parents have no clue what pupusas are. Plus, it’s über hard to get to The Marina from most parts of the city and parking is ridiculously hard (took me 15x of circling to find parking at 11 am). They would kill it if they were in The Mission, just saying.
Rooster & Rice offers three dishes:
1) The Original: organic, poached chicken (breast & thigh) w/​chicken rice, and chili, ginger, garlic, and soybean sauce ($ 10.95)
2) The Marina: same as above but with skinless breast meat and brown rice ($ 12.95)
3) The Vegetarian: tofu, brown rice, veggies ($ 8.95)
You can add extras like chicken (+$ 3), rice (+$ 2), chicken skin (+$ 5), veggies (+$ 3), etc.
No msg is used. Cc’s accepted.
It ain’t Hainan Chicken without the chicken rice so I ordered two of The Originals to-​go for my friend and I. There’s only two tables outside so this is more of a to-​go place.
My order was ready in minutes. As I was driving to North Beach to pick up Tater Tot from his grooming appointment, the aroma of chicken eau de parfum wafted in the air like an intoxicating drug.
I. Just. Could. Not.
I pulled over and found a parking space in Nob Hill, and went to town:
.
The chicken poached in aromatics was soft, tender, and moist, even the breast meat. The chicken rice (boiled in the broth the chicken was poached with) was fluffy, fragrant, flavorful, and slightly oily, just as good chicken rice should be. The Thai version of Hainan Chicken uses a soybean sauce made with chilies, ginger, and garlic. Rooster & Rice’s was gingery, garlicky, savory, spicy, and sweet. Umami bomb.
You also receive a side of chicken broth which was very clean tasting but on the salty side.
Two suggestions to the owner (s):
1) Offer fobby food lovers, the option to add offal (liver, heart & gizzards) as a side.
2) +$ 5 for a side of chicken skin is high, $ 3 seems more appropriate (the fryer was broken that day so I didn’t get to order it).
As for the second order of the Hainan Chicken, it never did make it to that friend.
Sorry, not sorry. It was THAT good.

Tried out this new spot for Khao Man Gai, aka Hainan chicken aka chicken rice. It’s the Thai version of poached chicken served with rice cooked in chicken broth/​juices. The chicken (Mary’s Organic) was excellent, perfectly moist, and the rice texture complemented it well. The sauce had a nice balance of sweet and spicy, with a ginger kick.
This is one of my favorite dishes, and I haven’t found a place around town that gets it right until now.
I think they will be adding some different appetizers to the menu, with late night hours to follow.