While most of us associate chicken rice with Hainanese heritage, our neighbour north of the border also offers a version that is equally delicious and subtly different from the offerings available here.
Thanks to PJ Khao Man Gai restaurant’s “Bangkok Street chicken rice” in Ara Damansara, you now get to experience it without having your passport stamped at the Thai border. Although as it turns out, chicken rice might not even be your favourite dish at this place!
Khao Man Gai is located a stone’s throw away from its sister restaurant, Jatujak Bangkok Street Food, on Jalan PJU 1A/3J. Parking is relatively painless, although you’ll have to join a queue during weekend lunch sessions – an indication of its popularity.
The menu is fairly simple: there’s chicken rice (and porridge) with different options of chicken, and “lava creamy egg rice” with different toppings.
They also offer a selection of popular Thai side dishes such as fried chicken skin, stir-fried kangkung, chicken feet salad – and that perennial Thai favourite, mango sticky rice.
For mains, you can’t go wrong with the mixed chicken rice with deep-fried and steamed chicken (RM11.90) or lava creamy egg rice with seafood (RM17.90).
Side-dish wise, there’s the chicken feet salad (RM9.90) and fried chicken skin (RM5.90). For dessert, give the tako, or coconut pudding, a try (RM5.90 for two pieces).
So, how does the food fare? The chicken rice is certainly competent, with flavourful oily rice and a juicy and crispy chicken thigh, accompanied by three types of Thai chilli sauces.
However, this writer’s favourite has got to be the lava creamy egg rice: rich and packed with squid and prawns that are cooked just right. In a word? Delicious.
As for the side dishes, they certainly are generous, with chicken feet aplenty in the salad and more fried chicken skin than your doctor would probably allow. That said, the fried chicken skin would be perfect for tapau-ing and enjoying in front of the television with a cold one!
The dessert, reminiscent of the classic Malay kuih “tepung pelita”, is decent but perhaps a little bit on the pricey side for what they are. Perhaps this writer should have gone with the mango sticky rice instead.
All in all, Khao Man Gai is certainly worth visiting, but do aim to go early or on a weekday if you wish to avoid the crowds.
Bangkok Street chicken rice @ PJ Khao Man Gai
B-G, 23, Jalan PJU 1A/3J,
Ara Damansara,
47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Business hours: 10am-3pm (closed on Tuesdays)
Contact: 011-1191 8013
Read the original article here, and read more articles by KY Speaks on FMT Lifestyle here.
Trying to influence your cravings since 2005, Kar Yeong was Guest Judge on Versus 1001 Rasa Baba’s 2018, R.AGE Food Fight Judge 2015 and NTV7 Foodie Blogger 2014. To read more about Kar Yeong’s food journeys, visit his blog at KYspeaks.com.