Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Tian Tian Chicken Rice, Maxwell Food Centre

Tian Tian Chicken Rice

This place has rave reviews slathered all over it: multiple Makansutra three chopstick awards, the Green Book's Best Chicken Rice, and even praise from the man Anthony Bourdain. This place is so popular that there is usually a queue, and they'll close earlier than their stated 8PM closing if they sell off all their chicken in advance.

I certainly like this place better than Boon Tong Kee, which is a chain of chicken rice places across the island that most folks seem to love. But I like Tian Tian better as the cuts of chicken are very choice, moist, and best of all - generally boneless. She of course has a decent flavored rice and chili sauce to go with it. Strangely, the Tian Tian people never give me scallions until I ask for them...I dunno why.

5 comments:

Madel said...

Can you give the exact location of this please. Am going to Singapore next month. Thanks!

The Elevens said...

absolutely agree with you there! it's 100% worth the queueing time... nothing comes close to tian tian so far.

Unknown said...

Tian Tian is so-so only. Chicken rice is overcooked, not natural. Too much of garlic. Chili sauce could be better if they put less ginger. The sauce was absolutely suck. If u don't eat with the chili, then u will find that the chicken rice is NTH SPECIAL at all. Chicken put into the ice water to make it smooth in mouth, but then have to sacrifice the original taste of the chicken itself is totally NOT the way of making the HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE. To put a lot of soy sauce and MSG to make the chicken taste better to become the SO FAMOUS chicken rice is Singapore, then everybody can be easily becoming a NEXT TIAN TIAN. To me, TIAN TIAN is selling their chicken rice at cheap price.

Big Eater said...

vint, if you claim that tian tian is so bad, you need to tell us which outlet to your opinion is tops with you. you can't just say a place is lousy when many others feel otherwise. Tell us which outlet is the Nth in hainanese chicken rice taste please.

ClearTear said...

I prefer boon tong kee (i go balestier branch), their chicken is steam so no soup given. They use smaller chicken so its more tender. But I know chicken rice taste is very subjective, some are die hard Tian tian fan, some are not. For me I don't like Tian tian, the chicken quite bland and the staff are quite rude compare to last time. I think they got too famous with many tourist taking photos in front of their store.

Anyway I do find many local stores good as well so if don't want expensive BTK, or long queue Tian tian, theres many other stalls in our HDB heartland area. Chinatown market Heng Ji chicken is nice but their chilly sauce not nice. Suggest wee nam kee for overall balance of chicken chilly and service, the soup is radish soup so it doesn't taste typical chicken soup.