Review of Hainanese Chicken Rice at Privé Tiong Bahru by fulfilling
The star of the dish- the vegan chicken! Looks wise- the vegan chicken really aced in replicating the real chicken. I can even see the pores of the skin as if the feathers had been plucked off. The top layer skin peels off easily like the real one. #veganisnotscary when I have vegan options over the real one. Yet it can be really scary when it looks like the real stuff….!
The vegan chicken is really soft. The soy sauce over the chicken, however, is a little light. I would love more sesame oil to be added. It would be so perfect 🤩
I am truly impressive with the presentation. The wooden tray gives a sense of space boundaries of everything being kept together nicely - the condiments, soup, vegan soy chicken, & brown rice. Initially, the condiment was placed in the center of the tray, & the plate of chicken is placed with the end facing me. I feel much better can rearranging them 😜 You can see in the before & after in the photos.
There are many factors that made a good plate of chicken rice awesomely #1! For me, it is that simple bowl of soup, so often overlooked. A good bowl of soup can be easily made with lots of flavors when it is meat based. But, it takes skills & a commitment to high level dining experience to make a good vegan bowl of soup. It isn’t simply salt, seasoning power or MSG. A good bowl of soup demonstrate a chef’s love to make a good plate of chicken rice. The soup is clear & light with neatly & skillfully sliced spring onions floating. It is lightly seasoned. I would love the soup to be more flavourful. A few drops of sesame oil would be perfect! I like that it was served really hot-Food serves hot brings out flavours more 😋
Ginger is the next I tasted after the soup. I can’t taste any sesame oil 😩 I would love sesame ginger 🫚The chilli 🌶️ is mildly spicy, I would love it to be spicer. The dark soy sauce is pleasantly sweet😊 These three condiments when added together with the rice & chicken bring the whole dish up to the next level!
The rice is very healthy. Brown rice is served instead of white rice. I would like the rice to be more flavourful with ginger & sesame oil.
The service at Tiong Baru branch varies tremendously too. The level of service really depends on who is on shift when I dine there. Over my four visits in a week, for the first two visits, the waitress is the same & there is a waiter too. Both are very attentive & always there when I want anything. For the later two visits, the waitress is another one. I often don’t see her around & have to wait long for my order to be taken.
At $19 before service charge & GST ($22.57 nett) I feel the price tag is too much to pay for this set of Hainanese Chicken Rice. At least I can say that I have ordered the famous Hainanese Chicken Rice that made its way into abillion top 50 few years ago!
