Apologies for the lack of pic. I forgot to take one
Objectively speaking, they are one of the best in Singapore. Ckn was the more meaty kind and quite well cooked. Rice was fragrant and texture was good too. Sauce was somewhat thick, and there's a nice sweetness coupled w soy sauce. Ckn soup was light but passable. Chili was good too
But, being one of the best, doesn't necessarily justify the queue given the how many tourists are here. Not to mention the price
On a weekday morning, at 11 or sth, a 20-30min queue is still reasonable enough if you're in the area for some reason. However I would say during peak hours this is definitely a place to avoid, not worth the queue at all when youre alr paying a premium
The former head chef of renowned Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, Wong Liang Tai (Ah Tai) set up his own stall in February 2012.
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Only the poached version is available here, but the chicken meat is fresh, tender and springy, with a thin gelatinous layer beneath the skin. Has lovely sweet savoury flavour, with the gravy lending a savoury salty nutty note.
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The rice is fluffy but has a more firm bite than elsewhere, with grainy savoury flavour. Paired with dark sweet soy sauce for salty sweet notes, and vinegared chili with a tangy sour sweet spicy kick.
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Chicken Rice
Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice
@ Maxwell Food Centre, 1 Kadayanallur Street #01-07
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More details:
https://ivanteh-runningman.blogspot.com/2022/07/best-of-singapore-hawkers-chicken-rice.html
Unfortunately Tian Tian fared better. The rice is abit hard, not fluffy and I prefer rice that is more fragrant.
Set comes with some green vegetables and cost $7.50 on Whyq delivery.
Second time doing a Ah Tai vs Tian Tian Chicken Rice comparison and my verdict still remains the same. Ah Tai has more tender chicken and Tian Tian has more fragrant rice. Both are still very delicious chicken rices on their own! ☺️
The tale of two Maxwell chicken rice stalls - Tian Tian and Ah Tai. Both stalls serve chicken rice that’s based on a similar recipe. There’s a back story to how Ah Tai came about but I’ll leave that for another day.
The chicken here is soft, tender and juicy which makes it the highlight of the dish. For either $3.50 or $5, you’ll get a decently sized serving of chicken meat. I actually like the rice here as the texture is rather firm and moist and is rather flavourful.
What about the chilli sauce? it has a strong garlic taste and I wished it could be spicier. Not forgetting the thick, savoury sauce that’s drizzled over the chicken, it’s a perfect complement to the steamed chicken which would taste rather bland on its own.
I usually patronise Ah Tai as the queue is shorter and I find their chicken rice to be excellent. In fact I’d easily rate it as one of my favourite chicken rice places in Singapore.
Decided to get half a chicken (white) from Ah Tai and half a chicken (roasted) from Tian Tian, and the stand-out dish was definitely Ah Tai’s white chicken. It was extremely soft and tender (even the chicken breast) and the chicken pieces were so thick and juicy! Tian Tian’s chicken pales in comparison, although I have to say that Tian Tian’s rice is much more fragrant and flavourful
The owner of this stall used to work st the famous Tian Tian a few counters away. Today, the queue at Tian Tian lasts anywhere between 10 minutes (at opening at 10am, or mid afternoon) and 45 minutes (meal times); its prices are the highest among all the Hainanese chicken rice stalls at Maxwell (although that’s still most reasonable); they only give out the chilli and dark soy sauces upon request (although that is very much part of the dish!). There is never a queue at Ah Tai. So, is it worth it? If you’re not a foodie, the answer is “hell, no!”’On the other hand, if you can tell subtle differences in the texture of the chicken, the fragrance of the rice, or the degree of kick in the chilli sauce, or if you just line up servings from the various chicken rice stalls at Maxwell (Tian Tian, Ah Tai, Heng Heng), you would have to say "Tian Tian is the best lah!" Unfortunately, Ah Tai would come third, although on its own, it is not bad.
If you don’t already know about the whole Ah Tai versus Tian Tian saga, here’s a quick rundown. Guy works as the head chef for Tian Tian chicken rice, has a falling out with the owners, tells the Tian Tian boss “screw you, I’ll start my own chicken rice stall with blackjack and hookers”, and promptly proceeds to set up Ah Tai.
Okay fine, maybe the ‘blackjack and hookers’ part didn’t happen, but there’s no denying that Ah Tai is eying up Tian Tian menacingly from three stalls (not doors) down. If you came here expecting a ‘oh x is better’ review, well, get disappointed right now because that is NOT what this review is.
As a matter of fact, I have never tried Tian Tian before. Every time I headed down to Maxwell, I took one look at the ridiculous line for Tian Tian and went “yeah nah, I’m too hungry to deal with that”.
But I can and will tell you right now that holy shit Ah Tai is Ah-mazing. The chicken flesh was like butter. Or butt-ah, depending on which pronunciation tickles your fancy. The perfectly piquant steamed chicken hit the spot with its stupidly sensational savoriness, and the skin...oh my God. The skin is a gift from God, and even I fail to find words to adequately describe the skin.
The ridiculously redolent rice beneath that divine chicken makes a plate of Ah Tai’s chicken rice the complete package. It’s soft, sensually slick and superbly savory, and is everything every grain of rice aspires to be when it grows up. When the chicken and rice that have been doused in Ah Tai’s special sauce penetrates your lips, it’s a veritable orgasm of wondrous sensations that you just don’t want to end.
The hainanese chicken rice here is yummy! Helmed by the former head chef of Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, the chicken rice served here is fragrant & not too oily, paired with smooth & tender chicken. Don’t forget the chili too!
The chef used to work with the famous Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice stall before he decided to come up and open a stall himself.
While the taste was almost similar to Tian Tian, perhaps you should give it a try if the queue for Tian Tian was too long for you.
Since there's a Tian tian outlet near my Clementi house. Decided to try the competition at maxwell. Taste is almost similar. Worth the eat if u don't want to queue for tian tian
Having heard so much of this recently hyped about chicken rice stall at Maxwell which is 2 stalls away from the famous Tian Tian/ 天天 (though never my favourite), I've decided to try this out over one weekend evenings. I wasn't surprised when there was a queue of over a dozen customers at 9pm amidst the options of another 5 to 6 chicken rice stalls in the same hawker centre - 天天 was closed and 東風破 was closing soon. I must say I am satisfied, I like the taste of the chicken. The texture of the chicken is compact as they use kampung chicken which has more flavours and bites. The rice and soy sauce/oil sauce that comes with the chicken, I prefer 文東記 Boon Tong Kee's more. The portion forAh Tai is generous which must be one of many customers consideration.
Value for money and better service than the overly famous stall (not going to mention the name) :p
This Chicken Rice Stall used to be Employee of Tian Tian Chicken Rice. The Employee left & decide to start a new Chicken Rice Stall. U can give it a try to Compare. The Taste is the same for me.
Name:Ah Tai Chicken Rice
Address:1 Kadayayanllur Street
Stall Number 7 Singapore 069184
Operating Hours:1100-2000
Closed on Every Mondays
😋 Tender, fragrant and delicious 👍🏻
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#throwback #throw🔙 #throwbackthursday #maxwellfoodcentre #ourhawkerculture #chickenrice #hainanesechickenrice #localfood #food #foodstagram #foodies #foodpics #foodporn #foodgasm #foodspotting #burpple #instafood #instagood #instagramers #igsg #yummy #singapore #sgeats #sgfood #sgig #eatoutsg #sgfooddiary #stfoodtrending #sgfoodies #sgmakandiary
I'm quite surprised that this fact isn't more widely-known, but the proprietor of this stall used to be a chef at the famous Tian Tian Chicken Rice stall -- so it's pretty strange that they are operating so close to each other.
First thing I noticed was that the chicken slices were MUCH thicker than Tian Tian's, although it's a pity they don't sell roast chicken. Supremely tender -- even the breast meat. The rice was fragrant and tasty, without being too salty. The chilli was more spicy than sweet, so go easy -- otherwise the chicken rice fragrance will be overwhelmed.
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Finally satisfied my Chicken Rice Craving #sgig #igsg #sgfood, #instasg #food #foodpics #foodporn #instafood #foodies #foodgasm #foodstagram #burpple #delicious #yummy #awesome #iglikes #tripadvisor #foodblogger #sgfoodie #sgfooddiary #openrice #hungrygowhere #igfood #sgfoodies #eatoutsg @eatdreamlove #eatdreamlove #hainanesechickenrice #chickenrice #ahtaichickenrice
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After all, Ah Tai's boss used to be the former's chef. What's more it's also slightly cheaper.
