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.

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