Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice has always received lots of attention as being one of the best chicken rice stalls in Singapore.
Hainanese Chicken Rice
They have four different outlets and these are located at Joo Chiat, Shenton Way, Jalan Pari Burong and Maxwell Market. But the Maxwell stall still remains the most popular, because it is the original outlet and owner Madam Foo Kui Lian oversees the shop and prepares the dish herself there.
Recently, Tian Tian took part in a chicken rice cooking contest, vying against celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay when he was in Singapore earlier this year. Tian Tian won by a slim 6 per cent margin to become the chicken rice Hawker Champion.
A group of us recently visited Maxwell Market to eat the famous Tian Tian chicken rice.
The Queue
The usual long queue!
At the stall, the first thing that caught my eye was the snaking queue. While none of the other stalls had much of a queue at all, Tian Tian did, and it was about 15 people deep.
There is a two-queue system in place at this stall. One queue is to place the order and pay for the food, while the other one is to collect the items ordered. So this probably speeds up the waiting time.
The Chicken Rice
As we were all feeling rather hungry, we ordered a whole steamed chicken to share amongst the six of us. We also had a plate of rice each.
The Rice
This was absolutely delicious. It was fluffy and fragrant and packed with flavour. I could detect a slight hint of a garlic aftertaste too, so this made the rice even more flavoursome. At the same time, it wasn’t too oily, which was good.
The Chicken
The famous boiled Chicken
This was easily one of the most moist and tender chicken that I have had. The texture was just right and I thought that the flavour was simply divine. Even the chicken breast was extremely soft and juicy.
Chilli Sauce
This homemade chilli sauce is one of the reasons why people like Tian Tian’s version of the chicken rice dish. I must say that the chilli sauce tastes quite strong so unless you love hot food, try not to take too much of this. But the flavour was really good though. Using lime juice instead of vinegar to give the sauce that additional spicy kick, was definitely a winner. The flavours really complemented each other perfectly.
Overall Comments
This chicken rice is definitely a winner and I would certainly make a special trip back here, if I have a craving for chicken rice again. It is indeed one of the best hawker chicken rice dishes in Singapore and they deserve their title as the chicken rice king in the cook-off against Gordon Ramsay.
Read about the cook-off with Gordon Ramsay and my reflections on the event.
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice
Stall 10, Maxwell Food Centre
Singapore 069184
Operating Hours: 11am – 8pm
Closed on Mondays
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I don’t really think Tian Tian has the best Chicken Rice in Singapore. Anyway, one man’s dish, could be another man’s poison. So according to my taste buds Tian Tian Chicken Rice is merely a meh.
In my personal opinion, Boon Tiong Kee Chicken Rice and Yishun 925 Chicken Rice, can beat Tian Tian hands down. Just the rice itself, is unforgettable. And since both are equally good with their own style, therefore, i had given up ranking them anymore. 😀