Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice 天天海南鸡饭

Despite having so much chicken rice in the last few months, I have not had the chance to sample one of the most talked about Hainanese chicken rice in town, namely, Tian Tian.

So, it was without hesitation, when one of my golf buddies suggested we go Maxwell Market one afternoon that I agreed with the intention of checking this very famous chicken rice eatery.

 Occupying 2 stalls side by side, Tian Tian did elicit a sense of professionalism in the way they handle orders, and was very precise and clockwork-like.

I was always under the impression that they have endless queues during lunchtime, but thankfully, on a week day afternoon, it was relatively quiet.

Chicken Rice Meal

As with almost every chicken rice blog these days, I ordered half a plate of steamed chicken, and soup and rice to go along. So, what was the verdict of this well-known chicken rice?

Steamed Chicken

Well, I was not that awed to be perfectly honest. Having had Jiang Ji and Leong at Shunfu, I was expecting more from Tian Tian. For one, the bones in the chicken was quite distracting. Undoubtedly, the chicken was tender but certainly not as smooth as Jiang Ji nor as tender as Leong.

The other thing that did not sit well with me was the sauces. The soy and sesame combintation tasted too salty for my liking, although I fully expect some folks will enjoy this. For me, it felt somewhat overpowering.

Chicken Rice

The rice was nicely grainy and not as mushy. It did have some good flavors, but certainly did not match the robust flavors of Jiang Ji's rice which I still rate as the best. In fact, the rice did help to smother the salty nature of the sauces somewhat.

The condiments were good but not great. The chilli had a sharp lime bite which I liked, but the heat was just too much, and should have been toned down a notch to balance nicely with the chicken flavors.

Overall, I think if a foreigner were to eat chicken rice for the first time, this would be a good introduction as the chicken is certainly good and well better than your average chicken rice stall. But for myself, there are superior chicken rice around.

Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice 天天海南鸡饭
Stall No.10 Maxwell Food Centre
Singapore 069184