Ah Tai Hainanese Chicken Rice

Ah Tai serves up really good chicken rice. The chicken is smooth and tender and the rice has that fragrance and sweetness that can only come from being cooked in chicken broth plus added spices (I detected a hint of star anise). As is typically the case, the chicken rice comes accompanied by cucumbers. a bowl of clear chicken broth and chilli sauce. Loved it. I’ve had Tian Tian from the nearby stall as well (just a couple of stalls away). I’d give Ah Tai the edge. I’ve also had chicken rice from the Tian Tian Bedok branch. I found the chicken rice there to be better than at Maxwell Food Centre, put simply the chicken was more tender snd the rice more fragrant. I guess at the end of the day, it is the chef that makes the difference. At Ah Tai, the owner was the former chef at Tian Tian many years ago, There are copies of old newspaper reviews, explaining how he came to start his own business. Anyway, this is the second time I’ve eaten at Ah Tai. I recalled how much I enjoyed the first experience and how the chicken was more smooth and tender than Tian Tian next door (I had tried both only days apart). This second time around, we were there for dinner. I made a beeline for Ah Tai and smiled as I was able to order pretty much straight away, whilst there was a queue next door at Tian Tian. If you are a tourist, do yourself a favour and save yourself time by skipping the queue next door and go straight to Ah Tai, you will not be disappointed.

Many people compare this to tian tian and I can see the similarities. This plate is more suited for my taste. Chicken is better, maybe less tender, but more juicy and more flavourful. TT has more delicate flavours, to the point that I might call it blend, and their sauce doesn't help. Ah tai sauce is what sets them apart. It looks similar, but this sauce packs flavour. It's more savoury, less on the sweet side compared to TT, and I love it. Vege is great too, soft, some might find it too soft but I like it like that as it becomes a background dish. For rice, I have to give it to TT, they have one of the most flavourful chicken rice. And Ah Tai's rice is pretty average. Uncle is quite grumpy, but I'm here for the food. Queue is almost nonexistent, I got my plate in less than 5mins. Meat portion is abit tiny. This set is $8. Tldr, if you've tried tiantian and never tried this, give it a shot. A similar but yet different plate with a personal touch, and no queue.

I’m reviewing this as a born and bred Singaporean local who has eaten her fair share of chicken rice from the heartlands. Ah Tai serves a good plate of authentic chicken rice that is representative of our national dish. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it’s “better” than their neighbour Tian Tian, but it’s definitely a solid option to skip the queue. For $6, they also provided a pretty generous serving of chicken!

the 5$/6$/7$ is the portion of chicken. additional rice +0.50$. i got 6$ chicken breast portion with additional rice. aunty is very patient and nice. i personally feel theirs is a healthier version of chicken rice. the overall taste is on the blander side. especially if without sauce and soy sauce. their chili definitely packs a good punch - but i’d like it more if its more garlicky than tangy.

I opted to skip tian tian and go here. Tbh it's good. Really good. So if tian tian is better I don't think it can be THAT much better to wait over an hour for almost the same level of food. But if you don't value your time, go wait there. But I got my food right away with no wait. The wife running the front of the shop was so pleasant. I highly recommend coming here for good food and no wait. Overall the maxwell food center is not very wheelchair friendly ♿️