Chicken rice hits differently at Khao Man Gai

There was already a long queue outside at Khao Man Gai at 11am, but it moved fast. Took us about 20 minutes to get a table, which is pretty good, considering the crowd and small space. This place is new but obviously foodies are already on to it. There’s not much to speak of as far as decor or concept is concerned, it’s a clean modern coffeeshop where you’re supposed to eat your food and not linger after that. 

Offering Bangkok-style Thai street food, the biggest draw here is the Chicken rice. They have steamed chicken and deep fried chicken with nice crispy batter to give KFC a run for its money. What made this a standout was the rice – deeply fragrant, flavourful – every mouthful was an absolute delight, even without the chicken, which was not bad either, but second fiddle next to the rice. Then there was the different Thai chilli sauces which amped up the whole dish – no wonder people are lining up for this! Price, an affordable RM10.90.

They also have Egg Lava rice with either seafood, chicken basil, squid or prawns. We chose seafood and chicken. If you’re a fan of wat tan hor, you’ll love this. Kinda like WTH but with soft mushy egg instead, it’s comfort food at its best. I would order this over the chicken rice in a heartbeat, although my lunch mates preferred the chicken rice. The chicken basil stood out for its fragrant basil meat pieces, and the amount of seafood was decently portioned. If you like porridge, risotto and soups, this would be up your alley. Price ranges from RM11.90 for chicken to RM17.90 for seafood.

There were also sides like chicken feet salad, crispy chicken skin and fried kangkung. The salad was on-point for spice and acid kick, but bits of small bone spoilt the fun a bit. The perennial fav, mango rice is also a must order, or so we thought. The glutinous rice was nothing short of amazing, but the portion was dismal while the mango was not ripe and still hard, although surprisingly sweet. 

There’s the usual sweet Thai Milk Tea (RM7.90 – why must Thai tea be so expensive?), Pandan Water, Serai drinks like in most Thai outlets. I’m almost hesitant to post about this as the crowds will only grow bigger given how affordable the food is, but I guess good food must share, no? 

add: B-G, 23, Jalan PJU 1a/3j, Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. HP: 011–1191 8013

(near Thai resto Jatujak, same owners)