Ji De Lai has been my top rated chicken rice for a few years now, and it has even earned itself a spot on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list in 2023. So, has the quality dropped off from the excitement of earning a spot on the Bib Gourmand and from the increased crowds?⠀
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Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure I announce that Ji De Lai is just as good as it used to be before getting the thumbs up from Michelin. The steamed chicken sports smooth porcelain skin that covers the moist meat beneath, and that meat has been fully infused with all the sapidity of the stock it has been poached in. After chopping up the bird, Ji De Lai’s secret fantastically fragrant soya sauce mix is ladled over the chicken for maximum piquancy. The chicken is savoury, herby & carries a faint pandan note, and each bite topped off with a dollop of Ji De Lai’s fiery, ginger-y chili is pure chicken bliss.⠀
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Even though I prefer the steamed/poached chicken over the roasted (JDL is the only place where I would pick the steamed over the roast chicken), the roast chicken is more than capable. It’s salty & savoury from all the aromatic spices rubbed into the bird before getting roasted, and the fat is rendered out while roasting to leave behind a nicely crisped skin. The meat is still marvellously moist and terrifically titillating, and each bite of bird is guaranteed to spark joy.⠀
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Pair these breathtaking birds with the luscious, rich grains of fragrant chicken rice, and you’ll start to see why even the Michelin guide remembers to honour Ji De Lai in their prestigious list.