Move over The Chicken Rice Shop! The CRG is in town and it’s kicking taste buds! I’m not kidding. It is.
Aman, the owner, working his magic hands
Talk about in your face information. Sorry guys! But the CRG is worth all the stars in the sky. A sub-outlet at Restoran Paung, which is owned by the cousin, CRG offers authentic Chinese recipes of chicken rice (or as we call it locally, Nasi Ayam). I am a die-hard-fan of Hainanese chicken rice. Other than The Chicken Rice Shop, Halal Hainanese chicken rice is hard to be found anywhere. And yesterday, I found another great option by CRG. The owner, Aman, is of Chinese-Malay mix. His mother is Chinese and that’s where he got the authentic recipes. I am sold. Halal. Authentic. What more? The taste lah!
Check out the plates of goodness!
Husband was still full from heavy breakfast of Nasi Lemak Sambal Ayam, so, we decided to share and I got to choose the variety. CRG serves two varieties, which are the Hainanese steamed chicken and the roasted one. If it’s up to my husband, he’d go for the roasted one. I’m more of the steamed one, so I went for steamed chicken thigh (THE best part of chicken anyway).
A plate of CRG chicken rice comes with a bowl of fragrant rice, a small bowl of soup, slices of cucumber, ginger chilli sauce (my favorite) and of course, the star, portion of my favorite steamed chicken thigh (or any other parts as you may request), bathed in light soy sauce. Except for the ginger chilli sauce and cucumber slices, everything else is topped with crispy, fried shallots and crunchy, thinly sliced scallion. YUM!
The rice was nicely cooked and oh so wangi! The soup was well-seasoned. The cucumber slices was fresh and crunchy. Now, the ginger chilli sauce was delicious, but more ginger paste would kick it up a notch. Aman said CRG is planning to come up with a separate ginger paste, apart from the readily available ginger chilli sauce. That’d be a great addition! Aman even explained to us the art of eating chicken rice. He said correct way would be to dip the chicken into the ginger paste, chilli sauce and soy sauce and then have a small bite of the dipped chicken, then only add rice and you kinda mix every component when you’re chewing. AHHA! We can try that next time ya!
And the chicken was done to perfection.
I almost cried. Ahha! I mean, just look at the glistening skin, inviting you to have a bite of the juicy meat. And juicy it is. There’s just a thin layer of fat under the skin. Melting, I tell you. Paired with the spicy, robust flavor of the ginger chilli sauce – divine. The soft texture of the skin contrasted with the crunchy scallion slices and fried shallots. Everything was just right. The chicken was cooked just enough to retain the juice of the meat in every bite and it’s fresh! Except that maybe the soy sauce was a little bit too salty to my liking. It’s a special recipe though. I guess it’s just not for me. But other than that – WORTH IT.
Aman gave 5-star customer service! He sat down and talked to us about how he ventured into the F&B industry and the satisfaction he feel when the customers are happy. He did the cooking himself to ensure the quality and the effort is paid off as he delivers plates of deliciousness to hundreds of happy customers everyday. As we talked, he offered us the roasted chicken and my tummy gladly accepted.
That. I’d be a fool not to try that. The meat was not dry at all, which could easily be if the meat was over-roasted. But it’s not. The skin was golden and crispy and everything roasted chicken should be. The husband said it’s the best he ever had. I agreed. And you would too once you try them your own.
And you should try them now!
A plate of chicken rice is priced at RM 4.80. There’s a special day for ducks to be the star, and if you’re a duck lover, watch out for the updates from their Facebook page. I am, and I shall return for the ducks!
OVERALL VERDICT: 4/5
Affordable and yet the price tag doesn’t compromise the taste and the quality. The chicken is tender and juicy. The springy skin and semi-solid layer of fat are a delight. The rice is fragrant and soft and full of flavor. The soup is seasoned well with no awful MSG taste from chicken cube stocks like how some chicken rice stalls prepare theirs. The ginger chilli sauce could have more ginger for more punch. Minus 1 point for the a little bit too salty soy sauce. But for the price, you can’t beat it. I wish the CRG would open more outlets so I can forget The Chicken Rice Shop whenever I crave for a good plate of Halal Hainanese chicken rice. 😦
MORE INFORMATION
HALAL
NON-VEGETARIAN
SMOKING FACILITIES AVAILABLE
VALET PARKING NOT AVAILABLE
CONTACT/ADDRESS
Visit the CRG at 40 Jalan Zirkon 7F/7F, Seksyen 7, 40000 Shah Alam, Malaysia.
It’s a bit tricky to find and you might just pass it without knowing. Just find Restoran Paung and there you’ll find the CRG.
FOR PRE-ORDER OR TAPAU, whatsapp: 013-333 1950
OPEN: Monday till Friday, 12 pm – 3 pm
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/ChickenriceGuys
Do you love chicken rice?
Have you tried the CRG? Do you like ’em?
Any other recommendations for the best chicken rice?
Share with me!
❤
JANNAH MD ISA 