One thing about Singapore food is, good chicken rice are found all over the island and at very reasonable prices too. Singapore is truly the chicken rice capital of the world. Every town in Singapore, from Woodlands to Tiong Bahru, from Pasir Ris to Jurong West all have their top chicken rice stalls. For Bedok, Zeng Ji is among the best here.
Zeng Ji is located in Kaki Bukit, 511 Market & Food Centre in a quiet section of Bedok North. I like this place as it has a neat, clean, rustic, relaxed, friendly HDB kampung living feel - the kind of Singapore I grew up in.
Mr Chan opened Zheng Ji just about a year ago. He had worked nearly 10 years with Boon Tong Kee, a chicken rice restaurant chain before striking out on his own. So, there is a bit of Boon Tong Kee DNA in Zheng Ji's chicken rice. (Thank you Jason for alerting us to this good chicken rice stall.)
Six of us shared this meal - we had half a poached chicken, half a fried bird and a plate of innards. Our bill came to SGD28 (more plates of rice and the soup are not in this picture).
The chicken is poached, dunked in cold water, cut and splashed with sauce before serving. I like it that the chicken is cut in large bold pieces with most of the natural juices intact. Though, the signboard says Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice, we can request for the chicken to be cut with bone in.
The chicken has a bit of pink but only very slightly - to me, that is perfect doneness for poached chicken 😋 The tender and juicy chicken has a slight natural chicky sweetness layered with a mild sweet-savoury watery dressing sauce.
I enjoyed this poached chicken (but we Singaporeans are spoilt - this is just slightly above average in Singapore but it is really excellent by world standards).
This chicken is first poached, then deep fried in oil to a golden brown outside.
My companions love this, more than the poached chicken.
As I couldn't make up my mind, I stayed back after my kakis left and ordered a fried chicken set to taste. The set costs just SGD3.50 - Singapore is chicken rice heaven.
The fried chicken is good but I would love it more if there was a bit more of caramelised flavour on the skin. Overall, my heart still belongs to the poached chicken.
The boiled innards provide a bit of variety in texture and flavour for uncles 😂
The rice is made with good quality grains and cooked to just the right tender firmness. It is not overly greasy and have a nice gentle buttery savoury sweetness. It also has a nice chicky and floral aroma (from pandan leaves).
The fresh chili and ginger dips are good too.
The watery clear soup has a nice slight sweet-savoury taste.
👉 Good chicken rice is everywhere in Singapore - there is a good chicken rice stall near you, wherever you are on the island. In Bedok, Zeng Ji is a good chicken rice by Singapore standards i.e. world class 👍
Restaurant name: Zengji Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice
Address: Kaki Bukit Market & Food Centre. Blk 511 Bedok North St 3 #01-03 Singapore 460511 (10 minutes walk north of Bedok MRT station)
GPS: 1°19'59.7"N 103°55'48.5"E | 1.333245, 103.930153
Hours: 10:30am to 7:30pm (Monday off)
Non Halal
Date visited: 6 July 2017
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