I was at Maxwell Food Centre trying Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice, so I thought I’d give their competitor, Ah Tai, a try as well.
I did a bit of research and discovered that the owner of Ah Tai used to be the head chef at Tian Tian, but left when the business started being run by the original owner’s daughter. The queue at Ah Tai isn’t nearly as crazy as Tian Tian’s. When I was there, there wasn’t even a queue, although, weirdly, perhaps because it was 4pm, everyone seemed to be moving really slowly.
I decided to order the chicken rice with a thigh piece, which I don’t think you can choose at Tian Tian. I noticed that Ah Tai’s dark sauce was much lighter in colour compared to Tian Tian’s, and it wasn’t quite as glossy either. I also got a bowl of their soup/stock with some green onions, along with the chilli sauce.
The soup was very subtle in flavour and tasted really natural. There was none of that strong MSG taste, and it was incredibly easy to drink, even on a hot day. The chicken was tasty, and I really liked getting the thigh cut. It wasn’t quite as flavourful as Tian Tian’s, but it was still very nicely cooked and tender.
The rice was also really good, and the chilli sauce packed a decent punch. In fact, I think I might actually prefer Ah Tai’s chilli sauce. Put everything together, and it was still much better than anything I could make at home, with succulent chicken and fragrant, flavourful rice.
Overall, it’s a very good plate of chicken rice, although I can see why some people prefer Tian Tian. Tian Tian’s chicken just has a little more flavour, the dark sauce is slightly sweeter and their breast meat is surprisingly tender and succulent.
That said, since both are affordable, why not try them both and see which one you prefer?
Address: 1 Kadayanallur St, #01-07 Maxwell Food Centre, Singapore 069184
