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There is a reason why some foreigners think our Hainanese chicken rice is nothing to shout about (I am a big fan, don’t get me wrong). This rendition by a Chinese restaurant in Bangkok certainly exceeded all expectations. The chicken used are kampung (not Gamnam) style, so more gamy and succulent texture. The icing on the cake for any Hainanese chicken rice is the soy sauce, and Hong Bao’s done it with the right umami and sesame oil along with lots of red shallots - braised not fried. The result a dish that wets your appetite way before you even taste it, and bound to make you savour the goodness of that soy sauce to the last drop.
This tops the list of Peking Duck I have tried this year by far. Can’t be conclusive it’s world best but surprising to be finding this in Bangkok. The skin was sliced so thin, it’s translucent against the light. Just look at the puffy roasted duck, the consistency, the radiant skin....
I have not seen such exquisitely plated siew yuk which are uniform in the cut and composition of the meat. The crisp layer on top is radiant (not PS-ed) not charred and the meat was in glowing pink, not overly roasted. Not only did it impress in appearance, the pork was, yes fatty, but at the right level that doesn’t make you stop at one, or two, or three, for that matter who’s counting?
