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Comment by phist_mcgee | Hacker News Reader

I've never ordered it, it always looks so incredibly bland, am I missing something here?

Chicken and rice is anything but bland. I haven't had Hainanese style but the Thai style khao man gai that Nong's serves in Portland is a flavor that I still remember more than a decade later.

Nong's is insanely good. You can actually buy her sauce online now, in case you ever want to have a go at making it at home — https://khaomangai.com/products/nongs-khao-man-gai-sauce

chicken and rice has oil and some savoriness but it's not jacked to the tits with spice like an indian curry or any thai food - in that regard, compared to other asian cuisines, yes it is bland. compared to midwest mac & cheese, sure, maybe it's less bland but even then I bet a midwesterner could pleasantly eat the dish where they would be on the struggle bus eating indian food

If you would order it once, you could stop wondering if you are missing something.

The chicken is indeed bland, although the non-canonical roasted version is more flavorful than the traditional poached one. The rice, which is cooked in chicken stock and spices, is anything but, but it's the fresh chili sauce that really makes it zing, in the same way that wasabi makes "bland" sushi work.

Tian Tian is overrated and not worth the lines though. Every Singaporean has their favorite but I like Loy Kee, partly thanks to their amazing slogan, "Chicken Lickin' Good".

https://order.loykee.com.sg/

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