Prior to my visit to Langkawi, I was advised to check out Langkawi Hainanese Chicken Rice (浮罗交怡海南鸡饭) in Kuah town. However, several locals expressed their indifference when I inquired into its whereabouts. Nevertheless, curiosity got the better of me and I managed to track down the present location of this stall.
The proprietor of this stall hails from Malacca (Melaka) and his mother used to operate a chicken rice stall near the famous Kedai Kopi Chung Wah (中华茶室) at Jonker Street (Jalan Hang Jebat). His stall is known for a peculiar practice of deboning chicken before serving. I guess this is meant to appeal to Caucasian tourists. Ironically, chicken offal such as liver and gizzard are available too.
There are several serving sizes for Hainanese Chicken Rice (海南鸡饭). The quarter bird option (RM12.00) consists of a drumstick and a thigh. The chicken is garnished with coriander for aromatic appeal. While the boneless chicken is reasonably tender and delectable, I feel that the accompanying soy sauce is too salty for comfort.
Meanwhile, the chili sauce packs a decent level of spiciness but fails to blend well with chicken. The meal does not include oily rice (油饭), which needs to be ordered separately for RM1.00 more. The bowl of cabbage soup is complimentary. As for drinks, my choice is Luo Han Guo (罗汉果, RM3.00).
All things considered, the food here is reasonably tasty but is quite pricey by local standards. I think it is worthwhile to give this stall a try when visiting Kuah, but I wouldn’t really say this is absolutely necessary. Then again, there aren’t many eateries in Kuah to begin with, so your choices are pretty limited anyway. If you are taking Malaccan chicken rice as the benchmark, it would be prudent to lower the bar substantially.
Address: 10, Lorong Tiram 2, Pusat Mas Kelibang, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah
Contact: 013-402-8159
Business hours: 11:00am-2:00pm
