Relish supremely smooth poached chicken at Buu’s Hainanese Chicken Rice in Ara Damansara
PETALING JAYA, May 5 — When it comes to chicken rice, I’ve always been very much a poached chicken kind of guy, so when I heard about a stall in Ara Damansara that only does poached chicken, paying a visit seemed only right.
Buu’s Hainanese Chicken Rice in Hock Seng Kopitiam uses chickens from Bukit Mertajam, but also offers kampung chicken and ma chou kai (horse grass-fed chicken) at slightly higher prices.
A half portion of the regular Bukit Mertajam chicken (RM32) and two plates of rice comes with a generous amount of both their "special recipe” ginger paste and chili sauce.
Sporting a pale, yellow complexion on the skin, the delicately poached chicken is just barely held together by gossamer-like strands of collagen in the flesh.
Even parts like the breast which can have a tendency to become stringy and unpleasant are moist and tender here.
The poached chicken here is smooooooth, just like the Santana song.
Spring onions feature heavily in their special recipe ginger paste, making it quite sweet.
Its crystalline sheen is dotted by a light brown soy sauce mixture that’s slightly sweet and savoury, complementing the smooth, moist and subtly flavoured chicken.
The skin is especially satisfying; slippery-smooth and jelly-like as it should be.
The freshly-made ginger paste leans on the sweeter side as a result of the strong presence of spring onions, making even someone as ginger-averse as me a fan of the pairing.
For me, the rice fails to match up with the chicken. The chicken is packed full of flavour, unlike the rice that is more subtle and lacks the typical fragrance and taste of yau fan or oil rice, which is cooked in the drippings of the bird.
Lunch of champions with a plate of rice, poached chicken, ginger paste and chilli sauce.
That being said, I feel a plate of chicken rice is judged by the chicken first and foremost and this is undoubtedly one of the better ones I’ve had.
A single portion with the Bukit Mertajam chicken is a very reasonable RM8, though it goes up to RM11 for the kampung chicken.
If you want a taste of the premium ma chou kai, it’s best to come with company, as they only sell half or the whole chicken at a seasonal price.
The only non-rice offering is a bowl of their Sha Hor Fun (RM8) or what is popularly known here as kai si hor fun served with prawn oil, prawns and shredded chicken.
The stall is located in the corner lot behind the first location of Hock Seng Kopitiam, and faces the front of that lot. If you enter from the lot adjacent to Ara Gym, walk all the way through to the second corner lot. Alternatively, enter from Jalan PJU 1a/20a where the sign for Buu’s Hainanese Chicken Rice can be found right front and centre.
The full breakdown of ordering options.
Look for the yellow signage under the black stall sign, from the Jalan PJU 1a/20a entrance.
Buu’s Hainanese Chicken Rice
Restaurant Hock Seng Kopitiam, C-G-1, Block C, Jalan PJU 1a/20b, Dataran Ara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Open daily, 9am-3pm
Tel: 017-253 6539
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