13. Soya Chicken on Rice - Lucky 13!

I arrive right on opening time and I'm the only one in the restaurant, apart from a chef having his staff meal of what appears to be some kind of congee. A job interview went well so I am celebrating with a firm favourite. Oh, and it just happens to be Number 13 of course!

My mean arrives promptly. Generous portion of steamed bok choy, about half a chicken atop a bountiful bed of rice. The bok choy is beautifully tender with just a little bit of bite to it. I'm not usually a fan of chicken skin (too fatty - it is where 50% of the fat resides) but this is a gorgeous burnished mahogany hue and infused with soy sauce. An umami sensation! The chicken is roasted to perfection: plump and juicy. It is mostly breast, which has a tendency to dry out, but this is serendipitously succulent. . The chicken is on the bone, so if this bothers you, or you are inebriated (my bon vivant flatmate considers the bones to be a choking hazard) I would recommend sticking to Chicken Hot Pepper Sauce, though you would be seriously missing out. Chicken cooked on the bone is more flavourful and forces you to eat more slowly, savouring your food. Mindful eating by proxy... I nibble on a winglet. There is something so primal about gnawing meat off the bone.

Onto the rice: It is a soy-soused savoury symphony on the tongue. And there is so much of it! Even more than the usual generous portion. It forms a nest to cradle the chicken and soak up the sauce and juices. One of the best parts of the dish. I spy a lingering morsel of meat on a bone from the chook cemetery I have created on my plate. A fitting end to a fantastic meal.

Would I order this again? A hundred times yes! I probably will again next week.