This Jalan Ipoh claypot chicken rice was recommended to me by the owner of our regular Chinese tai chow place – he told me he prefers this stall to the one in Pudu. The claypot chicken rice stall has no name apparently, and they operate in the morning at 10am till 5.30pm.
Claypot Chicken Rice @ Jalan Ipoh
They are located along Jalan Batu Ambar; spot the row of makeshift stalls and you’ll be able to find this claypot chicken rice stall (or Waze for Klinik Medilove in Jalan Ipoh). Parking isn’t easy to find so be prepared to walk a little or pray to the parking gods for a spot.
Not the friendliest of service, unfortunately.
It’s quite humid under the zinc roof so best to dress accordingly.
At close to 1pm, the place was crowded with no vacant tables in sight. We had to wait for some patrons to finish their lunch before getting a seat. Most of their customers seem to be regulars, judging from their comfort level of dining nonchalantly under the zinc roof. I overheard some customers calling the owners to place their orders before arriving even.
Large claypot chicken rice, extra chicken and lap cheong
We ordered from one of the Indonesian helpers – a large serving of claypot chicken rice with extra lap cheong and chicken. And one iced herbal tea to combat the sweltering heat. Here comes the deal-breaker; the owner has a foul temper. So foul that it supersedes the rude service from this fish head place in Pudu which I don’t patronize anymore.
“Don’t take my photos. I don’t want any publicity. I’m already well known. No need more business. My temper is very bad and if you don’t stop, I’m going to show how bad it is to you,” he uttered in Cantonese. That happened when I was taking photos of the row of clay pots on the burner, without the owner in it.
Chicken pieces were tender and the lap cheong was juicy.
Our order didn’t take very long to arrive – we waited for just 15-20 minutes before our food was ready, which is more bearable than the Michelin-mentioned spot in Pudu (45-60 minutes). The ratio of rice and meat seemed to be just right after adding more chicken and lap cheong into the mix.
Delicious, but short of the “char” I like in my claypot chicken rice.
Tastewise, it’s a pretty decent claypot chicken rice, albeit, slightly salty from the sauce mix. Chicken pieces were tender and the lap cheong slices were flavourful, but I thought the rice lacked char and “charcoal” aroma. There wasn’t much crust at the bottom of the pot either, which happens to be my favourite bit when it comes to eating claypot chicken rice.
Both Jien and I felt the rice and meats were separate components rather than a cohesive dish, if you get what we mean. Good thing about this Jalan Ipoh stall is that the rice is moist throughout. I’m also not sure if it’s intentional, but they cook their rice slightly under (firmer) so if you like your rice soft and fluffy, you might not enjoy this as much.
Our bill came up to RM34 for a large claypot chicken rice (extra chicken and lap cheong) and a drink. Not exactly expensive since we did add more meat to our rice but service towards us was pretty off-putting.
Still, no harm trying so long as you’re prepared to combat the heat and remember to keep your gadgets at bay.
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Ambiance: 4/10
Price: 6.5/10
Food: 6.5/10 (non-halal)
Verdict: A good option for claypot chicken rice in Jalan Ipoh.
Claypot Chicken Rice @ Jalan Ipoh
Lot 1224, 7, Jalan Batu Ambar,
Taman Kok Lian,
51200 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: 012-332 3620
Business hours: 10am till 5.30pm
(closed Wednesday)
1 comment
Loved your review. On the issue of the owner’s response, I would not call that rude. Its their choice. Not everyone is schooled on etiquette