I am, unabashedly, a fan of the chicken here.
Hailing from Thailand, there are two outlets here in Singapore that I know of- one at Plaza Singapura, one at NEX.
I haven't been to the one at Plaza Singapura for a long time, thanks, of course, to the (privileged) two, three times that I have been to their OG of an OG outlet up at Ratchadamri Road near Pratunam in Bangkok.
But NEX, this one I have come several times before, and which, this late afternoon, being hungry as we were, thought it a good idea to have.
There is a reason why, to me, Go-Ang Pratunam's chicken rice holds as one of my favorites.
It isn't just the chicken itself that delights me whenever the plate arrives at the table.
It is the rice.
To me, their rice is the star of the show. It is the rice that gets to me, which keeps me coming back over and over again, whether it be here in Singapore, or in Thailand.
And it is the rice that first comes to mind whenever the thought of Go-Ang comes to mind.
Why exactly I love it, I don't know.
There's just something about it that speaks to me.
Maybe it is the stock of the chicken that they cook the rice in, and which gives the rice its fragrant, aromatic flavor.
Maybe it is the oil (of the chicken) that gives the rice grains its distinctive texture where it spreads smooth over your tongue yet doesn't feel greasy nor oily on your tongue.
Whatever it is, their rice is incredibly moreish.
Where with other plates I have found myself more than happy to drop half a plate, not so with this one.
Go-Ang's rice is one that I refuse to split haff, refuse to share, and it don't matter whether I am hungry or filled, I want to finish it all.
Of course, what is rice without the chicken?
Go-Ang's chicken is not to go unmentioned as well.
Never once, whether here or in Thailand, have I found the chicken to be cold, dry, unappetizing, or without flavor.
Perhaps it is the way they steam the chicken, or the broth, or the other ingredients that they have in their recipe.
It always tastes good.
Always has the chicken come to the table in nicely cut chunks, juicy, tender, full of flavor, with just the right amount of chew.
Doesn't matter whether it is the breast or the thigh or whichever parts of the chicken it might be, every piece is wholesome, filling, and satisfying. There is no worry that the chicken be coarse and dry. There is also no worry that it will be tasteless and difficult to eat.
I have never had to wonder whether the meat be hard.
It never has been.
Seeing these pictures now make me think of those that I have had in Thailand.
Sometimes- in a city like ours- we don't put much thought towards global expansion and its impact on the individual, but when faced with a time where you don't get to go to Ratchadamri Road or Central World, it is a plate like this at NEX that reminds you that you- having gone there more than once- will be back there again.