Kenny Rogers says Hi to Hainanese

When we went to Power Plant Mall last night to watch a movie, we decided to get dinner beforehand. We are big fans of Kenny Rogers Roasters, or Kenny's as we affectionately call it. I like how they blend healthy options and tasty meals under one roof. Mabie had told me that they now offer Hainanese chicken, so we thought we'd try it out for ourselves.

Kenny's serves one-quarter orders of the chicken paired with rice for PhP200. The rice itself is attractively garnished with cucumber slices, a parsley sprig and dried garlic flakes, and a small bowl of soup is served along with it. Accompanying the chicken are the ubiquitous three sauces: rich soy sauce, minced ginger sauce, and a very mild chili paste. Kudos to the Power Plant Mall branch for having our order served very quickly.

We've sampled Toast Box's Hainanese chicken as our very first experience of this Singaporean staple, and we were absolutely floored by the tastes and textures woven into this very humble food. That's our benchmark, then. 

How does Kenny's version fare? Unfortunately, it was slightly disappointing. 

Taste-wise, Hainanese chicken isn't far removed from our very own tinolang manok, so it's not that hard to pick apart and appreciate. That said, we think Kenny's stuck too closely to its signature roasting techniques preparing this, quick serving time aside. The chicken itself seems a bit overcooked and dry, without the characteristic savory moistness of either dish. It's as if the meat got squeezed out of its juices and served on the plate, with the liquid served separately as a soup. It might make for a "healthier" version of the dish but it's not quite as satisfying on the palate. 

Another thing: because the chicken is less flavorful and savory by itself, the rich soy sauce that would probably have been okay paired with more traditional Hainanese chicken suddenly overpowers Kenny's version. The best of the three sauces was the minced ginger. The chili paste was simply too mild to make an impression.

Kenny Rogers Roasters Hainanese chicken rice @ PhP200 per quarter-chicken order.

Chicken rice is not complete without its rice, and here Kenny's also comes out wanting. Maybe it's a nod to a more Filipino version of this dish that they used what looks almost like a dry sinangag (fried rice) and garlic flakes. It's not a bad combination to go with the chicken, but it just doesn't shout authentic Hainanese chicken rice, just like the rest of this dish.

Kenny's Hainanese chicken rice is simply okay, but it needs a little improvement here and there and we do hope we've been of help. We'll probably stick to ordering what we think they do best: good roast chicken, their signature classic corn muffins, a surprisingly good, heavy cheeseburger, and a nice platter of roasted salmon. Can't go wrong with any of those!

What's in the Toast Box?

I don't know if it was just me that I find it a little odd for the name Toast Box to be associated with Hainanese Chicken. Apparently it’s not the only thing on the menu! Oh how silly was I?!

The Hainanese Chicken was just the icing on top of the cake! They got lots of toasts, teas and coffees. Just by looking at the menu right there and then, I was sold. Toast Box for dinner it is.

Toast Box, under the BreadTalk Group, is from Singapore and has now expanded to this humble country of ours. If you are fond of visiting kopi tiams you may want to try Toast Box.

I was flabbergasted the first time I laid eyes on the interior of their shop. It was brilliant! The immaculately painted white walls give the restaurant a nice clean ambiance. Their chairs and tables are also cozy, just like a big version of a little tea party set.

Panoramic shot of the cafe

It is also a nice touch that they openly display how their TEH TARIK is made. Teh tarik literally means “pulled tea”. The pictures depict how the “pulling” of the tea is made. It's a little bit of showmanship and entertainment as you fall in line for your order.

Isn't she a star?

One thing we noticed about the cashier counter was that the staff there were coordinating orders in a foreign language. My best guess is they were talking in Bahasa Malaysia. It's a minor thing, but it added to the authenticity of the experience.

It’s a minor letdown that the positioning of the cashier counter is not conducive for the guests, due to the limited space. When you approach the counter, there will be instances that you are still undecided of what to order. Since the positioning of the menu board is in front of a small hallway where guests are queuing to order, looking at the menu may cause others to be irritated since you’ll blocking the hallway. A good suggestion is to handout separate handheld menus for guests to be able to decide before falling in line.

Now on to what we ordered:

We had whole Hainanese Chicken, which is good for 4-6 persons. Honestly, we’re a group of four and we were so full after we finished this meal. Hainanese Chicken is cooked by boiling the chicken in broth and ginger. It's a lot like our own chicken tinola but with almost no soup. It also comes with three types of sauces which are ginger, chili, and "rich" soy sauce.

What’s a good dish without rice right? Let me introduce the Hainanese Rice. This is a perfect example of the Filipino saying “Kanin palang ulam na!”

I also tried the Milo Dinosaur, which is basically an iced Milo with Milo powder on top. There is nothing special about this drink and you can easily try this at home.

JM tried the Kopi C: According to in-store literature, this is the product of a new way of brewing coffee, which adds sugar in the process to form a type of glaze. This supposedly reduces the bitterness and aids in releasing more antioxidants from the coffee beans than normal. True enough, Kopi C has a little less bitterness than normal brewed coffee, but is still strong and flavorful. It's certainly unique.

Milo Dinosaurs and Hot and Cold Kopi C

Price-wise I guess their toasts are a little more expensive compared to Kopi Roti, though it is still worth a try. We have yet to try their signature dishes (which they call the Treasures in the Box) especially the Peanut Thick Toast on our next visit!