If there's anything to go by Malaysian staples for lunch, an iconic one must be chicken rice. Originally a Hainanese dish, it has been widely fusioned into the Malaysian gastronomic landscape and transcended all the cultures in Malaysia.
It is not easy to find a good chicken rice these days, especially original recipes (the chicken rice ball Chung Wah in Malacca was one but has gone too touristic) but the one in PJ Section 16 has a good Cantonese-styled chicken rice with option of Char Siew and Roasted Pork. It sits next to a primary school at the corner of Restoran Chun Yuen and the stall usually has very brisk business till just about 1 pm. Beyond that, it wil be next to impossible to get anything. Pricing wise, it is not the cheapest chicken rice in town, a selection of roasted meat for 2 would easily set you to RM25 per person but the crowd is a testimony to its popularity with the lunch crowd.
This is where the trick is - the well flavoured rice. The ginger practically melts in the mouth and the rice has a deep and layered taste (umami). My friend would just eat the rice and nothing else...
The roasted pork has the same texture of those found in upper end Chinese restaurants and the roasted chicken is served on a bed of blanched bean sprouts (if you get the early enough before they run out of it). The customer stream is good that there is no time for the chicken to sit and waits for customers. It is sold as it comes out from the oven...
