Where is the best chicken rice in the world? Man eats 48 plates across 8 cities to find out, Lifestyle News

“Good com ga will not be good Hainanese chicken rice and vice versa,” he said.

In Hong Kong, after eating at places like Golden Chicken and Yung Kee, Alderic stated that the city has the “highest average standard” of all in the video, but that the “shallot-forward rice” was not to his personal liking.

Lastly, Alderic arrived in Hainan, where the dish first originated. Places he visited include Wang Xiang Lou and Bai Qie Shi Jia.

He expressed his surprise that while the chicken in Hainan was full of flavour, and most satisfying of those that he visited for this video, their rice was often bland — acting more like a side than a main component of the dish.

After trying a grand total of 48 dishes during his travels, the content creator finally appointed a winner: Singapore’s Chicken House. Seems like nothing tastes better than home.

He even collated every plate of chicken rice he tried during this journey in a Google sheet for others to refer to.

Reactions to the ranking

Alderic’s assessment was met with mixed reactions from netizens, with some praising his effort while others expressed disagreement with his conclusion.

One netizen wrote: “I love the attention to detail, the research, the fieldwork, the spreadsheet, the video editing” and requested that he make more of such videos.

“Haha again, I applaud and respect you for your efforts. Thanks for sharing,” said another comment.

A comment which disagreed with Alderic read: “The fact that you didn’t try Ipoh chicken rice or Ampang Lok Yuen chicken rice invalidates your opinion to be honest.”

“Easy unfollow,” stated another.

Still, one positive comment stood out, garnering overing 450 likes as of publishing time, which reads: “Ladies and gentlemen, we are witnessing greatness in the making. We have our very own Anthony Bourdain in Singapore and his name is Alderic Teo.”

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Finally ready

Speaking to AsiaOne, Alderic said that he has been hunting for good food for quite some time, but only now felt ready to take on Singapore’s national dish.

He adds that he finds the way the dish has changed and evolved across borders fascinating.

“We grew up seeing chicken rice as we know it, but most of our neighbouring countries eat the same thing with their own interpretation,” he said, explaining that different countries prioritised different components based on what their palates leaned towards.

One challenge Alderic faced in this journey was “chasing an answer that he knew wasn’t there”.

He explained that taste is subjective and it would be impossible to communicate a single “best” chicken rice, least of all among Singaporeans.

“As we speak, I’m sure I’m getting roasted in the comments for my pick,” he quipped.

However, this challenge highlights the growing pressure on Singapore’s hawker scene, Alderic told us.

“We’re rightly discerning, and being particular about food is part of who we are, but there’s a difference between holding a high standard and treating every plate as a disappointment waiting to be exposed,” he said.

“When ‘standard dropped already’, ‘overpriced’ and ‘overrated’ become the reflex, I don’t think that’s healthy for the people actually keeping this food alive.”

Alderic also shared that he plans to continue chasing the best version of various other dishes.

@asiaone

TikToker Alderic reviewed 48 plates of chicken rice across six cities and regions to crown his champion. #sgnews #Singapore #Food #Travel

♬ original sound – AsiaOne – AsiaOne

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com