Hong Kong Taste 1975: Pudu’s RM5 best kept chicken rice secret with crispy & juicy chicken skin
So if you’ve been following my ‘Keeping up with the Tastiest Chicken Rice in Klang Valley’ adventures, you’d know that my taste buds fell in love with Happy Garden’s Canton-Z Chicken Rice. So imagine my surprise when I found out that the owner of Canton-Z Chicken Rice has another chicken rice restaurant located in Pudu called Hong Kong Taste 1975.
I thought I had eaten my month’s quota of chicken rice but how could I resist the possibility of another plate of satisfying chicken rice? Plus, the thought of the crispy roast chicken skin is just too tempting.
Finding a parking space is definitely a hassle here. I had to circle the block at least seven times before finally squeezing my little car into a parking lot nearby. If you’re planning to swing by Hong Kong Taste 1975 for a spot of lunch, it’s actually located in a little hut which makes it quite easy to miss. Just keep an eye out for the green banner!
The owner of both chicken rice eateries, Ken Ong, was already busy serving up his famous chicken rice. I arrived at 11am and even at that hour, I noticed that the char siew was almost sold out.
I quickly ordered a plate of rice with their famous char siew (RM8), another plate with siew yoke (RM8) and a side of roast chicken (RM5). Ken smiled when I gushed that his Canton-Z Chicken Rice outlet was my favourite chicken rice shop. Just as I was about to pay, he kindly told me to enjoy my meal first.
What I tried at Hong Kong Taste 1975
Within 10 minutes, the three plates of food (which felt way too much for one person) appeared on the rickety plastic table. I first tested the rice, cooked in the chicken stock to perfection— full of flavour and oily. It had the beautiful aromatic fragrance that every good chicken rice should carry (in my opinion).
As much as I wanted to try the roast chicken first, the char siew looked way too decadent. The char siew here is so heavily caramelised that the surface had this gorgeous glossy glaze and a succulent layer of fat right in the middle. Paired with the rice, it was a beautiful melt-in-the-mouth combination. I am again salivating just from writing this.
I added a dollop of the chilli sauce but was a bit disappointed to see that it was a bit on the watery side.
Next on the taste test was the juicy looking roast chicken topped with a sprinkle of fried garlic. Fun fact, this roast chicken is roasted at this outlet and brought down to the Canton-Z outlet for sale. It’s only the chicken that is prepared in Pudu. The chicken is bathed in boiling hot oil, till the skin is crispy. I could practically see the juiciness ooze from the chicken skin!.
Have you ever had a roast chicken that left you speechless? That’s the same I experienced as soon as I bit into it. Not only was the skin crispy but the chicken was tender. And at RM5, Hong Kong Taste 1975’s roast chicken promises your money’s worth without any compromise on flavour.
And finally, the famed siew yoke. And as predicted, the siew yoke skin is crispy and has that sought-after crackle. It is guaranteed that you will be treated to a satisfying crunch as you bite into its crispy roasted skin. This version wasn’t as salty as the one in the Canton-Z outlet. Nevertheless it was satisfying especially for the price of RM8.
Final thoughts
As I polished my plate of rice and gnawed at the chicken bones, the lunch crowd thronged the tiny stall. There were only eight small tables and all were completely filled with hungry customers. I heard a customer request for char siew only to receive the heartbreaking response that it had completely sold out. I looked at my watch, it wasn’t even 12pm!.
If you’re planning to swing by Hong Kong Taste 1975, I’d advise you to come before noon for a taste of the delicious char siew. You simply cannot miss that. I for one, can never get enough of it.
But if I had to choose between Hong Kong Taste 1975 and Canton-Z, I would say Canton-Z solely because it’s way easier to look for a spot for your vehicle and a spot for yourself. Priorities.
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