The Dead Cockroach: Qi Lin Xuan Kitchen - Chicken Rice Balls @ Blk 442 Jurong West Ave 1

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Qi Lin Xuan Kitchen first started out in 2014 as a tze char business. When they began offering chicken rice balls in 2018, it was picked up by social media where it made a flurry of appearances in various media outlets.

Knowing me, I would always wait for the hype to wear off before I make my move but I think I may have waited a little too long (three years!) as there was nary a soul when I arrived just before noon.

Has the chicken rice balls lost its magic already? There were no other customers in the premise and the coffee shop was dim inside. Only the lights from the chicken rice stall at the front of the coffee shop is on but there is no one manning it.

Just as I was about to walk away, someone called out to me from the depths within.

"Shuai ge, chi ji fan ma?" (handsome, chicken rice for you?)

On account of him calling me shuai ge, I ordered a chicken rice ball set ($3.50). For some reason, after making my order, customers began streaming in one after another and they were all addressed as shuai ge by the very same staff. 🙄

My chicken rice ball set for one comes with three rice balls and a portion of chicken meat. I did not request for any specific chicken parts but there is a wing and bits of chicken breast. You can choose from poached chicken, roasted chicken and soy sauce chicken.

The chicken meat was cold to the bite as though they had been sitting in a ice bath. The texture was tender and smooth but lacking in chicken flavors. In other words, the chicken tasted bland.

The lifesaver was the savory dressing drizzled over it which is not overly salty.

The rice balls felt surprisingly heavy at the tip of the fork. Despite me taking a bite out of it, it maintained its shape and did not fall apart.

Perhaps due to being moulded by hand, the rice balls were very compact and I could feel the starchiness of the rice. Exuding very faint hints of ginger and lemongrass, they were not too oily either.

It seems Qi Lin Xuan might be trying to serve a healthier version of chicken rice with lesser fat and sodium content.