Restaurant Review: The Chicken Rice Shop

We did a mental note of the restaurants in Robinsons Manila that we still hadn’t tried. We identified three. We were supposed to go to one, but we found out that it was already non-operational. That led us to The Chicken Rice Shop. We immediately agreed to give it a try after we scanned the menu board outside the restaurant. We were days away from payday so we had to stick with our budget. Buhay may asawa! Nyaha! =))

Chicken rice meals from The Chicken Rice Shop are very affordable. Prices range from PHP150 – PHP350 depending on the size of the chicken. Boyet and I decided to try out their Personal meals which only cost PHP148! The meal is served with rice and soup.

Given the price, I wasn’t really expecting much with the food and service. But surprisingly, the food was served just a couple of minutes after placing our orders. Good for our wallets, better for my very short patience. HARHARHAR!!!

My husband does not like the taste of Hainanese Chicken. Para daw siyang kumakain ng hilaw na manok! =)) We would probably just walk away if he didn’t see the Roasted Chicken on the menu.


The roasted chicken is served on a bed of sliced cucumbers and brown sauce. The tenderness of the chicken meat goes really well with the slightly crunchy skin. We both loved that the sauce was light enough and did not overpower the flavors of the roasted chicken.

Since my husband was having Roasted Chicken, I opted to have their Hainanese Chicken. Usually poached with garlic and ginger, Hainanese Chicken is such a simple dish. Some may actually think that it’s bland and boring. I know a lot of people who do not like the taste of Hainanese Chicken. I am thinking that this is because we grew up in a culture wherein chicken is usually fried. In my case, it actually took me a while to appreciate the goodness of Hainanese Chicken. After numerous attempts, I finally learned to enjoy it.


We mixed the oyster sauce (I am not sure if it is, but it tastes like oyster sauce) with the ground ginger and chili sauce. It definitely started a party of flavors in my taste buds. Sweet, tangy, salty, spicy… sige isama na natin ang umami! :p


Excluding the way the chicken was cooked, my meal was just exactly the same as my husband’s. The taste and consistency of the rice is almost the same as that of Hainanese Delight’s. That made me think why the rice I had in my chicken rice in Singapore was different.

Other than giving us good and affordable food, their service was exemplary. We got bottomless drinks, and the servers were so attentive in refilling our glasses. They were also very quick in serving our request of two glasses of water, and they even offered for a refill without us asking for it. Inis na inis kasi ako sa mga restaurants na mamatay-matay ka na sa samid pero wala pa ring tubig! :p


The Chicken Rice Shop
Ground Level Padre Faura Wing
Robinsons Place Manila