Eim Khao Mun Kai Elmhurst

let’s not talk about the dry chicken and chicken inners or the overpriced meal for now.
just focus on rice, the real
Singaporean hainanese chicken rice should be cooked using chicken stock and chicken fat, it should be flavorful! also well cooked.
I mean the rice I got was undercooked to begin with, and almost flavorless.
won’t go again for sure.
well at least the dish looked like the real thing.

3.5 stars out of 5. An interesting and decently cooked Thai style take on Hainanese Chicken. While it’s pretty gutsy to open a restaurant based on one sole dish, having eaten this dish numerous times in both Malaysia and Singapore (where Hainanese chicken is more of a local staple) and other local Malaysian restaurants, this isn’t my favorite version. However they’ve done a good job creating a slightly more healthy tasting version with the lighter ginger soup and a more Thai-​style sauce for the chicken. Went there with a friend who saw the NY Times review, we ordered the meal for two that comes with half a chicken. It came with the gizzards, cucumbers, and chicken ginger broth and chicken rice on the side.
The chicken was very tender and the flavor lighter than other Hainanese chicken I’ve eaten. I appreciated that they didn’t over salt the food like so many other restaurants. From what I recall, the one sauce they gave (instead of a ginger sauce and sweet soy sauce) was mostly spicy. To me the meal could have benefited from additional textures – the chicken was steamed, cucumbers are raw, the soup was a water based broth, the sauce is also light/​water-​based, so overall gave the impression of a lot of water moisture – like if there were some crispy, crunchy, chewy, etc. components it would help enhance the experience.
The meal reminded me of a home cooked meal in SE Asia, so if that was their intent then they did a pretty good job, but compared to street food from Thailand and other SE Asian countries, the flavors came a bit short.

Khao Mun Kai!!! I loooooveeeeee khao mun kai. I didn’t know that in English it was called Haianese chicken until one of my friends posted this on Facebook (side note: it seems like I’m getting a lot of my food recommendations from Facebook lately …). I’ve always just literally translated it, which made it kind of awkward to explain to my non-​Thai friends what khao mun kai really was because they were just like «uhhh … okay.» So when I found out that there was a place that only serves khao mun kai, I had to be in there like swimwear.
I had the opportunity to eat at this amazing establishment with a friend who also loves Haianese chicken. He had only eaten Malaysian-​style Haianese chicken and he was easily swayed by the opportunity to eat Thai-​style Haianese chicken. I, on the other hand, have never had Malaysian-​style Haianese chicken, so I would like to think that I will be able to try it soon in order to definitively say that Thai-​style Haianese chicken is best style Haianese chicken (huehuehuehue).
This place is small and easily overlooked. If I recall, there is only enough space for three large tables and some bar seating. You can take maybe like 10 steps until you reach the cashier and the kitchen, where you can see all the Thai folks making khao mun kai. Note to the queasy: if you’re not okay with seeing chickens hung up on hooks, maybe you shouldn’t come here (but how else will you know if this chicken is fresh? maybe you can sit with your back towards the kitchen or something). After sitting down, we decided to order a set 2, which came with soup and ginger rice. We also ordered a Thai iced tea and a Thai iced coffee. My friend was excited to try Thai style Haianese chicken and I was excited to try khao mun kai that my mom didn’t make. What a night of firsts.
After maybe like ten minutes, we were served with our food. I should note that while ordering, the waitress asked us whether or not gizzards were okay. While I don’t personally enjoy gizzards, I didn’t know if my friend did, and I didn’t want to speak for him, so we okay’d the gizzards. Truth be told, it was a lot of fucking chicken and rice. In addition to the soup, you’d be set. You can feed probably three people who have normal appetites, as opposed to two people with voracious appetites. The sauces that accompany the meal have a great spicy kick to them and definitely accentuate the taste of both the chicken and the rice. For my first time eating khao mun kai not made by my mom, this place was solid. The soup was refillable but honestly, I don’t think that you really need a refill of the soup, because otherwise, how are you going to finish all the chicken and rice? My friend and I barely finished the set, and we are both gluttonous individuals. It probably would have been smarter to take it home, but alas, we are not that provident.
All I can say is that this place is solid. If you’re in the area and craving khao mun kai, I would recommend you go here. If you’re trying to be a healthier you for 2k16 but really want to eat some rice and chicken, I recommend that you go here. The food is filling, cheap, and authentic. What more can you ask for in a transient lifetime?
The only downside is that this place is cash only, but the food was good enough for me (who never gives 5 stars to a cash only place) to give this place 5 stars.

Chicken and spicy ginger sauce taste good. Chicken was a little dry, I prefer bone on. The bone provides flavor and moisture. I ordered set 2 (half chicken) no breast prices were found, just cheap dark meat.

Omg comfort food at its greatest. I’ve never had haianese chicken until I came here and now I’m a huge fan of «chicken and rice.» The chicken is moist and rice is amazing. Bonus: the soup is refillable! Use that crack brown sauce but be warned it’s spicy!
Cash only

This place is kinda growing on me. I came here with a friend when it first opened and we stared at the menu for a good five minutes before waitress came over and told us theres only three things on the menu and it’s all the same thing. ^_​_​_​_​^;;;
The first time I didn’t enjoy it as much as the last handful of times I’ve went. It’s so yummy and so simple! I love the concept of not really deciding what to order but that one thing. The chicken is very yummy, soft and i just in general feel very healthy eating it. I like their soup too! Sometimes I’ll be walking down the street and I’ll smell their yummy chicken and would be immediate craving it.
Would you recommend it to your friends? Yes! Especially those who like Hainanese Chicken. :)

This is excellent, in my opinion some of the simplest and best fast food in the world. A square meal for about $ 8 in NYC, served at the speed of halal cart, what more can you ask for?
And it’s better than halal’s salty chicken over salty rice with tons of white sauce and red sauce. Here, the quality of the meat is able to stand out in 3 different ways:
— The meat itself (duh)
— Rice (cooked with chicken broth and suffused with its essence)
— Chicken Soup (further enhanced with a spear of daikon radish)
You get all of these with your meal set and better yet if you eat in you can refill soup as many times as you like.
Sure, I am biased because I am Malaysian Chinese and eat hainanese chicken rice all the time. I am inclined to like this sort of thing. However, I do feel like this Thai version is well done and faithful to what I love, and different in ways that interest me greatly. So it’s definitely a 5 star!

Came here with a solid craving for Hainanese chicken rice and I was not disappointed. Speedy, inexpensive and delicious. Good condiments but the only thing missing was the ginger scallion sauce. Otherwise, a terrific experience. The three people who came with me likewise enjoyed it.

Came here for lunch around 12:30, got seat right away. This shop is fairly small with three table and a couple seats against a bar table by the wall.
Got set 2 which is Half chicken w gizzard and liver also comes w 2 ginger rice and two daikon soup. You can get refill on the soup.
The half chicken comes boneless and very tender. I hate dry chicken and eim is definitely not dry at all, so moist and tender. The dipping sauce I can drink that haha. It has a kick to it but I usually add a bit more chili pepper to it. There is also a dark sweet soy sauce you can drizzle over the ginger rice.
The wait staff is friendly and food came within minutes after ordering. Great meal, happy customer.

The rice was tasty and the ginger sauce that came with the set was good! But the chicken on the other hand was too dry. Seems to be over cooked to the point that it’s rubberized. The hainan Chicken at the malaysian restaurants is a lot better. But then again, this maybe the Thai way of cooking their chicken. I think it would make a difference if they kept it bone on, just my opinion, it’s an Asian thing.
Overall, I don’t know if I’ll ever have an urge to come back just for the rice… Friendly service tho.

Oh Man! Oh Man! That Hainanese Chicken. Oh Man!
This small restaurant is all about their Hainanese Chicken. Nothing else you can order except that. It is pretty basic.
We ordered a set 2. Comes with half of Hainanese Chicken, 2 bowls of rice, and 2 bowls of daikon soup. The chicken also comes with chicken gizzard and some chicken liver. The chicken, gizzard, liver doesn’t have any flavor and that’s where the sauce comes in. It’s all about the dipping sauce. The dipping sauce is the Spicy Ginger Sauce. Dip the chicken in it and it is very tender and juicy pieces of chicken. The sauce definitely gives the flavor of the chicken. It is spicy and taste a little sweetness in it. The Chicken Gizzard was tender as well and cooked just right for me. I’m not a big fan of Chicken Liver, so I had drench it in the sauce for me to really eat it.
The rice which had ginger in it was very fragrant and aromatic. It was definitely a good bowl of rice and it goes really well with the Hainanese Chicken.
The Daikon Soup is very flavorful and comes to you very hot. They give a big piece of daikon. One thing about this soup is that you get a free refill.
For $ 15.99, you definitely can’t complain. Delicious Chicken, Rice, and Soup. Definitely be hitting up this place again.

I was surprised to find a one item specialty shop in New York that was able to survive solely on it. I have always been a big fan of Hainenese chicken and boom this spot was right there. I am not a local of Elmhurst and was glad to find this gem.
I ordered takeout and they wrapped the chicken and rice in paper, which is not your usual asian food take out container. The chicken is above standard in its juiciness and tenderness, but the sauce for me at least was too spicy which covered up the hearty flavor of the chicken. The ginger rice was perfect, it went well with the chicken instead of overpowering it. The soup was a good compliment to the meal but it was too oily, which is expected from chicken broth. I will definitely come here more if I was a local for the quantity, quality, and price.

All fresh chicken with freshly grounded sauces. Rice perfectly spiced. Best chicken rice in town! ! You know it’s good when they only sell 1 thing on the menu! !

I had dreams about the food here! Finally had the chance to visit and try out their Khao Mun kai on my NYC vacation. I stayed in Queens so we took the train all the way and walked. Place is small. It had like 3 tables and a little dining area against the wall w/​stools. I ordered to go. Food was fast. Got to the hotel and inhaled it. It was so good! Flavors of the chicken and sauce was on point. Oh can’t forget about the soup. It had amazing flavors and went so perfect with the ginger rice and the chicken. Before I die… I would definitely want this for my last meal.

Eim Khao Mun Kai apparently stands for hainanese chicken in thai, and that’s what they serve here. The restaurant is tiny, and only has three small tables inside. When you order takeout, you don’t get plastic or styrofoam containers, it comes wrapped in wax paper… hipsters love it.
The sign board outside tells you the bulk of the menu. You can order a chicken and rice set for one… set for two… or set for three. If you do the calculations, it seems like the set for one is a dollar more expensive per person if you divide it, but upon closer inspection, you’ll realize that dollar goes towards a bottle of water or soda.
As far as quality, good hainanese chicken is good hainanese chicken, and this spot is on par with just about any other good one. What makes this place stand out is that the ginger sauce they give you is delicious. And possibly more importantly, THE CHICKEN IS DE-​BONED! Seriously, thank you, whoever you are that does does this awesome deed.

I think the concept of this place is great. It really gives you a feel of street food in Thailand. Even when you order take out they put the food in waxed rice paper as they would do it in Thailand.
As for the khao mun Kai itself, I think it’s nothing more then ordinary. The rice can sometimes be hard and the sauce is just bland. This is the only dish on the menu, shouldn’t it be absolutely to die for?

The chicken rice here is, by now, a known entity. People will either like it as much as others or not, and there are already plenty of reviews here to peruse.
I’m here to talk about Eim Khao Mun Kai’s new noodle dish: kuay tiew lui suan.
Wide, thick, firm and chewy chow fun laced with sprouts, lettuce and topped off with ground pork. The hot, sour, sweet and pungent flavor is informed by chili seeds, lime, nam pla, garlic and other stuff that I’m probably forgetting.
Lip and tongue searing heat combines with a flavor explosion; pain meets pleasure.
This stuff is, in short, sex on a plate.
The chicken rice is good, but this new noodle dish is the heavy hitter.
The kuay tiew lui san is the dish to come here for.
P.

This place is the perfect example of doing one thing extremely well. Khao Mun Kai or Hainanese chicken rice is a ubiquitous dish served throughout Asia and for my money the Thai version is the best version, far superior to even the Malaysian versions found all over Queens. On the flip side, I haven’t been to a single restaurant which can hold a candle to the homemade versions my wife makes.
The chicken is perfectly tender and deboned, making it easy to eat. The chicken rice is fragrant and is the perfect vehicle for the meat. What makes the dish though is the sauce. Here, they have about as close as a homemade sauce as I could expect. It’s a perfect balance of spicy, sour, salty and there are additional condiments to adjust to your liking.
The price is more than affordable, service is prompt and courteous although the place is absolutely tiny and is better suited to take out than eat in. No matter what, I am going to be a regular here whenever I can’t convince my wife to make this at home. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

The menu is simple; chicken with rice, more chicken with rice, or just chicken. They all come with a beverage included. Awesome!
They give you some poached chicken livers on the side that come with every order that are quite tasty. Not for everyone but a welcomed addition on my plate. The light chicken and veggie broth is also a great palate cleanser to accompany your meal.
The chicken is tender and juicy and full of flavor but if you come during off hours, it can sometimes be a bit dry. It depends how long they have had the chicken sitting out I guess.
What is great is the condiments that you get. The chopped garlic condiment is very strong so a little goes a long way. The spicy sauce has quite the kick but I like to mix it into everything instead of just dipping the chicken it.
The fragrant ginger rice shines and I could not stop eating it. It is cooked to the perfect consistency and the ginger enhances without being overwhelming.
Overall a great place to get something very specific. Another place for good authentic home style comfort food.

Saturday
Take-​out
2PM
Set 2 ($ 15.99) enough for 3
Simplicity prevail
The innards that were wrapped in with a white and dark meat were nice surprise. A big chunk of soft Daikon and smooth chicken soup that came with were comforting and tasty.
Molasses like sweet-​thick syrup that was in a small cup added nice flavor but chopped fresh garlic in the other cup was bit too strong for my husband.
The ginger sauce was too complicated for me but I am sure there’s a way to eat this. Am I supposed to mix everything together? That might make sense rather than dipping to the ginger sauce and or thick dark syrup to eat. I also like rather oily chicken fat (?) rice that also came with it was called ginger rice but I couldn’t taste any ginger.
I enjoy the simplicity of this dish and so as the concept of this place, bringing Thai street vendors inside the restaurant. it’s young and cool.