Reviews Jackpot Chicken Rice

After the Jamaican-Asian fusion restaurant Patois had to temporarily close up shop last year due to a fire, chef and owner Craig Wong came up with a new restaurant concept specializing in Hainanese chicken. Being a huge fan of this dish, I was really excited to hear about the opening of Jackpot Chicken Rice last fall.

We had SUCH a great time here tonight. You are smart to make a reservation as people who arrived without one were in for a two-hour wait when we were there. The place is loud, and the vibe is great. Great decor as well, with whimsical baskets for light fixtures and great murals on the walls. We loved our cocktails :) There is one red wine and one white wine, by the glass or the bottle. We ordered the red, at a very reasonable price, and it went really well with the food. Three of us split the dinner for four, and it was truly a feast. Everything was really good, but I especially loved the tempura broccoli and the bok choy, and of course, the chicken. The rice was also extremely yummy. Certainly worth your time and money.

Rice - great, not too mushy or wet as previous reviewers mentioned. Very tasty. 
Chicken - good flavours, but not as "silky" as the traditional Hainanese chicken. Slightly overcooked, resulting in more of a grainy texture. 
Wintermelon soup - not too much dimension to the soup. I like my grandma's version much better.
Soy egg - along with the rice, one of the best parts of the meal.

Value is OK considering the quality of the ingredients, but the star of the show (Hainanese chicken) is not executed incredibly well. Unless the restaurant steps it up, it'll be more of a hipster pretender than a true culinary winner.

dre @eatjackpot: From the owners of Patois, they bring Jackpot Chicken Rice, based on a Hainanese dish. You can order the chicken with its traditional skin on, or a crispy fried version like the one you see in the second picture. The meal also came with a soup. For $13.75, it's quite steep, especially since I was still hungry afterwards. But the chicken was so juicy and the rice was so delicious. You can't really dislike chicken and rice that's been cooked in yummy oil...

Hainanese Chicken Rice (or "海南雞飯" in Chinese) is a dish of Chinese origin from early Chinese immigrants from the Hainan province in southern China. One would usually find the dish associated with Hainanese, Malaysian, Singaporean (it's considered as one of the national dishes of Singapore), Thai and Vietnamese cuisines. Therefore, there are many regional variations of this popular dish, from differences in preparation and cooking styles, to the various condiments and accompaniments served with it. I am, by no means, an expert on Hainanese Chicken Rice, but what I do have are very fond memories of it. Back when I was a toddler living in Hong Kong, my family and I would often have dinner at a homey Thai restaurant near where we lived, and we would always order their Hainanese Chicken Rice. It was one of their signature dishes and it was damn delicious. My Mom made it several times at home, too. Her version was fantastic too, but the dish required a lot of time and effort so it's not something that she would make often. It has been awhile since I've had Hainanese Chicken Rice and I miss it (which reminds me, I remember having a terrible version of it here four years ago).

So, imagine my excitement when I heard about Jackpot Chicken Rice, a restaurant specializing in Hainanese Chicken Rice! Chef Craig Wong of Patois and Jamaican restaurant Ting Irie in Dubai, took over the former Lucky Red space in Chinatown and opened Jackpot Chicken Rice three weeks ago. The restaurant's menu features Hainanese Chicken Rice, Roast Chicken Rice, and Tofu Mushroom Rice, along with several side dishes and add-ons.

A very eye-catching mural of a chubby baby grasping a huge watermelon surrounded by gigantic pink roses just as big as he is.

Colourful colanders lanterns hang from the ceiling.

To my disappointment, Jackpot Chicken Rice (Instagram: @eatjackpot, Facebook: Jackpot Chicken Rice) did not have their liquor license yet when I visited so I couldn't try any of their cocktails (their Chinese Old Fashioned and Hainan Long Island caught my eye). But no worries, they are now licensed :)

KAFFIR BROCCOLI TEMPURA ($5)

The tempura batter was light and not oily. Dressed in a creamy lemon-kewpie mayo then finished with cilantro and lime leaves, everybody at the table really enjoyed this broccoli side dish (this and the Baby Fish Fry are listed under "side dish" on the menu but they are really appetizers since they came before our chicken rice).

ASIAN GREENS ($4)

This was our bok choy add-on. This also came before our chicken rice.

BABY FISH FRY ($6)

I didn't particular like this Baby Fish Fry because the whitebait were all so tiny! I couldn't differentiate the fish from the batter so it seemed like I was eating pieces of fried batter with nori and sesame seeds. I wish the fishes were "meatier" so I could taste it, or even just the texture of it. I enjoyed the kewpie mayo on the side, though.

JACKPOT CHICKEN RICE MEAL ($13.75)

Tender boneless poached chicken, Hainanese-style with schmaltzy chicken rice, ginger-scallion, chilli sauces and winter melon soup. Choice of traditional soft skin, crispy skin or skinless

We got the traditional soft skin version because it's all about the classic. The boneless poached chicken was tender, silky smooth and moist (chef Wong simmers his chickens in a thermal bath flavoured with ginger and scallions). There was not a hint of toughness or dryness. The rice, which was stir fried in chicken fat then steamed in chicken stock, had massive flavour but could have been a tad less "wet" for my taste. The ginger-scallion sauce was a bit salty but for the most part, really good. I wasn't a fan of the soy sauce and the chili sauce combo so I only used it once (they have since got rid of the soy sauce...good call!). I was caught off-guard with the winter melon soup because its flavour was really bold and rich. I am used to winter melon soups that are light and delicate, so although I really enjoyed this one at Jackpot, I think a lighter version to balance out all the savoury flavours happening on the plate would be a better accompaniment here.

TOFU MUSHROOM RICE MEAL ($13.25)

Vegan chilli soy braised tofu with edamame, veggie XO sauce, crispy tofu sheets, shiitake mushroom rice, ginger-scallion and chilli sauces

I normally don't order vegetarian or vegan dishes but since we wanted to order the whole menu we thought "Why not?". This exceeded our expectations, especially the earthy shiitake mushrooms and the tofu sheets (I've never had tofu sheets fried to a crisp like this so I really enjoyed it). The seaweed-broth-infused rice was very flavourful, but the XO sauce was over-the-top salty so I only had very little of it.

SOY SAUCE EGG ($3)

Marinated in soy sauce, these soft and beautiful eggs had the most tender yolk. Yum!

ROAST CHICKEN RICE MEAL ($14.50)

Sambal glazed boneless chicken, roasted in a Chinese BBQ oven, with schmaltzy chicken rice, Thai fish sauce and winter melon soup

Sweet with a slight kick, the sambal glazed chicken was also very tender and moist, and I really liked the skin on the chicken (only possible because Jackpot has their own Chinese BBQ oven in the kitchen). The fish sauce went really well with the roast chicken.

THE TRIPLE SEVEN ($21)

Double the chicken, extra crispy skin & a soy egg with your Jackpot Chicken Rice

I would recommend getting The Triple Seven because it gives you double the chicken and comes with a soy egg. It's totally worth it. The large crispy skin was very crispy but was also very, very salty (some parts were very salty while some parts weren't at all so it's just inconsistent).

KAYA FRENCH TOAST ($4)

Pan-fried kaya french toast served with cubed pineapples (kaya is a type of coconut jam). This dessert had a nice mix of crunch and sweetness to it.

I would go back to Jackpot Chicken Rice in a heartbeat, especially because I still need to try their cocktails. I already know what I will order next time: Cocktails, Tempura Broccoli, The Triple Seven, and the Kaya French Toast.

By the way, I want to end this post with a mini rant. There has been a lot of controversy and backlash lately about traditional dishes being re-interpreted (i.e. the bon appetit video on pho followed by their ode to halo halo). I understand why some people would get pissed off, especially if the dish originates from their home country, but personally, just as long as the chef creating X does not claim that their version of X is "the only way you should eat X" then I couldn't care less. If the end product tastes good, then I'm all for different versions and interpretations of traditional dishes. I'm just not that picky about "authenticity". The only time I would have beef with it is if a restaurant markets themselves as "authentic" but delivers something entirely different, because that's just misleading people.