Good Eat at Tan's Kitchen The Claypot & Chicken Rice, Denpasar

Located right beside our favorite Ayam Presto Genteng Biru, a new Chinese food restaurant was opened. What catches my intention are two things; first is that they looks like specializing in the more sophisticated kind of Chinese food; the barbecue dishes, and the second is that they claimed to apply halal standard!

Now two of them standing alone meant nothing special, since there's a lot of Chinese restaurant that specializing in BBQ dishes in Denpasar alone; but to find one with halal standard, now that's a rare gem. And as it's been a while since I had a good plate of Hainan Chicken Rice, so it was set into our family schedule that the new restaurant is our next aim for a try out.

View to the open kitchen at the front

And so we did stick to that schedule since on last Friday after office, me, my wife, and kid (the usual gang) manage to drop by the "Tan's Kitchen The Claypot & Chicken Rice" at Genteng Biru shopping malls, right after the rain stopped pouring. Wife was tempted to go next door instead (her fave), but understanding that her husband was longing for a good plate of Hainan Chicken Rice so she willingfully enters the premise where you can see the hanged duck and chicken right up front where the open kitchen is.

After inquiring the waiter about their specialty, I set my choice on Nasi Ayam Rebus (20K), which is a combination of Boiled Chicken a la Tan's Kitchen, and plain rice. I changed the plain rice to the Hainam rice however, since those two are like twin siblings that should never be separated.

I was tempted though to try their Peking Duck (35K a quarter, 138K whole), and I was also curious about their Ayam Panggang Wijen (sesame roasted chicken - 36K a half, 70K whole). However, a simple cooked dish like boiled chicken in this case, is a good indication of the chef's skill, and the premise's overall quality.


The more cautious wife on the other hand, set her choice on the Claypot Rice with chicken, cooked in black pepper sauce (20K).

Another nice surprise was encountered when we read the drink list; a free refill ice tea! At 4K for either sweetened or plain ice tea, I think this is one important feature to notice.

The chef was quick in preparing our orders, and without long waiting, the first dish arrived; it was my order of the Nasi Ayam Rebus. Tearing the chicken meat apart and scoop some of the brownish liquid with it, my mind set a high expectation on the pale looking meat, hoping it to closely match the one that Ria's mom once made for us a while ago in Jakarta...

Ayam Rebus Tan's Kitchen

And it's a hit! Not a bullseye but close; best one I've tasted in a while, and certainly better than most of the similar dish I tasted on my earlier years of food adventure in Jakarta.

The taste penetrates deep into the meat, while the oily brownish sauce provides rich sweetish counterpart that matches the meat's juiciness. I love this food! The complimentary savoury soy sauce with chilli, and the sour hot pickle sauce also goes well to compliment the dish.

As for my wife, though the boiled chicken closely resembles Ayam Pop widely served in Padangnese restaurants, she reserve her opinion to only "OK" but it's an achievement nonetheless since about 80% of meat she tasted falls into the category of either too gamey or too meaty. Hence why I dubbed her "The Picky Eater".

Claypot Daging Ayam in Black Pepper Sauce

The claypot rice came in sizzling and steamy, and it stays hot even until I finished my meal and wife finished feeding our kid with it; as he likes this hot claypot rice better than the rich succulent hainam rice.

The taste on the other hand, is good. Wife wouldn't mind having it again, next time we visit this place. Will there be next? Oh surely from my epicurean background, and surprisingly from the picky eaters side too! As it turned out, Tan's Kitchen is among the rare place which both me and my wife eager to return back to. Especially after this other dish below, which my wife requested out of curiosity, and thinking that she's still hungry after sharing her meal with our kid.

Udang Kupas Goreng Saus Mayo & Wasabi

It's a skin peeled shrimp, dip into a flour batter then deep fried and served in thick sauce of wasabi infused mayonaise. It keeps a surprisingly crisp and crunchy layer of batter blanketing the shrimps behind the sweet creamy "greeny" taste of wasabi infused mayonaise. At 24K a portion (enough for two) it's a worthy dish to try.

And after glasses of free refill ice tea, we finally succumbed to the special juice mix of the day which is a combination of chai sim and pineapple; an unusual combo but it was okay.

Jus Sawi dan Nanas

And so, all that we can say to summarize the diner was splendid! I got to taste again the simple yet delighting Nasi Ayam Hainam with boiled chicken, wife are pleased with the eating experience she had, I also delighted to find out that they receives both ATM BCA and Visa, offering much choice to choose from, with decent prices and good food.

Will be back? For sure.

Tan's Kitchen The Claypot & Chicken Rice
Jl. Diponegoro No. B26, Denpasar - Bali
Tel. (0361) 3686 022

Ad if you are wondering about delivery order, then yes; they offer FREE delivery service to limited location (as far as Sanur at least), for minimum of two dishes ordering. And here's a snapshot of what they currently offers:

Tan's Kitchen menu per March 2011, click image to enlarge