« Every Minute Not Wasted | Home | Having Insomnia »
Loy Kee Best Chicken Rice
By Peace | August 27, 2007
This is Loy Kee Best Chicken Rice. It has been here at Woodgrove for several years, but I have not seen it full house before, nor was there any day where people need to stand to wait for seats.
The first time I had eaten at the place was probably the very first year where they had moved here, that was perhaps 1997-1998, too long to remember the exact and details. However, the experience and the feeling was not forgotten. Nice food will always be remembered and will always be craved for.
If you want to compare Loy Kee Best Chicken Rice with a neighbourhood chicken rice that I had come across or among all chicken rice that I had eaten, then I would give it a rating of one star. One star for providing air-conditioned restaurant for comfortable dining, and nothing else.
Years back, the reason for eating there was because it was new. The food was not that cheap. The chicken rice taste ‘unique’ for that instance as it was never eaten before. I never say it taste nice, but “unique”, just like any place have their own cooking style and there is no two cook that have the same taste. For the first time that I had eaten there with Richard, we would not have the feeling that we would come back for more. It is not the best after all. The one at Thomson and the one at Bugis, where there are no air-condition and the roadside shops taste better than this ‘look nice’ restaurant.
All these years, we seldom go back to Loy Kee. There are a few times that we went, but each time, it was still disappointment — no improvement to the food, price and service.
Today, we made the worst choice again, or rather I made the bad choice. Since we were supposed to go St. Anthony Church, I thought we could eat there and walked across to St. Anthony. Richard was not optimistic at all about this idea. He does not like the place at all as the food is not nice. But the reason for me to go there was the food is edible, and I wanted a cool place, in other words, a good place to sit and eat, just to fill the stomach.
Upon entering the restaurant, NO Greetings from the “leisurely Free” waitresses standing around. Even Ricsson knows that. He was fast to say, “never say Welcome”. One of the waitress next laid two menus on the table. Note that I said laid and not give. Four person went and two menus were given. Two to be shared?? I asked for two more menus. The same waitress seem reluctant. It seems that the menus were restricted or limited. Are there so many customers? No, the place was so quiet, so much so that the children, Clara said “Got Echo”. At the time where we went, there were perhaps, only about three other tables that were filled. Finally, each of us have a menu.
I shall not say anything about the menu, though there were. Everything about them have something to say. There are too much to say and I will say what I am most unhappy about.
I tell you, when I enter the restaurant, my spirit was high. I am happy to eat. But inside the restaurant, I suffered ‘heart attack’! I regretted entering Loy Kee. I regretted not listening to Richard. Ricsson said, Best Chicken Rice, but are they the Best Service?
Our first dish to come is a plate of plain rice. Next to come the chicken rice set. Immediately after next is the chicken marcaroni and curry chicken. I thought we can eat already. But next to come next which surprises us was Ice Jelly. I asked the waitress how come the ice jelly was first now? The same waitress again who laid the menu on the table, and ‘leave’ every dishes lying on the table for you to take, said “you never said!” This is common sense I thought. I have never come across any restaurant so far that is ever like that. Swensen, Jack’s Place, Pastamania, Gordon Grill, Crystal Jade, Samsui Women and so on, no restaurant had ever been so rude and no restaurant had ever serve dessert with main course concurrently. If I accept the dessert, by the time the children eat the dessert, there would all be melting ice liquid — no ice at all. I told her,”You never ask? It is common sense also!” The waitress stood there, not even want to take the dessert away. I said,”I want it to be served later.”
I suspect that they would just leave it in their fridge. True enough, by the time when the children had finished eating, I asked for the dessert. It was not as fresh as it was first served. Those were melted ice. I just swallowed my anger. No point demanding much from these people. I told myself, my children and Richard, that would be our last time to Loy Kee, never again. Further down Loy Kee, I can have a cheaper place to eat more delicious Chicken rice and with cheaper price. For enjoying air-condition from there, that is a big price to pay.
When they served food, they were not at all courteous too. Ricsson was not happy with them either. They just walked towards the table and ‘pa’ put the bowl of ice-jelly or macaroni or just any dish in front of you. You would be ‘shock’ if you do not notice them. Not even gentle words like ‘enjoy your meal’ was uttered.
Well, if the service is that bad, perhaps nice food can compromised and cover up this flaws. But nope. The food was very salty. I ate curry chicken. It was ‘tasteless’ curry chicken. Not hot, no peculiar curry taste. Cannot be compared to Rendezvous (Hock Lock Kee) too. In addition, the ice jelly was not that fresh also. The fruits that were accompanied, was not the kind of freshly opened canned cocktails. They were perhaps opened for a few days type of taste.
By the time we left, there were more people in the restaurant. But not half of it was filled. Ricsson said that perhaps these people saw got people inside so they came in, just like any other place. Well, perhaps, why not. Sometimes when we see no one in a shop or restaurant, we would not want to enter, but when there are more people, we joined in. And still there are some people who always think that ‘got people means food is nice’.
In fact, the children also counted the number of tables there. I did not count, cannot be bordered about that. Ricsson told me that there were twenty tables and seven were occupied. Well, for sure we know the reason why from the day they moved into Woodgrove, why their business seems to be always the same or never been better before.
Even when I am writing about this, my heart is aching. As a customers, we are paying so much more than the normal price we are paying and that is what we deserve! In fact, their menu and their bills don’t match too. Their price has definitely been raised probably due to GST increase, but their menus never changed. I am not going to border to ask them over any discrepancy. Just my luck!
I always believe that if you want to do well in anything, you have to treat your customers well. Do not compromise on your food when you want to reap more profits too. This will bring your customers to your competitors who can serve them better. Food which cost more and and taste better is always preferred to food that are cheap but taste nothing special. We want customers that will always come back and not attract ignorant customers that come in to have bad experience! Loy Kee Best Chicken Rice looks nice on the outside. Do not judge a book by its cover.
Today I just blog about my children being so happy at MacDonald. But definitely not here at Loy Kee Best Chicken Rice. I am really surprised that my children really grow up now. They really know what is service all about and how they should be treated. Even Richard also commented on their workers — “so free, chatting all the way.” Imagine, they are so free to chat, so free and yet ‘too busy’ to serve their customers.
Topics: Family, Food, Singapore | 6 Comments »
August 28th, 2007 at 11:35 am
[...] well-known for its Chicken Rice. Where to eat the Best Chicken Rice? Yesterday I had written about Loy Kee Best Chicken Rice at my other blog, PeaceBella.com. Today I search for the main website, Loy Kee Best Chicken Rice [...]
September 24th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
[...] it is not that bad. The most important is the children like the food and it is far better than Loy Kee Best Chicken Rice. Staying for about ten years in Woodlands, I had tried almost all the food in Woodlands. Woodlands [...]
December 22nd, 2007 at 10:57 am
[...] More portion, tastier, better value for money, this chicken rice is always not forgotten. For ten years, I had known the stall and for ten years, my husband and I had been eating them. For eight years or so, Loy Kee does not seem to appeal to us. It may look impress passers-by but will they come again? [...]
December 22nd, 2007 at 11:09 am
[...] well-known for its Chicken Rice. Where to eat the Best Chicken Rice? Yesterday I had written about Loy Kee Best Chicken Rice at my other blog, PeaceBella.com. Today I search for the main website, Loy Kee Best Chicken Rice [...]
June 28th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
I think Sin Swee Kee chicken Rice is a better choice.
July 7th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I went to this one at few times before. The service wasn’t that bad ( I mean it’s not really there in the first place). Food’s all right, but a little too pricey.