There is frankly very little to say about Ji Kun Cafe. This small restaurant primarily serves one thing. There is a lot to say, however, about restaurants that only do one thing, and excel at that one thing. At Ji Kun, that thing is Hainan chicken rice.
Hainan chicken rice is a dish of humble origins. All the best ones are. It originates from the relatively backwater town of Wenchang, on the tropical island of – you guessed it! – Hainan. But this is the chicken that flew around the world. The dish is now just as popular in Singapore and Malaysia as it is in Hainan itself (if not more so), and various regional interpretations can be found throughout Southeast Asia.
Hainan chicken rice deserves the star treatment. Yet in Beijing, that’s not what it gets. It’s tossed onto hodgepodge menus of pan-China fare. It’s pedaled by budget lunch chains in the basements of city malls. It’s poorly prepared, and then it’s ignored.
But Ji Kun Cafe is changing this. Situated on one of the quieter embassy roads of North Sanlitun – Sanlitun Dongsanjie, by the New Zealand embassy – the shop has been quietly churning out a glistening rendition of Hainan chicken rice since opening earlier this summer. And that’s just about it. Ji Kun serves individual sets of chicken rice (RMB48) alongside a smattering of optional sides. We opt for pickled chicken feet (RMB5); don’t ask why.
Ji Kun’s chicken is just a little bit rubbery and just a little bit slippery – which is just the way we like it. Its soft, wet skin practically shimmers in the light that pours in through the cafe’s wide-set windows. The accompanying rice is thin and airy, yet still flavorful. Dipping sauces possess zest never before seen.
With the entire set coming in at under RMB50, this is one of the best lunch joints in town. And make no mistake – there are many great lunch joints in town. But if you think Beijing is all about pork and lamb, think again. There’s a new meat in town, and it ain’t no spring chicken.
Images by Holly Li
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