The best chicken rice I’ve ever had a​​t the risk of hellish parking

Ah, chicken rice, such a simple dish that somehow has all of us in a chokehold. Claiming this chicken rice as one of the best I’ve had, nay, one of the best in the Klang Valley is bold, but I stand by it.

Nestled in the industrial zone of Segambut is Laos Thai 5 to 9 Cuisine. On top of serving authentic Thai cuisine and raw marinated seafood, this restaurant has been going viral for its RM5 chicken rice.

What I tried at Laos Thai 5 to 9 Cuisine

Let me just preface this by saying that regardless of the food quality, this whole area was a parking nightmare and you might risk losing your sanity in search of a spot here. Now that we’ve established that, the moment you enter the restaurant, you’re greeted by the friendliest Thai workers alongside yummy-looking chicken ready to be served.

My only focus was their RM5 chicken rice and turns out, they also had an upsized option for RM12.90. Curious, I took a glance at their extensive menu and to my surprise, the other dishes weren’t as affordable as their chicken rice.

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The restaurant highlighted an extensive selection of Thai food as well as raw, marinated seafood which seems to be all the rage these days. Unfortunately, the dishes were on the pricier side with the Tomyam (RM45) and Raw Marinated Crab (RM128). How could you not go to a Thai restaurant and NOT order Thai Milk Tea (RM7), right? Thankfully, it was creamy, delicious and quenched our thirst.

Thus, we decided to go forth with the chicken rice order, both the RM5 and RM12.90 one. The slightly more expensive chicken rice came with a bigger portion of both rice and chicken. The heavenly smell of the chicken rice was wafting all around the restaurant with most patrons ordering that. 

When the chicken rice arrived at our table, it looked simple but oh, what a sight it was. The steamed chicken was glistening, topped with crispy fried garlic alongside a drizzle of sauce. It was accompanied by a bowl of soup and some sambal (which I immediately asked for more of!).

From my first bite, I was transported to a whole new land of flavours just with the rice. It was fluffy and boasted a strong garlic and soy sauce taste without being overwhelming. The chicken was cooked to perfection with the meat practically falling off the bone.

It was flavoured just right and paired well with the rice and not-so-spicy sambal. Even at just RM5, the portion of the chicken rice was satisfying both in terms of rice and chicken.

We also ordered the Pad Thai (RM16) which I was really curious to try considering the authenticity of the restaurant. The pad thai was yummy albeit a little small in terms of portion size, considering the price. In the usual cases of pad thai, the dish is the perfect combination of spicy, sweet and a welcoming tinge of sour, However, I found this to be a little sweet and did not compare to the slightly spicier pad thai I’ve been accustomed to.

Final thoughts

I would like to reiterate that Laos 5 to 9 Thai Cuisine still serves the best chicken rice I’ve ever had the privilege of trying. Especially for the price of RM5, it deserves a visit from Klang Valley-ians if you’re keen on proving me wrong. However, the parking here is atrocious and in no way passenger princess-friendly.

The Thai food here while definitely authentic, is not justified in terms of price. So, visit the restaurant for life-changing chicken rice… and that’s about it!

Pro tip: Considering the parking and area, visit this restaurant on the weekends instead!

Expected damage: RM5 to RM15 per pax

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