Rooster & Rice

Update Review, 2023 Visits

In the time since my original review of Rooster & Rice in early 2022 (below), I've since returned many times to try essentially their entire menu.

I've found some surprise hits - I really enjoy their simple steamed veggies side, the cucumber salad, and even the chicken rice (when I throw it onto my griddle to make it crispy).  But I've also experienced rather high variance in quality between visits, which makes it hard to rely on.

Entrees

The menu at Rooster & Rice really is not very large.  The main entrees are still the basic chicken or tofu/rice/veg plates, although they've tried a few others that didn't seem to last long the menu.  I've tried basically everything, including finally getting to try the pork (that is always sold out). 

The Riceless. Mixed. $15.95.

"Chicken breast or thigh served over seasonal veggies, garnished with cucumber and cilantro. Served with a fresh chili, ginger, garlic, and soybean sauce with a side of chicken broth."

My order was nicely packaged, and garnished with cilantro on top of the generous portion of chicken.  The included sauce came in the packaging, and I was asked if I'd also like hot sauce.  I said yes, and the server offered their housemade habanero or Thai sriracha.  I asked for his recommendation, and he said the habanero, but then gave me both.  

The chicken broth on the side was very rich, sorta oily.  I found it quite heavy, which is not what I'd expect to say about a broth.  I think if you ordered the dish with the rice base, and poured it over that, it would soak in well and not be so rich, but just as a sipping broth, it was too much for me. **+.

The Riceless.

All of the chicken entrees are available with breast only, thigh only, or mixed.  I opted for mixed.  Normally this comes with rice, but, the "riceless" comes over mixed veggies, which are hard to see here, but are under all the chicken.

The chicken was, well, chicken.  Really a substantial portion.  Even if I really liked chicken, I can't imagine eating all of this in one sitting.  It was just poached, and so very bland, although reasonably moist.  The included sauce, and broth, were needed to jazz it up in any way.  I liked the thigh a bit more, as it had a little flavor.

Under the chicken was the veggies, the same as I'd had on the side before, a mix of carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli, all reasonably well cooked, not to mushy.  Just steamed, so also fairly bland, quite healthy, and benefited from the sauce too.

The cucumber was freshly sliced, not mushy nor slimy, crisp and refreshing. My brain still doesn't quite know how to think of warm veggies and warm chicken and then random cucumber together as a cohesive dish, but I know this is a thing.

Overall, bland, healthy, and exactly what I expected.  *** chicken, ****+ veggies.  

The Vegetarian. $15.95.

"Organic tofu served with brown rice and veggies. Served with a fresh chili, ginger, garlic and soybean sauce and a side of vegetarian broth."

Another visit, another attempt to get the pork, but alas, they were sold out. I settled for the vegetarian again, even though I hadn't really liked it before (but it was better than chicken).

The brown rice portion was generous, the rice moist, not clumped together, very clean and healthy tasting.  Not really what I like, but, decent rice.

The tofu was as bland and boring as can be, but it had a good bounce to it, and seemed fresh.

The veggies were just steamed, not mushy, and my favorite part.  The mix was primarily broccoli, with a few cauliflower and carrots.  They were quite tasty with the included sauce.  There was also sliced fresh cucumber hiding under here, for a bit of crispness.

I liked the vegetarian broth considerably more than the chicken broth that always felt a bit heavy and greasy.   It was warm and comforting, nicely salty.  

Overall, this was all well prepared, and very healthy, just, bland and plain.  The sauce definitely added the necessary umami, and I also added plenty of their housemade Thai sriracha.  For healthy eaters, I think this is a nice meal, for me, it is a bit too ho-hum, but I do quite like the veggies.  ***.

Khao Ka Moo. $14.95.

"Pork braised in a soy marinade with steamed Chinese broccoli, a soft boiled egg, and a side of chili vinegar sauce, over jasmine chicken rice. Served with a side of chicken broth soup."

I finally got the pork entree!!!  After ... 8? visits, they finally had it.  It has been sold out every other time I have visited.  I was thrilled to finally get to try it, although it seemed to take much longer to prepare than my previous meals.  

I knew to expect pork instead of chicken (or tofu) but I didn't realize that the dish was really quite different in all other ways too - different rice (this one uses regular white jasmine instead of brown), different veggies (gai lan or something similar rather than broccoli/cauliflower/carrot or fresh cucumber), different sauce (spicy thai chili sauce!), and a different style of egg (a jammy soy marinaded egg rather than poached).  The only part that was like the other entrees is the side of chicken broth.

This was far more successful for me than the other entrees.  The base, simple white jasmine rice, was well cooked.  Moist, no clumps.  I know the brown rice is a healthier choice, but, I liked this more (but I'm not a rice person generally, unless fried or in rice pudding!).  It was a generous portion. ***.

Speaking of a generous portion, the pork!  Soooo much pork.  I was able to make two meals out of this.  The pork was mostly quite tender, although had a few chewy bits.  Cooked well, medium, no pink.  The preparation style is one that doesn't really render the fat though, so the pieces with fat were a bit slimy (I threw it in my toaster oven at home, and that worked well to crisp it up for my second serving).  ***+.

I really liked the juicy vibrant Chinese broccoli.  The portion was appropriate, but I would gladly take more.  It was healthy, fresh, succulent, and just really good.  It would be great to see that offered as an option with other dishes (or as a side, like the other mixed vegetables).  I dunked it in the ginger/garlic/soy sauce (not included with this dish), and loved it.  ****.

The egg had a lovely jammy yolk, although it didn't look great ... someone clearly struggled peeling it.  The half on the bottom left was pretty mangled and missing entire chunks (see photo).  I didn't taste the soy marinade, but I could see it.  ***+.

And finally, the spicy chili sauce, which was different from any of the sauces previously offered.  This had real heat to it!  I liked it, but I also used some of the soy/ginger sauce with my meal too to add a bit more complex flavor.  ***.

Overall, a good dish, well prepared, extremely generous portion, and great value for the price.  I'd gladly get it again, although I'd ask for the veggie broth, since I don't care for the heavier chicken broth.

Khao Ka Moo. $14.95.

"Pork braised in a soy marinade with steamed Chinese broccoli, a soft boiled egg, and a side of chili vinegar sauce, over jasmine chicken rice. Served with a side of chicken broth soup."

Another successful visit with the pork actually available.  The cashier wasn't sure if they had it that day, clearly not a top seller, but, I was pleased they did.  Again my order took longer, which I attribute to ordering this dish.

It wasn't quite the same as my previous order.  The egg was fully cooked, not jammy inside, and not marinated, just a regular hard boiled egg.  That was a slight let down, as I did like the marinade and slightly jammy yolk before.  The pork was all much darker meat.

But it was all still quite tasty.  The rice was far above average, particularly for me as someone who doesn't really eat much rice (in non-dessert form).  I liked that it was lightly al dente, and reminded me of sticky rice even though not really truly sticky rice.  Very aromatic and flavorful.  The pork was tender.  I really liked the simple greens, and flavorful chili vinegar sauce.

I forgot my own advice to get the veggie broth instead of chicken broth, so that didn't work out as I just don't care for the chicken broth.

***.

Chicken Salad Sando. $9.25.

"Ciabatta from Acme Bread, Shredded Organic Chicken, Celery, Cilantro, Kewpie Mayo".

A brand new item!  I was drawn in by the chance to try something new, only offered at two of their stores as a test, even though I don't really care for chicken, nor sandwiches.  I do love Acme bread, and I knew this used Acme bread.  The label said "Sweet petite roll", but actually, it uses the Sweet Deli Roll (Ciabatta roll).  The label also did not mention carrot, which was inside.

It came packaged up nicely, but I do wonder if they were made in advance, as the label also had a "use by" date on it (that was two days in the future).

Chicken Salad Sando. $9.25.

As I mentioned, the label said "Sweet petite roll", but actually, it uses the Acme Bread Sweet Deli Roll (Ciabatta roll).  This is a rustic style roll, with a bit of flour dusting on the outside.  

The bread was a bit soft, rather than crispy, on the outside, as it normally is when I buy it fresh from Acme, and didn't taste particularly fresh.  Not stale exactly, but, the softness threw me off.  I think the sandwich may have been pre-made and refrigerated?  That might explain it.  Acme bread usually shines more than this.

Chicken Salad Sando: Inside.

"Ciabatta from Acme Bread, Shredded Organic Chicken, Celery, Cilantro, Kewpie Mayo".

Inside was the chicken salad filling, made with what seemed to be mostly white meat.  The chicken was a bit chewy, which was a little odd.  The mix had a great amount of herbs, and was super creamy, heavy in the mayo, but I loved that.  They use Japanese Kewpie mayo, and you could really taste the difference.  That mayo is just so so good.  There was also four slices of rather soggy cucumber (another indicator that maybe this was pre-made?) and shredded (I think pickled?) carrot.  The carrot added a nice crunch, but was absent from the ingredient label on the sandwich.

The Kewpie mayo was the star here, and I really loved it.  I think the sandwich could be improved with perhaps some fresh lettuce to add a bit of juiciness and cut the heavy carbs/mayo, or perhaps tomato or just more cucumber.

****+ mayo, but everything else eh **.

Hat Yai Fried Chicken. $14.95.

Rooster & Rice added this as a new dish in June, replacing the pork dish: fried chicken.  This was not prepared fresh, rather, it was taken from the grab n go area at the counter.  I would not have ordered it if I had known it would not be fresh ... fried chicken really doesn't do well sitting in a container like that.  It was lukewarm at best.  

The chicken was soggy, not crispy.  The skin was greasy and shriveled, and pretty dark, approaching over cooked.  The chicken rice with it was good, although it too was barely warm, and the crispy fried onion garnish was soggy.  This also seems to be the only entree that doesn't include a vegetable component (the chicken rice has fresh cucumber, the pork dish had steamed asian greens, etc), which made it feel a bit incomplete.  

I enjoyed the rice, but did not care to finish the chicken.  I think this dish has potential, but it needs to be fresher, and the price was too high for just rice and two pieces of chicken.

**.

Sides

The sides are my favorite part of the Rooster & Rice menu, although they too are not extensive.  

Spicy Cucumber Salad. $3.95.
(Seasonal)

The cucumber salad was just as spicy as I was hoping it would be, and the cucumbers, although marinated in sauce, were not too soggy nor mushy, indicating that it hadn't been sitting around too long.  I found it quite refreshing, and loved the heat.  Garnished with kinda too much cilantro this time.  ***+.

Spicy Cucumber Salad. $3.95.

When I got it again a few weeks later, it looked pretty radically different.  No cilantro garnish, and far far more red pepper paste.  It was spicier, but also mushier.  Good, but a bit different, and didn't give off the same "fresh" appearance.  Note that this was a different location, so perhaps that is the cause of variance.  ***.

Spicy Cucumber Salad. $3.95.

A few weeks later, and it looked much like the previous time - TONS of red pepper paste, no cilantro.  I really liked how spicy it was, and yet, refreshing too.  Not too mushy this time, and it actually held up fine a few days (I got extra for lunch the next day). I like to throw this on top of salads. ****.

Spicy Cucumber Salad. $3.95.

Another visit, and ... back to a version much like my first time.

I think the different locations make the spicy cucumber salad differently.  I was back at the Kearny Street location this time, and ... loaded up with cilantro garnish, and significantly less red pepper paste.  I didn't like the cilantro, and certainly prefer it spicier.  This was fine, still flavorful, the cucumber still juicy, but the other versions are much better. ***.

Spicy Cucumber Salad. $3.95.

I often love the spicy cucumber salad from Rooster & Rice, but this batch was less good that previous visits.  In particular, it was very soft and mushy. It was also more watery, less spicy, and had a lot of cucumber seeds. I suspect it had been made further back in the past.  As always with this location, it had no additional garnish (the Fidi location garnishes with an herb).

**+.

Spicy Cucumber Salad. $3.95.

Nice and fresh this time, lightly crisp, good amount of spice.  No garnish.  ***+.

Spicy Cucumber Salad.

This batch of cucumber salad was less successful.  It did not look very fresh, with lots of residue around the edges as if it had been sitting in the container a long time.  It was not garnished with an herb on top as they sometimes do to make it more attractive.  Each container was only half full, a smaller portion than usual.  The taste was good, but the cucumber seemed soggier than usual.  This was a letdown, and not up to the quality standards it usually is.  Fair rating all around.

***.

Veggies Side. $2.95.

I knew what to expect from the veggies, as I'd ordered them before, and knew they'd be perhaps boring, but, were exactly what I wanted.  The veggies were exactly what my body needed after an indulgent holiday season.  Simple steamed veggies, no oils, no heaviness, just, healthy veggies.  

My mix was well distributed between carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.  The veggies were nicely cooked, none mushy.  These were clearly fresh and vibrant veggies, not pale elementary school cafeteria mushy veggies.  There is nothing I would improve here, besides to suggest some cabbage in the mix.  ****.

Veggies Side. $2.95.

The next time I got the veggies, the mix was dominated by broccoli, with less of the cauliflower and carrots than previous times.  Given that the steamed broccoli is my favorite part, this was not an issue for me.

The veggies were again well cooked, not too soft, nice and vibrant.  They are just steamed veggies, but, good ones.  ****.

Veggie Side. $2.95.

This batch of veggies was a good mix of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.  Still slightly more broccoli than other vegetables, but that is my favorite part anyway, so I didn't mind.  The veggies were a little softer than normal, I prefer more al dente.  The broccoli also had a lot of black spots on the stems.  I'm not sure what it was, as more than half the pieces were like that.  It looked, well, old and rotten, and I hope it wasn't.  Since the veggies are just plain and steamed though, I'm not sure what it could have been there is no sauce included here.

By far the least good version of veggies I've had from Rooster & Rice.  **+.

Veggie Side. $2.95.

Another order, another batch of veggies.  The extra steamed veggies were great - more broccoli than other veggies, and only one piece of carrot in each container, but the broccoli is my favorite, so this was a great match for me.  The veggies were cooked exactly as I like them, not too soft and mushy, lightly al dente.  Highlight of the meal, and something I order every time.  ****.

Veggie Side. $2.95.

Well, usually the mix is broccoli dominant, but this time, it was entirely broccoli.  Both orders of it.  The broccoli was good though, as usual, nicely al dente, not soft and mushy. It seemed fresh, no brown spots.  Good broccoli, but I did wish for a least a little of the usual cauliflower/carrots.  ***+.

Veggie Side.

The side of steamed veggies was fresh and vibrant looking.  The veggies were served hot.  The mix was broccoli and cauliflower this time (no carrot, which is sometimes included), and both were perfectly cooked, lightly al dente.  The container was full. This continues to be a favorite for me.  ****.

Side Egg. $2.
(No Maggi sauce).

I asked for my egg without the Maggi sauce, as I hadn't liked it on my last visit.  I wish I had acquired the taste for Maggi sauce, but alas, I haven't, and prefer it plain.  My request was easily accommodated, noted on my receipt, and properly done.  The egg was a textbook sous vide egg, perfectly runny yolk, well set whites.  Again, simple, but executed correctly.  The fact that it fits perfectly into a little condiment container makes it look rather charming.

It is still just an American egg, which I never find as flavorful as those in other countries, but, this was nicely done.  ***+.

Side Egg (No Sauce). $2 each.

The eggs were also different my next visit.  No "egg" label as they had before.  I again asked for no Maggi sauce, and that was easily accommodated.  The egg had a lot of bits of white all around, and looked rather messy.  It was nicely poached and runny inside, but, just didn't look very appealing. ***.

Side Egg (No Sauce). $2 each.

Same same.  Just like my last visit, no "egg" label, and easy to get without the Maggi sauce.  And just like my last visit, lots of egg white bits all around, making them a bit slimy. But nicely poached.  ***.

Side Egg (no sauce) $2.

I again got my egg without the sauce, and it again came with lots of egg white bits all over the place.  Otherwise nicely poached, but, so much bits.  ***.

Fried Chicken Skins. $5.

It had been a while since I last got the fried chicken skins.  While I didn't love them before, I *wanted* to love them, and thus wanted to give them another try.

They were well fried, crispy, and a nice assortment of twisted shapes and sizes.  Greasy, oily, and heavy, and made me feel pretty gross after eating several at a time.  They really aren't like regular chips where you can just eat a bag full, these are best as a garnish, not a real side.  I suspect they'd be good crumbled on top of things too, like crispy fried onions, just for a little crunch.

I don't think I'll get these again.  **+.

KMG Sauce. $1.95.
Habanero Sauce, Thai Sriracha (Complimentary).

I've grown quite fond of the Rooster & Rice sauces.

The KMG sauce I use on whatever veggies I have on hand, the I love to drunk raw baby carrots in the Thai sriracha.  ***+.

Dessert

I somehow hadn't tried the single dessert (mango pudding) from Rooster & Rice before, even though I'm such a dessert girl, and pudding fan in general.  They were sold out of it the prior few times I had visited, in multiple locations, so it had been elusive to me until now.  

Mango Pudding. $5.95.

I was thrilled to finally be able to order the mango pudding, 

I wasn't quite sure what to expect, as mango pudding can take different styles, such as what you find in most Thai restaurants that is fresh mango with coconut milk sticky rice, or more like Chinese dim sum style where it is a more thickly set gelatin that is mango flavored.  This was something else entirely, and was a mixed bag for me.

The base of the cup, about 65% of the volume, was the mango pudding element.  This was a well set gelatin based pudding, in the style of a panna cotta.  It had lovely mango flavor, really quite fruity, and it didn't taste fake, nor sickly sweet.  But the texture was quite odd - it looked smooth, but it wasn't, and rather, it was quite grainy.  I loved the mango flavor, but I couldn't get past the texture.  It seemed like it had just not set properly, or had curdled, or something.  It was fairly off putting. **.

On top was a rice pudding layer, another 25% of the cup, and this was great.  Very creamy, grains of rice well cooked, soft but not mush.  It was lightly sweetened, and honestly, I would have been thrilled with just a cup of that rice pudding.  It was quite good. ****.

And finally, a strawberry compote.  This was quite unexpected.  I liked that it had bits of seeds in it, and soft hunks of fruit, along with some more reduced down goo.  Very strong fruity flavor, and it went really well with the rice pudding.  It was very very sweet however, and a little went a long way.  ***+. 

Menu item suggestion?  Offer rice pudding!  With strawberry compote on top.  I'd buy it in a heartbeat.  But the mango pudding itself was a fail for me, and I'm not sure if something was wrong with this batch, or if it is just a style that doesn't appeal to me.

Update: I got this another time, and this time, the mango pudding was smooth and not grainy.  Still a set panna cotta style, not a creamy pudding, but the texture was considerably better.  It was still nicely fruity.  I topped it with fresh kiwi and whipped cream too, and enjoyed it.  ***+.

Mango Pudding. $5.95.

A few weeks later, I tried again, from the other location.

I saw the staff member prepare this, fetching a container of mango pudding from the fridge behind the counter, and then adding Kozy Shack brand rice pudding on top (!).  I was fairly disappointed that they didn't make their own rice pudding, but, I'll admit, it was creamy and the right level of sweet and enjoyable.  

I again really like the fruit component on top too.  

The mango pudding itself had a film on top, that was a bit off-putting, but the mango flavor was great. 

Overall, I did like the toppings, but those are definitely not made in house, and $5.95 for this was a bit steep.  ***.

Mango Pudding. $5.95.

What can I say, even if I don't love the dessert, if it is the only one on the menu, I keep getting it.

It was much like the previous times.  The mango pudding had a skin-like top, that I've come to expect, and no longer mind.  The mango pudding had great mango flavor, but not particularly smooth consistency.  And on top, yup, Kozy Shack rice pudding (that isn't bad!) and delicious sweet berry compote.  I add my own whipped cream and fresh fruit, and quite enjoy it.  I appreciated the generous amount of berry on this one.

The price still seems high for not a particularly fancy item, but, I still got it, so obviously the price isn't that bad. ***.

Mango Pudding. $5.95.

This batch wasn't quite as good, the mango pudding really had a very grainy texture, and mango flavor wasn't great.  The rice pudding was as expected from Kozy Shack, and the berry stuff was good, but this just didn't seem very fresh.

**+.

Mango Pudding.  $5.95.

At first glance, this didn't look like a very good version of the mango pudding, as it was quite watery on top, but it actually may have been the best version I've had thus far from Rooster & Rice.

The mango pudding still was a thick set pudding, so not smooth and creamy, but, it wasn't as grainy as past times.  Mango flavor was good.  The rice pudding on top was standard Kozy Shack, and I adored the sweet fruity strawberries.  I'm not sure what made it so watery on top, but it wasn't really a problem.  

I added whipped cream and truly enjoyed this one.  ***+.

Original Review, October 2022

Rooster & Rice is a small chain of fast-casual Thai restaurants, with locations in California and Texas.  While I do like Thai food, and often lament the lack of what I consider great Thai food in San Francisco, Rooster & Rice is still a bit of an odd destination for me. You see, as the name implies, the concept focuses nearly entirely on, well, chicken and rice.  Two ingredients you frequently see me mention as things I don't particularly care for (although rice in desserts I'm totally on board with).  Rooster & Rice specializes in a single, particular dish: khao mun gai, basically, Thai chicken rice.

Not only is the focus on items I'm not a huge fan of, the aforementioned chicken and rice, the concept is also simple, healthy clean, cuisine.  If you know me, you know that those aren't really what I aim for.  That said, of course I do like to nourish my body well from time to time, and I was drawn in by the accolades for the sauces (ok, now we are talking!) and the fact that even though the concept sounds so, frankly, boring, it does get very strong Yelp reviews.

And thus, I set out, not once, but twice, to Rooster & Rice.

Setting

Rooster & Rice has several locations in San Francisco, I visited two of them, the ones nearest to my house.  Both have similar interior design, but one seemed more modern.

Soma / 2nd Street Location.

The first store I visited was the Soma location, on 2nd Street, inside an office park.  This one is only open during the week, and closes fairly early in the evenings, clearly catering to the office crowd.

The storefront was well marked, and the courtyard outside was clean.

2nd Street Dining.

Inside is a communal table with 3 chairs and 3 stools, and some benches along the side.  None looked particularly comfortable for sitting.  Clearly, most people take their food to go (likely back to their desks, out to the courtyard on a nice day, or, home at the end of the day).  The tables and inside were glistening clean, and it was clear the place is well maintained, with succulents on the table as a nice homey touch.

2nd Street Menu.

The digital menu board clearly lists the standard menu, add-ons, and specials.  The staff member also let me know that the ordering kiosks had photos available of the dishes, which helped as well.  You could order in person at the front, or via the kiosk.

Craft Tea/Lemonade.

I didn't get any of them, but the store had self-serve fancy ice teas and lemonades, along with a soda dispenser with a local brand of assorted sodas.  The other location only had bottled beverages.

Kearny Street Storefront.

The Kearny Street store is located right along busy Kearny Street, no outdoor seating here.

Kearny Street Dining.

Inside has more seating than the smaller 2nd Street location, with lots of little tables for 2-4, with a bench along the wall, and chairs placed orderly on the other side.

The store has a similar industrial feel with concrete floor, and vibrant street art inspired mural.  The music playing was hard rock, which kinda matched the decor well, although it wasn't really the most pleasant waiting/dining music.

Kearny Street Menu.

This store has a fixed chalkboard menu with only the basics on it, unlike the digital one at 2nd Street.  Some specials were on signs on the counter, but others, that were available, I didn't see signs for anywhere, but when I asked about them, I was told they were available.

Food

The concept at Rooster & Rice is fairly simple and basic.  Clean healthy food.  Mostly rice and chicken.  As in, there are essentially three options: chicken breast and thigh, just chicken breast, or tofu.  Served with or without rice.  Those are the entrees.  Some locations have an additional side or two.  I knew not to expect to be wowed by any of it. 

Bag.

My order was ready at the 2nd Street location within 4 minutes of placing the order.  I don't think anything was made fresh, just, assembled in the kitchen area off to the side.  It was all nicely packaged, and served warm enough.  It came in a branded bag.

Interestingly, my order from Kearny Street came in a plain, unbranded, bag.  It also took longer to be prepared.

The Vegetarian. $14.95.

"Organic tofu, purple rice berry, cucumber, cilantro, seasonal veggies, KMG sauce, and a side of vegetarian broth."

Since I don't like chicken, there was exactly one other entree available, dubbed "The Vegetarian".  Rather than chicken, it had tofu, rather than chicken rice, it had purple rice (or plain jasmine at some locations), and it had some additional veggies.

The dish was very bland looking - lots of white tofu, white cauliflower, and then green broccoli, cucumbers, and a bit of parsley garnish.  It didn't look bad, it looked fresh and healthy, but definitely not all that vibrant.  It wasn't the kind of dish that is made for Instagram.

The base of the dish was purple rice, a very generous portion.  The rice was well prepared, it had a nice chew, no clumps stuck together.  It didn't seem to have much flavor, but the purple rice was a bit more interesting than regular white rice.  Equally generous was the tofu.  Really, tons of tofu.  Triangle shaped pieces, slippery soft tofu.  It seemed reasonable quality, tasted soy-like.  Like the rice, fairly bland.  And really, it is just tofu.  Not sure how exciting non-fried, not seasoned tofu can be.

The other side of the container housed the veggies.  There was mostly cauliflower, but also a few smaller bits of broccoli, and one single slice of carrot.  The veggies seemed like they were just steamed, again, lacking any real flavor, but were well prepared, not mushy, slight bite to them.  Finally, a few slices of fresh cucumber, and a sprig of parsley completed the bowl.  The cucumber felt a bit odd alongside the warm cooked veggies.

Without any sauces, this was a very, very bland, but healthy, dish.  I liked the veggies, and did actually end up using some of the rice with leftover curry I had at home, but, I certainly wouldn't get this again.  At $14.95 it felt a bit pricey as well, given that I think it was just assembled, but not cooked, to order, and didn't use any real cooking skill.  ***, but, a very very boring ***.

Vegetarian Broth (included).

Since I had the vegetarian dish, it came with vegetarian broth rather than the chicken broth the others come with.

The veggie broth was also fairly bland, although salty at least.  I wished I had subbed in the chicken broth instead, as I'm not vegetarian.  I suspect it would have been more flavorful.  It was nice to have the warm broth to pour over the bowl though, adding some moisture.

**+.

Seasonal: Bowl Khao Tom Gai. $7.95.

"Chicken Rice Congee w/Egg."

My second visit, since I wasn't really all that into the vegetarian entree, and still didn't want chicken, I opted for what I think was considered a side, a seasonal offering of chicken congee.  While I knew this would still have chicken, it would be minimal, compared to the chicken entree that is literally just a big pile of chicken.  Plus, even though I don't like rice outside of desserts usually, I really do love congee.  That said, I normally have it when I'm traveling, I'm horribly jetlagged, and at a breakfast buffet that has an Asian setup with it (and, critical piece, toppings galore).  I was very curious what I'd think of it outside of that context, and with far less embellishments.  It does normally come with the egg and crispy chicken skin bits on top, but I asked for them on the side so I could heat it up better at home, and not have the crispy bits get soggy.  This was easily accommodated.

The congee was, well, congee.  Totally and completely comfort food.  The rice wasn't too soft, and the porridge was incredibly aromatic and flavorful.  It was served warm, but not hot.  The chicken was shredded and a minimal component, which, given that I don't care all that much for chicken, was a good thing.  It was more of an accent than the main attraction.  There were generous herbs on top as well.  The crispy chicken skins added a lovely crunch.

This really did eat well, and felt quite nourishing.  It was easy to jazz up with sauces, but if you are in the mood for something simple, or perhaps aren't feeling well, I think it was really pretty good just as it was.  Yes, of course, I'd like to have fried dough bits, fresh bean sprouts, fried garlic, etc to throw on, but, that wasn't necessary.

If I was in the mood for this, I'd get it again.  ***.

Sauces: Ginger Scallion, Thai Sriracha, Habanero, KMG. $1.95 each.

The sauces are where Rooster & Rice clearly shines, and I opted for all of them, given the rave reviews.    

The Thai sriracha seemed like any other sriracha.  I'm not really sure what was special about it.  That said, sriracha is a good thing, and I gladly used it later at home on other things.  The habanero hot sauce was a bit more spicy, it certainly had some kick.  

The included sauce, "KMG", was quite flavorful, and I'm not sure what KMG stands for, but it seemed to be a soy sauce of sorts, with chunks of soybean in it too.  A savory, salty sauce.  It definitely helped add flavor to the bowl.

The Ginger Scallion Sauce, is their newest addition.  It was a bit more fresh tasting and vibrant, although I didn't taste ginger quite as strong as I expected.

All together they definitely helped jazz up the bowl, and I gladly kept and used the leftovers for other purposes.  That said, none of these are sauces I'd go out of my way for, they weren't that memorable. ***.

My vegetarian bowl came with their signature KMG sauce by default, but you can sub any other sauce in instead, or, as I did, get them all for $1.95 each.  They also sell bottles of these to take home.

Crispy Chicken Skins.  $5.

And finally, the chicken skins!  Basically the only not healthy thing you can get at Rooster & Rice, and only available at some locations.

A friend had told me about these, and I'm glad I added them on.  They were crunchy, fried, horrible for you, and definitely packed with flavor.  They reminded me a bit of salted egg fish skins that I loved in Singapore, although they didn't have any of those components.  They were great to crumble on top for texture and flavor, but also just to munch on, although they were clearly not a light item and only a few at a time was necessary.

$5 for the fairly large side portion was quite reasonable.  These I'd get again, but wouldn't go out of my way for.  ***.  

Crispy Chicken Skins #2. $5.

I got the chicken skins at the other location as well, and they came packaged differently, in a more narrow, but taller, container. They were more fried tasting, more oily, darker.  Still good, but I think I preferred the first ones, and I think the portions were about the same, even though the containers were different. **+.

Egg. $2.

"Sous vide Egg w/ splash of maggi sauce."

I added on a side of egg, intentionally asking for it on the side rather than in the bowl, which was easily accommodated.  It looked pretty perfect, with a little drizzle of maggi sauce around it.

The maggi sauce added an umami and salty element, which was nice, but it is certainly a flavor you need to like.  The egg was nicely poached, but, I know this sounds odd, I didn't care for the taste of the egg itself.  I rarely like eggs in the US though, they really just don't taste as good to me as in other countries, so this wasn't a big surprise.  Kudos to them on proper poaching and not breaking the egg when packaging, but I wouldn't get another. **+.

Seasonal Side: Spicy Cucumber Salad. $3.95.

"Gochujang, onion, red peper flake."

Rooster & Rice doesn't normally have any sides, other than the fried chicken skins, but seasonally (fall?) they added spicy cucumber salad to the menu.  I got it to go along with my khao tom gai, thinking a spicy side would be great alongside the very simple savory bland porridge.

The cucumber was sliced in halves, thin slices.  It wasn't nearly as fresh and crisp as the cucumber that came in the bowl, and was fairly soggy/mushy really, I suspect as it had been made earlier in the day (or even the previous day?).  I did like the heat that came on the finish from the gochujang, but the mushy nature was just a bit too off putting.  I think if it was fresher, I would have liked it considerably more.  I never found the onion the menu listed, although it did have a piece of cilantro on top.

*** flavor, but **+ because of how mushy it was.

Side: Veggies. $2.95.

My second visit, I also opted for just a side of veggies to go with my khao tom gai.  The veggies were the same as I had in my vegetarian bowl from the other location, although with more carrots this time, and bigger pieces of broccoli.  The veggies were simply steamed, not too mushy, and healthy and fresh tasting.  They were nice to have alongside my porridge.

***+.