Tea Garden (Aeon Mall Bukit Indah)

Review Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Recommended)

Address: LOT F18, Aeon Bukit Indah Shopping Centre, Johor Bahru, 81200 Johor Bahru, Johor Darul Ta'zim, Malaysia (Located within Aeon Mall Bukit Indah)
Google Map Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/64NDpPb52C65XVTV9
(Please refer to the Timings provided in the Google Map Link for the Operating Hours.)

☕ 555 Pure White Coffee O (Ice, No Sugar) = RM7.10
🐔 819B Hainanese Chicken Rice Ball = RM17.90
Service Charge 6% = RM1.50
Service Tax 6% = RM1.50

Click here for the Full Menu and Receipt 
(Opens in a New Tab, Price is accurate as of Posting Date)

Tea Garden is a Popular Modern Kopitiam Franchise that is a Mainstay in many Malls in JB. I've visited one of their Sub-Branch called 古 Kuu By Tea Garden in Aeon Mall Tebrau City before. 👍 Its a Large Eatery, Cleanly Maintained and Nicely Furnished. Staffs are Friendly, Polite and Mostly keep to themselves. 👍

One of the Most Popular Eateries in the Mall, it is Crowded with Customers most of the time even on Weekdays when I went. 😳 No Kidding, even on Weekdays it can be Full-House during Meal-Hours as I observed. 😳 I only managed to visit this during a Off-Lunch Hour at 3.00pm.

Ordering of Food is via QR Code and although it needs a Malaysian Phone Number to proceed, you can just put any random number instead and pay at the Counter. Not as Strict as Jibril in Larkin as I visited previously. 😅

Both Items I ordered are listed under their Top 15 Signatures. It took 3 Mins for the Kopi, and 9 Mins for the Chicken Rice. Total it took 9 Mins for Everything to be Served up.

☕ 555 Pure White Coffee O (Ice, No Sugar) = RM7.10

Served in a Big Cup with a Frothy Top, Wow this Coffee is Strong Gao Gao! ☕😳 No kidding, if you felt Sleepy before, you will not be Sleepy after drinking this. 😅

Strong and Robust Coffee Bean Base and because mine was Zero Sugar, I thought the Strength of the Coffee seems Magnified. Good Brew. ☕👍

🐔 819B Hainanese Chicken Rice Ball = RM17.90

Ever since the Eatery that sold Chicken Rice Balls closed at Tanjong Puteri, I've been looking around for another place that sells it. 🤔 I was especially intrigued by a Google Review that specifically mentioned this Dish in Tea Garden. Apparently before Covid, it is so Popular and can even be Sold Out. 🤔

This Reviewer was also correct. Not only do they not serve Dark Soy Sauce, they actually don't have it. 🤔 None of the Staffs know the type of Correct Sauce to serve for Chicken Rice as they passed me only a Light Soy Sauce. To me, thats ok because Modern Kopitiams like these are more of a Jack-of-All-Trades, Master of None and this isn't a Specialized Chicken Rice Eatery anyway.

🍽️ Presentation of the Dish

When its first served up, there is a very Delicious Classic Aroma of Steamed Chicken 白斩鸡. 😋 Served on a Wooden Tray with Matching Crockery, this looks like a Typical Meal Tray Set that you'd get from IKEA. 🍽️ Looks Adorable though and have a Clean Presentable Faux Japanese Type of Look.

🌶️ Quality of the Chilli

This has a Very Strong Sourish Kick to it. Spicy but doesn't bite. It does have an Overall Classic Taste of a Chilli you'd expect for Chicken Rice. 🌶️ Not Amazing, I find this slightly above average compared to a Typical SG Kopitiam Level. If you like your Chilli to be those Sourish Type, you will probably enjoy this more.

🫚 Quality of the Minced Ginger

Green in Colour, this was a Very Finely Minced Ginger that seems to also be infused with some Chicken Oil 鸡油. 🐔 Slightly Saltish and the Ginger is not Overly Strong. No Idea how the Green Colour is achieved, I'm guessing Parsley is also Minced in? 🤔 Not Amazing but Decent Enough Minced Ginger Condiment.

🍲 Quality of the Soup.

This was Alright. It has a Slight Chickeny Cabbagey Taste, not the Gao Gao Very Chickeny type of Soup. 🤔 Slightly Peppery, Not Overly Salty but was a Tad Oily. Again not Super Amazing type of Soup but Acceptable Tasting.

🍚 Chicken Rice Ball

Someone once asked what is so Special about having Chicken Rice in a Ball as compared to how its normally served on a Plate. 🍛 My Answer to this is Bite Texture. When you have it in a Ball Form, you tend to get a more Stickier Texture which is why they are able to be formed into Balls wihout it breaking apart. 🍚 For some people, a Stickier Rice Texture is what they go for. Plus it also looks more Unique, so there's that. 😅

Served in 5 Small Balls, they do have a Nice Fragrant Aroma that you'd expect from a Chicken Rice. 😋 Biting into it gives a Slightly Mushier Texture. Slightly Salty but Not Overly So, the 鸡油味 is Noticeable. 🐔 I wouldn't call this an Top Class Elite Level of Chicken Rice, its perhaps slightly above average compared to a Typical SG Kopitiam Level.

🐔 Quality of the Steamed Chicken

They only have Steamed Chicken, Not Roast Chicken. I thought the Presentation of the Meat looks Messy. 🤔 This looks like it was hastily cut and hastily plated with no attempts at Presentation with the Meats and Skins all over the Place. 🤔 I won't fault this because this Place isn't a Specialized Chicken Rice Eatery.

Amount of Chicken given looks like 1 Breast with Pieces of Cucumbers as Padding below to make the thing look Bigger than it is. 😅 I also noticed that there is a Large Pool of Chicken Juice accumulated below. 🤔

The Pool of Chicken Juice is important because even though Breast Meat, they were Wet and Juicy. 😋 I thought this was a Pretty Clever Way to keep the Meat from Drying Out although what you will get is a Very Wet Breast Meat. 💦 Quality isn't Elite Tier however, this isn't a Super Obese with Globules of Fat under the Skin type. 

One thing I don't really like about this Meat is that I thought the 鸡腥味 Chickeny Taste is Noticeably Strong and can start to feel Jelak the more I ate it. 🤔 I personally prefer a Milder Less Chickeny Version so this did not appeal to me. 🤔 Eating this Chicken with Rice however will help tremendously to dampen this Overly Chickeny Taste.

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Conclusion and Closing Thoughts

At the Price of RM7.10 (S$2.20) isn't particularly Cheap for this Cup of Ice Kopi, ☕ but to be fair it is in a Mall. I still found this worth the price because of How Gao Gao Strong it was. 👍 No Scrimping, this was a Strong Robust Brew that certainly Woke me Up Fresh.

At the Price of RM17.90 (S$5.50) for this Chicken Rice Set is Slightly Cheaper compared to the RM19.90 (S$6.10) Set offered by The Chicken Rice Shop which is another Mall Level Chicken Rice Eatery that I reviewed previously in City Square 🤔 although to be fair, the Latter Set is alot more Full and Well-Rounded because it includes a Drink, Veggie-Side and even a Small Dessert. 🥤🥬🍧

The Overall Taste and Quality of this Chicken Rice Set wasn't as Mind-Blowing or Amazing as its described in the Google Reviews for this Place. 🤔 I felt it was Decent and felt slightly above SG Kopitiam Level. I do find the Chicken here abit 重口味 Noticeably Chickeney for my taste though. 🐔🤔

For a Modern Kopitiam Franchise like this that is a Jack-of-all-Trades and Master of None, I feel this is considered Decent and Acceptable. 🐔 Needless to say, if you are the type that is Extremely Particular about your Taste for Chicken Rice, this place is definitely not for you. 🙅‍♂️

Overall, I have no issues with Tea Garden itself. 👍 This Franchise gave me a Good Impression. Its a Decent Nice and Rather Popular Eatery that is Cleanly Maintained, Acceptable Customer Service. 👍 I would not mind re-visiting this again to try their other Dishes on their Menu in the Future.