Eat Gai

The best fried chicken Bahn mi of my life. I like popyes chicken sandwich. But that doesn't even compare to Eat Gias chicken sandwich.
Suriously, you have got to try it!

Chef Sakulclanuwat is my favorite "personality" at Essex Market. She is always sweet and welcoming. Her chicken wings are the best in New York. Flavor is out of this world. The green chili sauce is divine. I wish I could buy it in big bottles! You can tell she cooks with love and appreciation for the craft. Will always buy from her when I am there, prices and portions are excellent.

(Copied from my yelp review)

Hainanese chicken craving sated and then some. I think the name is a mix if English and maybe Chinese? I think Gai might be pinyin for chicken. Anyway regardless this place serves amazing hainanese chicken and rice.

The rice ERMAHGERD! Yeah its so good I mometarily lost my command of the English language, its a ginger infused rice cooked in chicken broth and its as magnificent as you can imagine. I could honestly just eat bowls and bowls of the rice non-stop with no sides. But luckily I didn't have to cause in Hainanese chicken and rice; the rice is the side dish and the chicken is the main star.

So let's talk chicken, bawk bawk. Ahem, I mean to say the chicken also spectacular, it was not at all overshadowed by the amazing rice. Instead the flavoring of the rice further enhanced the chickeness of the chicken. I'm at a lost of words to describe the chicken. The dark meat was so juicy and tender I could honestly just eat 2 whole birds on my own. One minor issue though was that the white meat sections were a bit dry to me however that was one a minor inconvenience because they provide not one or two but THREE dipping sauces. One is like a spicy garlicky soy sauce, another was a slightly sweet soy sauce and then something thats like a salsa verde. All which compliments the white meat so amazing its like a symphony of flavors. My personal favorite is the garlicky one.

Oh and if you order the extremely affordable meal ($9.75) it even comes with a free soup, though its more like a clear broth but hey its nice to get something free and if you're like me you would be glad to have something to drink when you inevitably choke from inhaling the meal too quickly.

Now if you are still peckish after all that, I would also recommend a order of the Shazam Spicy Wings. Now I will say its not quite exactly a thunderbolt hitting you when you have these wings (unlike Captain Marvel [DC]). Rather the spiciness is more like a slow burn that increases to a roaring fire the more wings you eat. (Wait maybe thats the SHAZAM!) The fried wings are amazing crispy and juicy with hints of curry powder and I think shichimi pepper, cause I definitely detected hints of sour amongst the heat.

So do yourself, your stomach, your taste buds and your wallet a favor and like the name of the food stand Eat Gai.

I simply love their food. I always get fantastic customer service here. The place is clean and the cashiers are always welcoming. Will visit here again.

Great kaomangai! Really good, just like Bangkok. Highly recommend for a quick yet filling lunch. Best kaomangai I've had in NYC.