Singapore is a veritable treasure trove of delectable eats. We are in sampling overdrive at the moment, trying to cram as many tastes and flavours into the day as possible.

But when we arrived a few days ago, there was no question as to which dish we would eat first: it had to be Hainanese 'chicken rice'.

Something of an obsession in these parts, Hainan chicken is one of those eatables that's deceptively simple and yet mindblowingly tasty.

It is an absolute tease of a dish when you cook it yourself, because you place the chicken in a huge vat of water seasoned with goodies like coriander and a splash of chinese rice wine, which you then slowly bring to a simmer. When bubbles appear, you cut the heat altogether and just let the whole bird poach ever so gently in the warm liquid for the next few hours. It is vital not to lift the lid (tempting though it is to try to get a whiff of the rich broth) because you want as much heat left in as possible.

The texture of the 'white-cooked' chicken that results is nothing short of sublime. It's silken and juicy and full of flavour - not a hint of the dry, stringy, scraggly mass that chicken can so easily become when roasted or grilled.

The cooked meat is typically cleavered up Chinese-style, which means that it's left on the bone (and you have to spit out all the little bony bits as you go). The cleavered-up pieces usually rest on a bed of cucumber, or maybe bitter melon, and are lightly dressed as the cook sees fit - perhaps a dash of stock, soy sauce and a tiny dot of seasame oil.

Alongside the meat, you get a bowl of perfectly warmed rice that's been cooked in the rich stock of the chicken. The grains remain perfectly formed, and are not at all slushy, but the overall sensation is of eating something very rich and delectable, as it's absorbed all the savoury, chicken-y goodness during its cooking.

There'll be a light, clear soup served, which is taken from the broth as well. Absolutely delish.

One of the idiosyncracies of the art of Hainan chicken - which means no two cooks ever serve it quite alike - lies in its accompanying sauces. There may be fiery chilli-based dipping sauce, or a chilli-and-oil combination, or a thick, gooey sweetened soya sauce known as kecap manis. But my favourite of all is a sauce made from the green part of the spring onion mixed with finely minced fresh ginger. It's spicy and fresh and tasty and utterly addictive - this stuff is the new crack, I tell you!

In the picture above, the chicken was served off-the-bone - both times we've eaten this dish in Singapore, this has been the case. In China and in Australia, it's typically left on the bone, which I sort of prefer - makes the eating more of a challenge. The sauces served here at the Hawker Center were a basic spicy chilli (the orange sauce) and thick, sweet soy (the dark one). Copious amounts of finely-grated fresh ginger sauce were also available - it tastes wonderful when mixed with the kecap manis.

No spring onion and ginger combo this time, sadly - but it's all part of the great Hainan chicken lucky-dip, so on to the next vendor ....