Rice Monster is a hidden gem located in Millbrae's Social Eatery food hall. They specialize in Cantonese-style claypot rice, also known as bao zai fan, in which the rice is cooked in a clay pot with a variety of toppings to produce a delicious dish completed with scorched rice. As part of Social Eatery, patrons can take a seat within the food hall, place their orders on the provided tablet, and a staff member will bring the food an beverages straight to your table.
Claypot rice is a personal favorite of mine, so it's always a special treat when I'm able to find a new restaurant that offers it. Although Rice Monster does have many of the traditional claypot rice flavors/toppings, they also have some unique ones that are lesser seen, such as the cha siu and steamed egg one that I ordered this time around. The claypot rice does take about 20 minutes to prepare, so if you're looking to enjoy this for your meal then I definitely recommend ordering it first so your stomach doesn't have to wait too long to enjoy it.
The cha siu and steamed egg clay pot rice was in a single word - delicious. The salty-slightly-sweet cha siu paired well with the mild flavors of the egg, and the salty soy sauce you pour over the rice. I will say the rice could have been a little more scorched to provide the accompanying crunch that you expect from this dish; however, if you're really craving claypot rice and are in the area, then Rice Monster will definitely help satisfy that craving for you.
If you're ever in the Millbrae area and want a one-stop shop for all your dining and beverage needs, then Social Eatery is definitely the place to go and be sure to enjoy some delicious hand-pulled noodles from Rice Monster while...
Read moreThis place is located right next to the bart station with a small parking lot in the back. I noticed all the high reviews for their clay pot rice and wanted to try it out. I ordered on my phone for take out since I knew the rice would take a while to cook and planned to just eat there. (I assumed it was cafeteria style based on photos.) When we got there, I realized that you actually order from the table you're seated through a QR code. They also charge an automatic service fee. However, since I ordered prior, the rice was done almost as soon as we were seated. I noticed not many people had ordered rice, but were eating soup noodles as the restaurant is also with grapeholic and social eatery.
Since I ordered takeout, the bowls came in foil to go containers. We ordered the eel bowl and pork rib with chicken bowl. We were definitely skeptical of how the food was going to be in the take out containers. But the food was great! The meat was well seasoned with generous portions and went really well with the rice. The rice was cooked perfectly, with the perfect crisp you expect from a clay pot. The bowls are definitely meant to be an individual size. It came with soy sauce, but I felt that the food was salty enough without it. I was really impressed with how the rice came out, considering the food came out in aluminum bowls.
I would absolutely order from here again. The food was prepared quickly and really well. I think that the food is really good for take out since you would definitely have to wait at least 20 minutes for the bowl. The only thing I wish was there were some more vegetable options, but for clay pot rice, the food was cooked perfectly and the ingredients were...
Read moreWe came here for lunch. It was fully decorated with the Halloween theme. It was not that busy, and we were seated right away. The ordering is using QR code on the table. You also pay right away. You can keep the tap open or close it. They automatically charge 15% granularity fee. We ordered Lap mei, which is clay pot rice with preserved pork and chinese sausage. It takes about 15 to 18 min for the food since the rice is cooked based on order. The second order was beef stew and tendon Biang Biang noofle soup. Both are yummy. The beef and tendon are tender, and noodles are chewy. Sooup is delicious. The claypot is also yummy. One downside is that it is too oily. Service is good. My advice is to come early. When we leave, the restaurant is full and so many people are waiting outside. Parking is limited on the premise, but you can park...
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