Saturday, July 28, 2012
Roast Duck ... and National Day !
So the picture you see below is where I consider the BEST roast duck to be sold =)
Its at Sin Ming Drive Blk 22.
Oh you see lots of flags? its near to National Day for Singapore, thats why. 9th August . =)
Oh yah the duck. The Roast Duck was originally from Ang Mo Kio , somewhere near the swimming complex (tho it was originally from somewhere else)
The Duck seller tried to sell at Ang Mo Kio, but the coffeeshop eventually closed. (and then reopened and then closed and then reopened... now foodpark =) )
During the coffeeshop days my family would eat from him almost every week. We'd order half a duck. He would have salted vegetables stewed with duck wings, it was pretty cool. The meat from the soup was very light, which is strange for meats =) The duck itself was roasted with charcoal and was stuffed with garlic. His roasting was impeccable. the meat is oozing and the oil had the taste imbued within it. the skin of the duck was similar to that of a roasted suckling pig. It was that good. at that time at least. He had two batches only. 2 pm and 4pm. Those were good times. The duck seller was familar with my family and he even offered to apprentice me or sell me the recipe, I'm not sure which. I think his son is'nt too interested which is a pity.
During the second closing (the period when it was "Shop and Save" briefly), the duck seller tried to open his own small shop. Alas he did not do his homework enough. The problem was his shop was converted from a provision shop, so it required licensing from the NEA (I think thats the department), and that took about 6 mths (bearing in mind that during this time he had taken over tenancy and is paying rent). And after he got his shop up and running, the bird flu hit. It was a bad time to sell duck. So his duck had to go for cheap and eventually he closed down.
I met him sometime before he open the stall in Blk 22. it was on a double decker and I asked him how he was. he looked terrible at that time, he told me he had lost about 70K during that time and is still looking for a place to sell his duck.
I got his number and so on. Eventually he opened for business in Blk 22 and never looked back. Blk 22 is a food paradise of sorts. The funny thing is the place is actually a poor area with alot of studio flats.
I once sat on a taxi and the uncle asked me what his form wanted. The uncle is a single and had to live with a room mate. But he still has to apply for the flat. It is a studio flat. He was driving to earn his keep. To pay rent for this studio flat. He is lucky to get this flat. He is "chosen" (by HDB I presume) to have the chance to rent. I wonder what happen when he is too old to work. I also wonder why the form was in english. Ah! The marvels of this land eh? So that was how I learnt of poor uncles (and later more uncles and aunties who are... not so well known and not so well to do) and studio flats.
Anyways back to the hedonism of ducks and the love of its meat no?
So any ways the food in blk 22? The place is already famous for its Bak Kut Teh and Braised Duck. And mind you the Braised duck is pretty strong. It is a herbal kind of braised duck with the taste permeating through the meat throughly. Not the sweetish kind (which I am more accustomed to). So the competition is pretty strong. Luckily, we are talking about the BEST roast duck in Singapore here ;) (well to me anyways and I have NEVER tasted better yet, true story.) So he is doing pretty well.
When is the place open? For the roast duck its weekdays only. Try to go early (like 11 am to avoid disappointment, 1-2pm is the main crowd). Whatever you find from 2pm onwards is what you have, there is no second batch. The crowd is mainly the workers I guess, and people who drive to get their cars serviced. Taxi drivers, Bus drivers, and people who know the place.
I sincerely hope he does well, and if he does offer me an apprenticeship again? I think I might take it up. I hope his son would take up the mantle though. Cooking is an art form and is something that can/must/should be passed on to the next generation. And more and more importantly, our local foods are what defines us. You ask me what is Singapore? I'm not sure. Its a loaded question. But I can tell you this: This duck, this dish, our local foods are a friggin' part of Singapore. Don't believe me? Our local foods are already changing to suit the newcomers taste. We are losing our culture in our backyards. Don't get me wrong. I am all for integration. But I repeat. INTEGRATION. Not EROSION. Not embracing economy at the EXPENSE of what we are, what we have. Who are we Singapore? What are we Singapore? These are the questions that will make or break us in the coming years. For the duck seller, I wish him well, and hope I will be able to eat from him for years to come.
Its at Sin Ming Drive Blk 22.
Oh you see lots of flags? its near to National Day for Singapore, thats why. 9th August . =)
Oh yah the duck. The Roast Duck was originally from Ang Mo Kio , somewhere near the swimming complex (tho it was originally from somewhere else)
The Duck seller tried to sell at Ang Mo Kio, but the coffeeshop eventually closed. (and then reopened and then closed and then reopened... now foodpark =) )
During the coffeeshop days my family would eat from him almost every week. We'd order half a duck. He would have salted vegetables stewed with duck wings, it was pretty cool. The meat from the soup was very light, which is strange for meats =) The duck itself was roasted with charcoal and was stuffed with garlic. His roasting was impeccable. the meat is oozing and the oil had the taste imbued within it. the skin of the duck was similar to that of a roasted suckling pig. It was that good. at that time at least. He had two batches only. 2 pm and 4pm. Those were good times. The duck seller was familar with my family and he even offered to apprentice me or sell me the recipe, I'm not sure which. I think his son is'nt too interested which is a pity.
During the second closing (the period when it was "Shop and Save" briefly), the duck seller tried to open his own small shop. Alas he did not do his homework enough. The problem was his shop was converted from a provision shop, so it required licensing from the NEA (I think thats the department), and that took about 6 mths (bearing in mind that during this time he had taken over tenancy and is paying rent). And after he got his shop up and running, the bird flu hit. It was a bad time to sell duck. So his duck had to go for cheap and eventually he closed down.
I met him sometime before he open the stall in Blk 22. it was on a double decker and I asked him how he was. he looked terrible at that time, he told me he had lost about 70K during that time and is still looking for a place to sell his duck.
I got his number and so on. Eventually he opened for business in Blk 22 and never looked back. Blk 22 is a food paradise of sorts. The funny thing is the place is actually a poor area with alot of studio flats.
I once sat on a taxi and the uncle asked me what his form wanted. The uncle is a single and had to live with a room mate. But he still has to apply for the flat. It is a studio flat. He was driving to earn his keep. To pay rent for this studio flat. He is lucky to get this flat. He is "chosen" (by HDB I presume) to have the chance to rent. I wonder what happen when he is too old to work. I also wonder why the form was in english. Ah! The marvels of this land eh? So that was how I learnt of poor uncles (and later more uncles and aunties who are... not so well known and not so well to do) and studio flats.
Anyways back to the hedonism of ducks and the love of its meat no?
So any ways the food in blk 22? The place is already famous for its Bak Kut Teh and Braised Duck. And mind you the Braised duck is pretty strong. It is a herbal kind of braised duck with the taste permeating through the meat throughly. Not the sweetish kind (which I am more accustomed to). So the competition is pretty strong. Luckily, we are talking about the BEST roast duck in Singapore here ;) (well to me anyways and I have NEVER tasted better yet, true story.) So he is doing pretty well.
When is the place open? For the roast duck its weekdays only. Try to go early (like 11 am to avoid disappointment, 1-2pm is the main crowd). Whatever you find from 2pm onwards is what you have, there is no second batch. The crowd is mainly the workers I guess, and people who drive to get their cars serviced. Taxi drivers, Bus drivers, and people who know the place.
I sincerely hope he does well, and if he does offer me an apprenticeship again? I think I might take it up. I hope his son would take up the mantle though. Cooking is an art form and is something that can/must/should be passed on to the next generation. And more and more importantly, our local foods are what defines us. You ask me what is Singapore? I'm not sure. Its a loaded question. But I can tell you this: This duck, this dish, our local foods are a friggin' part of Singapore. Don't believe me? Our local foods are already changing to suit the newcomers taste. We are losing our culture in our backyards. Don't get me wrong. I am all for integration. But I repeat. INTEGRATION. Not EROSION. Not embracing economy at the EXPENSE of what we are, what we have. Who are we Singapore? What are we Singapore? These are the questions that will make or break us in the coming years. For the duck seller, I wish him well, and hope I will be able to eat from him for years to come.
// posted by god_is_good478 @ 9:14 AM 
