Kim Kitchen Braised Duck : the owner is only 22 years old

Zip, 22, the owner, is running the stall with Jia Hui, 20, his girlfriend, and they actually look like 19 years old, much younger than their age. Marcus told me about this stall at Beo Crescent Food Centre, it is side by side with another duck rice stall. I said, "A friend told me about your stall. He said the stall is manned by a very young couple and I should come by to support." Zip looked up while cooking, looking very energetic and said, "Need to thank your friend then." He sounded high-spirited. 

I asked, "Did you bid for the stall?" He said, "We did not but took over from the previous owner." I said, "Is the rental high? should be around $2,000?" He nodded. I also asked, "How is the business so far?" He replied, "Still ok." I asked, "Who taught you how to cook?" He said, "My father did." Jia Hui giggled and said, "I came by to help out when there is a shortage of manpower initially but later on just continue to working here full-time." I asked, "You also serve Minced Pork Noodle? You are the first braised duck stall to serve this dish." He chuckled. 

I ordered Kway Chap and added Braised Duck for $7.50. When eating it, I find the taste to be quite familiar as it somewhat reminded me of the braised meat by Mr Lorbak. The overall taste was alright, though a little heavy on the use of five-spice powder and slightly saltish. This is not the best Kway Chap that I ever tasted but I could taste the passion behind it. I believe they would improve along the way if they persist. 

They are the youngest couple manning a hawker stall that I have ever met amongst the many others of different stalls. They reminded me of a saying in Chinese, which is 初生之犊不畏虎, this means "the newborn calf fears no tiger".  It is just so good to be young, to have plenty of time with a good amount of courage to keep trying and doing their part in preserving the hawker culture.  

Do drop by to support the young hawker if you happen to be in the vicinity for breakfast or lunch.

KIM KITCHEN BRAISED DUCK

38A Beo Cresecent #01-82 Beo Cresecent Food Centre SINGAPORE 169982

Operating Hours: 6.00 am to 2.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

[Hong Kong] Circus Burger

Circus Burger is a burger joint at Hollywood Road in Central, serving American style burgers and side from a late 19th century train carriage room. They are not just famous for their burgers but also for their selection of milkshakes. They uniquely serving their burgers in small paper box to make eating it a little easier and probably less messy. 

I tried their signature Circus Burger with an order of Buffalo Wings and Strawberry milkshake. The Circus Burger consists of nicely grilled beef patty with their special sauce and a piece of melted Monetary Jack cheese together with bacon on toasted buns. It was serving along with thick-cut fries in paper cup as part of the combo set. The Buffalo Wings were just average as the sauce was not too distinctive and rather mild in its level of spiciness. 

The Strawberry milkshake was pretty good though, it was quite thick and creamy with a well-balanced sweetness. 

Though it might not be the best tasting but it was alright for a quick lunch.

BURGER CIRCUS

22 Hollywood Road, Central, HONG KONG

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 11.00 pm (Sun to Wed) / 11.00 am to 3.00 am (Thur to Sat)

[Hong Kong] Sing Kee 盛记 : The Disappearing Dai Pai Dong

The disappearing Dai Pai Dong is part of the vibrant and bustle of Hong Kong life. Sing Kee (盛记) is amongst the famous ones that widely reported by different local and foreign media. That somehow explained why there were quite a few tourists spotted while i was there. As it was still early, no queue yet. We grabbed a copy of the menu and a table thereafter then browsed through the menu to decide what to order. Their dishes are like some of those common cze cha dishes that we have in Singapore.

After a few minutes, we decided to go with Fried Pork Ribs in Sweet & Sour Sauce (生炒排骨) at HKD $52, Squid with Pepper & Salt (椒盐鲜鱿) at HKD $52 and a small bowl of Soup which they did not specifically indicate what type of soup it is on the menu. We were then given empty glasses to help ourselves to the pot of hot tea that is available in every table. We ordered soft drink too but they have overlooked the order.

Fried Pork Ribs in Sweet & Sour Sauce (生炒排骨) came first without serving the plain rice. We were have to ask again from the serving staff, though not the friendliest service encountered but we managed to have our rice to eat with the dish. Those pieces of fried pork were a little too fatty but well-fried to give it the crispy texture then mixed it slightly with tomato based sauce as well as with ingredients like tomato, green pepper and onion to give it the flavor. It was a tasty dish as it went pretty well with the rice but a little too salty if eat it on its own.

Next, came the Squid with Pepper & Salt (椒盐鲜鱿). It was a simple dish that consists of fresh squid stir-fried with green cut chilli and chilli buddy with bits of peppercorn. it was nicely cooked to give the squid a desired texture and not getting too chewy.

The Soup came last. We did not quite expect this simple soup dish turned out to be our favourite of the night. It was a sliced fish soup with vegetable, not too fanciful though but pure comforting that reminded me of home and the cooking by my late Grandpa. 

It was getting crowded during dinner as we ended up sharing our small table with some Korean men. They started drinking, chatting and laughed too loudly though quite unbearable but table sharing is a part of dining culture in Hong Kong. It was still an enjoyable dinner nonetheless.

I could not but wonder, how much longer would such a Dai Pai Dong be around? it reminded me the hawker culture of Singapore, it is getting less colorful with many of those pioneer generation hawkers retired with not enough of the younger generation to take up the trade. Some of those younger generation might just jumped in to give it a try but quit a little while later, some were disillusioned as hawker trade is not as easy as it seemed or some were discouraged by the unfair beating system to get a hawker stall or some were just felt beaten by the unreasonable high rent. 

SING KEE 盛记

2 Stanley Street, Central, HONG KONG

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 3.00 pm / 5.00 pm to 11.00 pm (Daily)