Ah Seng Duck Rice : Kway Chap available at Serangoon Central stall only

Mr Ng Kim Seng, the founder, came up with a recipe on Teochew braised duck in 1965. He started the stall at Lim Tua Tow Market along Upper Serangoon Road. His children, Wendy Ng and Ng Teck Siah, helped out after their school, from taking orders, serving and learning the recipe. He moved the stall to Serangoon Garden Food Centre after the demolition of Lim Tua Tow Market. Wendy went to work as a Secretary and Teck Siah started a Satay stall but he decided to return when Mr Ng suffered a mild stroke. During the renovation of Serangoon Garden Food Centre, he moved the stall temporarily to a coffee shop in Serangoon Central in 2002. Wendy decided to take over this stall when it was time to move the main stall back to Serangoon Garden Food Centre.

There was no queue when I was there on a weekday but when I approached the stall, Wendy was there. She said, "15 minutes. Can you wait or not?" I ordered a set of Kway Chap and added a duck drumstick for $10.50. I waited. When a few minutes before the 15 minutes were up, I saw Wendy waving at me from a distance. I walked over to collect it.

The Kway Chap set came with nicely braised big intestine, braised egg, fish cake, braised tau pok and the braised duck that I added. The flat rice sheets were thin and smooth served with braising sauce then enhanced with fried shallots and coriander. The chilli is different, its level of spiciness is manageable with a hint of tanginess and enhanced by the garlic paste added to it. 

The other Ah Seng Duck Rice at Serangoon Garden Food Centre does not serve Kway Chap. 

AH SENG DUCK RICE

Block 204 Serangoon Central #01-104 SINGAPORE 550204

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

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)

Lau San Kway Chap . Pig's Organ Soup : the best in Ang Mo Kio

Some say this is the best Kway Chap in Ang Mo Kio. It is located in the coffee shop same row as the famous Melben Seafood. The stall is manned by 老三 and his elder brother, 老二 on shifts. It is not too crowded even during lunch on weekdays. The queue is usually longer on weekends and it is also much crowded. Other than Kway Chap, there are also Braised Pork Knuckle and Pig's Organ Soup to go with rice. 

My usual order consists of a plate of mixed pork innards, braised egg and tau pok with an addition of small and big intestines together with a big bowl of broad rice noodles, known as kway. All the innards were nicely cleaned and there is no unpleasant flavor nor off-putting smell are detected. Small intestines are my favorite, it was cooked to the desired tenderness and braised to perfection. The braising sauce has a perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness. 

The smooth and slippery broad rice noodles were served in lightly flavored broth topped with fried shallots and chopped coriander. 

This is definitely one of the better kway chap that I have tasted and it is probably the best in Ang Mo Kio as I have yet to taste a better one in this area.

LAU SAN KWAY CHAP . PIG'S ORGAN SOUP

Block 232 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 #01-1222 SINGAPORE 560232

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 9.00 pm (Closed on Thursdays)

Houson Herbal Braised Duck at Jurong East

It is difficult to miss this stall as you could see the queue from afar. It is located in one of the coffee shops in Jurong East central just a stone's throw away from Jurong East MRT station. They are popular for their Herbal Braised Duck and Kway Chap though there are also other items like Pig's Organ Soup, Pig's Trotter and even the Braised Meat with Preserved Vegetable.

I ordered Kway Chap set for 2, added Braised Duck together with 3 bowls of kway (flat rice noodle sheets) for $13.50. The set also consists of braised egg, large intestine, braised meat, tau kwa and tau pok. 

It did not taste as nice as I remember but the large intestine and braised meat were still good. The braised duck did not have much of the herbal flavor and it was quite salty. I would prefer that it was chopped into bigger pieces as its texture was quite mushy. My dining companion that did not eat the large intestine, said, "I could not quite tell the duck meat from the intestine."

Those pieces of kway were thin and smooth served in a slight herbal-ish broth, it was quite nice.

HOUSON HERBAL BRAISED DUCK

132 Jurong Gateway Road #01-271 Happy Hawker Coffee Shop SINGAPORE 600132

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Closed on alternate Mondays)

Garden Street Kway Chap : it used to be better

It was started at the already demolished Blanco Court decades ago before moving to the current location. This is another stall in this food centre that has a constant long queue though not as long as Ah Seng Duck Rice and Seng Kee Mushroom Minced Meat Noodle. It started by the father but it has handed over to the son now and this is good as they are still going to be around for a while. 

When ordering, you just need to inform it is for how many people and also whether you want a bigger bowl of flat rice noodles is also known as Kway. And, if you do not want or want a particular item to be included then you will have to mention it when ordering. The basic set that includes braised pork, big intestine, small intestine, tau pok and braised egg with a small bowl of flat rice noodles is only $4

The flat rice noodles were good though not exceptionally outstanding but it is smooth and soft serving in the tasty braising sauce. All the braised items tasted just average though passable, I remember it used to be better when the father was still taking charge of the stall. Now, something is just missing there. Perhaps should give it a more time and it should get better in time to come. The chili sauce has a mild spiciness and it served well as a dipping sauce.

GARDEN STREET KWAY CHAP

49A Serangoon Garden Way #01-21 Serangoon Garden Food Centre SINGAPORE 555945

Operating Hours: 8.00 to 3.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

San Ba Wang Guo Zhi Shu Shi : Kway Chap Set

This stall serves only kway chap and is usually sold out near noon, it was so when i visited the last few times. I made an effort to go early this time. I got to choose between $3.50 and $4.00 portion and I decided to go with the bigger portion. I pointed to a table nearby then walked away and it was delivered to my table in less than 5 minutes.

The Kway Chap set came with a plate of standard ingredients that consists of braised skin, braised meat, small intestine, big intestine, fish cake, tau pok and braised egg together with a bowl of flat rice sheets. It was served along with a saucer of chilli sauce for dipping. I went for the small intestine first, it was not as soft as I liked it to be as it was too chewy. The rest was nicely braised and those intestines were clean quite thoroughly without leaving much smell behind. The savory flavor though light but was quite enticing even though not particularly memorable. 

That bowl of flat rice sheets was alright, it was quite thin, smooth and cooked just right then served in the braising sauce before topped with dried shallots to enhance its flavor.

Though it might not be the best kway chap around, its nostalgic taste is quite comforting.

SAN BA WANG GUO ZHI SHU SHI 三巴旺粿汁熟食

590 Upper Thomson Road #01-06 Sembawang Hills Food Centre SINGAPORE 574419

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 12.00 pm (Daily)

Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap: Duck Kway Chap Bento, creativity or gimmicky?

This stall has been around since 1980 for more than 30 years serving Teochew style braised duck and kway chap, it is now managed by the 2nd generation. This 2nd generation owner launched this Duck Kway Chap Bento last year and for $8, it comes with 3 pieces of riceballs that made of yam rice with bits of dried shrimps in it together with braised pig's skin, small intestine, braised meat, tau kwa and also braised duck with an onsen egg.

If you order separately, their braised duck rice is at $4.00 and their dry kway chap set with an onsen egg is at $4.00. You have exactly what are served in the bento with an extra bowl of dry kway chap and probably with a bit more of those ingredients. In another word, it is more value for money to order a plate of braised duck rice with their dry kway chap set for the same amount of money which also made their duck bento seems rather gimmicky rather than out of creativity.

I also could not help but wonder why were there so many articles by local media and bloggers that raved about their braised duck and kway chap which tasted quite average? Well, taste is subjective and i have definitely tasted much better braised duck and kway chap than that.

JIN JI TEOCHEW BRAISED DUCK & KWAY CHAP

335 Smith Street #02-156 Chinatown Complex Food Centre SINGAPORE 050335

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 7.00 pm (Closed on Fridays)

Quan Lai Kway Chap Duck Rice 泉来鸭饭粿汁

I visited once and it was not a memorable experience. A friend strongly recommended their kway chap and suggested i should try it. So, i came with little expectation and ordered a portion of kway chap with 2 bowls of kway for $5.00.

Though i did not particularly impressed with that plate of braised items but i was rather puzzled when i found a few slices of pineapple amongst them. This was the first time that i ever came across pineapple in kway chap and i wonder what would be the possible reason to include it? The only thing that came to mind was maybe they are using it to remove the unpleasant taste of these innards? 

Though the texture of those pieces of kway tasted decent but the braised sauce that they mixed it in was quite good. I enjoyed the distinct herbal-ish taste. Overall, it was not bad but not the best that i have tasted. 

QUAN LAI DUCK RICE KWAY CHAP 泉来鸭饭粿汁

560 Macpherson Road SINGAPORE 368233

Quan Lai Kway Chap Duck Rice 泉来鸭饭粿汁

This humble looking old stall somewhat caught my attention when i walked past the first time. I happened to be there again and this time i decided to give it a try. I expected it to be good as i spotted some old newspaper cuttings and an expired certificate by Makansutra displayed right in front of the stall.

I was there slightly after lunch and i was the only customer then. I wanted to take away a duck hindquarter with braised egg and tau kwa together with the kway chap for 2 pax without the kway. The waiting time was a short one. It was handed to me by their PRC worker, he asked the person that took my order earlier how much to collect from me. I overheard he said $26 in Chinese and i actually thought i have heard it wrongly. I still handed $27 to the PRC worker and he given $1 change back. So, i didn't hear it wrongly after all then. I would think $26 is a little too expensive for such a portion of duck and kway chap as shown in the pictures. Nonetheless, i was still hoping its taste to be good, at least that would make the value worth. 

The braised duck, failed to impress, as i have tasted much better than this. The texture was not particularly tender nor soft but with a certain chewiness. The braised sauce did not manage to infuse it well to give it a better fragrance. This would never be my top choice of braised duck and not quite likely to get me to pay more for it.

It was a mixture of big and small intestine, fishcake, tau pok, braised meat and braised egg. The braised sauce that is given along though tasted herbal-ish but it did not enhance its flavor further. It was kinda flat. The chill sauce was quite good though, it did not taste particularly spicy but it complemented nicely as a dipping sauce.

I shared about my experience on the facebook. Melvin Chew, a FB friend that happened to be the owner of Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap at Chinatown Food Complex commented that this stall is notorious for over-charging their customers by marking up their prices. He felt paying $26 for those items is definitely expensive. 

Judging from those newpaper cuttings, it seems to be quite a popular stall in the past. It got me to wonder how did they lost that glory? Complacence might be a likely guess. 

QUAN LAI DUCK RICE KWAY CHAP 泉来鸭饭粿汁

560 Macpherson Road SINGAPORE 368233

Braised Delight

This stall is manned by an elderly couple selling traditional teochew delicacies like Pig Trotter's Jelly (猪脚冻) and Shark's Meat (白牙沙鱼肉) as well as Braised Delight (自制卤味).

They are even awarded an impressive 6 chopsticks under the category of 'Die Die Must Try' by Makansutra.  These are the traditional Teochew delicacies that are quickly disappearing these days. Though i am a Hokkien but i do appreciate such traditional delicacies that are not commonly available particularly from a stall at food centre.

The Pig Trotter's Jelly and the Shark's Meat are actually served cold with homemade dipping sauce. As i just had my lunch and i probably could not take away those so i left with their Braised Delight to consider. All the items are in the selection of $5, $8 and $10.

I decided to take away $5 portion of the Braised Delight and would have to come back for the highly recommended Pig Trotter's Jelly and Shark's Meat another day.

The Braised Delight consisting of braised pork belly, braised large intestine, braised tau kwa, braised tau pok and braised egg that commonly available at those Kway Chap stalls.


A rather good quality soya sauce was probably used to prepare the dish. The sauce was robust, fragrant and yet a well-balanced taste of sweetness and saltiness. And, it left a lingering fragrance on the taste buds.

My favourite has to be the braised intestine. It was clean thoroughly to omit the strange taste before braised well to give it the right texture. This is a simple dish that has done well. It actually tasted much better than some of those at most Kway Chap stalls.

The next favourite has to be the braised pork belly. The pork belly has got a good balance of the fat and the lean proportion. It was then braised perfectly to give it the desired texture. I liked how it was sliced in big and chunky pieces to give it a greater satisfaction.

The braised egg, braised tau kwa and braised tau pok are equally addictive. A pretty good alternative to take away and have it just for snack or to go with lunch and dinner at home.

LAO LIANG

166 Jalan Besar #02-37 Berseh Food Centre SINGAPORE 200877.