Xiong Kee Roast Meat : cheap and not bad

We were supposed to go for the other stall in another coffee shop on the same block but was attracted by the long queue at this stall so we decided to try it. My dining companion joined the queue and waited for about 15 minutes to order. He ordered Char Siew & Roast Meat Rice for $4.00 and the Roast Duck & Roast Meat Rice for $4.50. He said, "It is less than $10 for all these. So cheap." I first came across Xiong Kee Roast Meat when they opened in a coffee shop at Sin Ming. It did not last for too long, closed down a little while later. A couple that sharing our table also said, "This is so cheap. The portion is a lot." They ordered a plate of Char Siew Rice and a plate of Roast Meat Rice at $3.00 each.

The Roast Meat just happened to be out of the roaster so it still retained its crispiness and it did not compromise its tenderness. My dining companion said, "It is crispy but a little bland and not salty enough." He also said, "The Roast Duck is just so so." I did not like the Char Siew, it was too lean and too tough and I actually left it unfinished. 

The texture of the rice was a little mushy. The radish soup was good though.

Tian Cheng Charcoal Roasted at the other coffee shop in the same block is supposed to be as good. It is highly recommended by a FB friend.

XIONG KEE ROAST MEAT
Block 81 Whampoa Drive SINGAPORE 320081

Mei Mei Roast : the alternative to Kay Lee Roast Meat

Madam Lee Kui In, 56, better known by her nickname, Mei Mei (妹妹), which means younger sister, is the younger sister of the founder of famous Kay Lee Roast Meat that sold their recipe for $4 million to Aztech Group in 2014. She used to work for Kay Lee Roast Meat for a good 15 years before starting this stall with her husband at the canteen in an industrial building more than a decade ago, serving old style Cantonese roast meats. 

I was there on the last day of 2018 for lunch. There was a regular customer came by to take away and another customer ordered half a roasted duck and $10 worth of roasted meat with 2 plates of rice. As it is not difficult to tell from their uniforms that these regular customers are wearing that they are mostly the mechanics working in the machine shops nearby. While ordering, I caught sight of an Apollo oven right behind the stall. I ordered a single serving of a roasted duck, roast pork and char siew ($7.00) with a plate of rice ($0.50). The friendly assistant asked, "Any soup?" and I went with a Lotus Root Soup ($4).

The Char Siew tasted like those from Kay Lee Roast Meat though not quite the same, it was nicely charred, not as dark in color, also not as sweet and sticky. It was actually quite good but my dining companion said, "After eating the Char Siew from Roast Paradise, most of the others just seemed so mediocre."

The duck came with a thin layer of skin, the meat did not have gamey taste and tasted quite flavorful. The roast pork had a good proportion of fat and lean meat, it tasted moist and with a slightly crisp skin.

The Lotus Root Soup consists of slices of lotus root, pork ribs with rice beans.

This was my first time came across these beans and actually wondered what are these. My dining companion said, "It looks like rice but tasted like beans." I posted the picture online and was told these are the rice beans, the Chinese name is 赤小豆, it supposed to have certain nutritional aspects. 

This stall is a good alternative to the Kay Lee Roast Meat as their standard is going south after setting up the central kitchen and opening of more outlets. I remember talking to KF Seetoh about their declining standard after the acquisition by Aztech Group and he said, "They should just stick to do what they are best in doing."

MEI MEI ROAST

Block 3014 Ubi Road 1 #01-308 SINGAPORE 408702

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 5.00 pm (Mon to Fri) / 11.00 am to 3.00 pm (Sun & Public Holiday)

Teoh Kee (Charcoal) Roast at Toa Payoh

I was there on a Friday during lunch. This stall caught my attention so I thought I should give it a try. There was no other customer at that time. I actually wanted roasted duck with roasted meat and char siew but auntie missed out the char siew and I paid $5 for that. I also ordered a Pork Ribs with Lotus Root and Peanuts Soup for $3.50. I was asked to have the chilli by the side as I am going to share it with my dining companion and he does not take chilli. Auntie offered to give me another plate so it is easier to share.

A good portion of roasted duck and roasted meat were placed on the rice, drizzled with the braising sauce and the dark sauce. My dining companion commented that it was not bad. I did not actually find it to be memorable though as it tasted just average. 

The pork ribs were quite tough and the soup tasted rather bland. 

TEOH KEE CHARCOAL ROAST

Block 210 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 #01-45 Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Food Centre SINGAPORE 310210

[CLOSED] Roast Paradise in Ang Mo Kio

This is the other outlet of Roast Paradise that started at Old Airport Road Food Centre. This stall is located in a coffee shop just a stone's throw away from the Ang Mo Kio MRT Station and directly opposite Cheng San Market & Food Centre. It is at the same coffee shop with the Soon Kee Boneless Braised Duck that moved from the already demolished Long House along Thomson Road. 

Unlike their stall at Old Airport Road, the queue is usually much shorter here. I was there on a Sunday, the light of their signboard was turned off and I thought they have already closed but it came on about 15 minutes later. I asked, "Are you serving now?" The young chap manning the register replied, "We are opened." I decided to go with the Char Siew & Sio Bak Rice for $4.00. He asked, "Do you want gravy over your rice?" I nodded. 

I shared it with my dining companion, he said, "The sio bak is still not too impressive." We felt the same when we tasted it for the first time at their other outlet. The pork though well-marinated but the skin was a bit soggy, not as crispy as I liked it to be. The char siew was still good though, it was chopped into thick slices, slightly charred and nicely caramelized to give it a slight sweetness. It is still one of the better ones around. 

It was served along with a bowl of tasty soup that has bits of meat and pieces of cabbage in it.

ROAST PARADISE

531 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 SINGAPORE 560531

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 4.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Kim Heng (HK) Roasted Delights : not as good as before

This stall is nicely tucked away in a cluster of HDB blocks, along Serangoon Avenue 4 and is directly opposite Serangoon Stadium. They have been around for more than 2 decades serving roast duck, roast pork, and char siew. It was quite memorable when I tasted it in 2012 and I have been wanting to come back all this while. I did when I went to collect the Christmas cookies at Plain Jane Cafe there. It was during lunch and a short queue was formed but it moved rather quickly though. I decided to go with the Char Siew and Sio Bak rice at $4.80, which is more expensive than most of the others. I also ordered Salted Vegetable Duck Soup for $2.50.  

During my last visit, the char siew had a good amount of fat with nicely charred edges and was flavorful. It was disappointing this time, it was very lean and slightly dry, not as flavorful, too. The crispy skin on the sio bak was quite good and the well-seasoned meat was tender. 

The Salted Vegetable Duck Soup came with chunks of tomato, salted vegetable and chopped pieces of duck wing. There was a slight sourish taste and quite flavorful but I remember it used to be better. 

KIM HENG (HK) ROASTED DELIGHTS

Block 214 Serangoon Avenue 4 #01-188 SINGAPORE 550214

Operating Hours: 8.30 am to 7.00 pm (Daily)

Ming Mun 名门 : the authentic Hong Kong taste

Chef Rex Lam, 42, the founder, came to Singapore from Hong Kong about 3 months ago and brought along his recipe as well as 18 years of experience in roasted meat. The recipe has been adjusted to better suit the taste buds of the locals. The stall has been around for a while but they have been really low key and so, even though it is near to where I stay but I know nothing about them until someone posted it on Facebook.

They are likely to be the only hawker stall that is known for serving Roast Goose, they imported the frozen goose from Hungary as those from China are not approved. It is only available by ordering in advance and on certain days, particularly on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It was reported recently in the newspaper that half of their roasted goose costs $128 as there is an increase in the price of frozen goose, from the initial $80 to $150 per bird, to actually justify it. The availability of Roast Goose is quite indefinite as the source of supply is not reliable for now.

The roast goose was not available when We were there on a Sunday for lunch. We decided to go with a quarter Roast Duck ($13.00) with Char Siew ($4.00) for 2 pax together with 2 plates of rice ($0.50 cents each). I ordered the Roasted Pork too, but they did not get the order as I could not communicate well in Cantonese when I ordered through Chef Lam. As it is self-service, I waited there for it to be served. When Chef Lam handed the plate of roasted meat to me, he said, "慢慢食" in Cantonese, which means "enjoy your meal."

The skin was slightly crisp with a slight smokiness and still retained its moisture within, it was so tender and juicy. My dining companion got pretty excited over it. He exclaimed, "It tasted just like what I had eaten in Hong Kong." It has a pretty authentic taste as Chef Lam insists on using a classic blend of spices and herbs as the marinade, providing a savory flavor and not as sweet as some of the others roasted ducks in Singapore. 

The Char Siew was really good, and its standard is even close to Roast Paradise which is known for their amazingly good Char Siew. It had a perfect lean-to-fat ratio and nicely caramelized with charred edges but still tender within.

As a frequent traveler to Hong Kong, I can attest that this is one of the closest choices that you can get without flying to Hong Kong.

MING MUN 名门

Block 159 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 SINGAPORE 560159

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 9.00 pm (Daily)

( Hong Kong Jin Tian ) : they are back but not with Arp Geok Pau (鸭脚包)

Simon, their customer left a comment on the post that I wrote about Hong Kong Jin Tian, to inform that they are back in a coffee shop at Ubi about a week ago. I decided to go follow up. Mr Yip Kowk Ching, 62 and Mrs Yip moved from Hong Kong to Singapore about 30 years ago, they started Hong Kong Jin Tian (香港錦田) at Tiong Bahru, a popular eatery serving Hong Kong style roast meat and their speciality is Arp Geok Pau (Duck Leg Wrap) or 鸭脚包, in Chinese, is hardly found in Singapore though it used to be a popular dish in the 70s and 80s. The eatery was shut down on 27 April 2014. They re-opened on 15 July 2014 in one of those shops along Zion Road but was closed in 2015. I visited them there and wrote an article on Makansutra at that time. 

This time, they started as a hawker stall in a coffee shop. I was there at about 11 am on a weekday and went around looking for the signboard that spelt 'Hong Kong Jin Tian" but I did not see it there and I thought that information might be incorrect. Then, I spotted a man that resembled Mr Yip and went to ask, "This, used to be Hong Kong Jin Tian?". He nodded and then he replied in Cantonese but I only understand little Cantonese. He was trying to tell me that they could not use 'Hong Kong Jin Tian' as their signboard and they will be taxed heavily for doing so. Their new stall does not have a name and with just a generic signboard. 

And then, I saw Mrs Yip in the kitchen. I waved at her and said, "I recognise her, she is 叶太 (Mrs Yip)." That was how she like to be addressed when I met her about 2.5 years ago. She asked, "Do you purposely make a trip here?". I nodded. She then said, "你们很有心." She also mentioned that some of their regular customers visited and managed to recognise them. 

I ordered a plate of Roasted Duck and Sio Bak rice ($4) with their Soup of the Day ($3), which was Yamaimo Soup. The overall standard of their roasted meat is still as good. They are not able to make Arp Geok Pau now as their current kitchen is quite small and they will need a long table to lay out all the ingredients when making that delicate dish. They are still able to do suckling pig through an advance order. Their business was better when they started last week but a bit quieter this week and she thought it should be due to the school holidays. Mr Yip mentioned that they have to travel an hour from Tiong Bahru to their stall now. They used to own a stall at the Tiong Bahru Food Centre but have since given up as they planned to retire at that time. 

Mrs Yip joined me at the table and we chatted, it left me feeling heavy-hearted after hearing her story. She said in her heavily Cantonese accent Chinese, "We were left with no choice but to close our shop in Zion Road because my younger son decided to quit quite suddenly." She shared about what happened then. I remember she told me then that they actually wanted to retire but opened that shop for their sons as they have already mastered the required skills and interested in carrying on the trade. 

She also talked about the main reason for starting this food stall as they are hoping their younger son will join them later. Mrs Yip, said, "I have a feeling that it is going to happen very soon. No matter what happens, he is still my son." Apparently, it is all about a mother's love. 

I left my number with her so she could contact me if they decide to relocate again.

(HONG KONG JIN TIAN)

Block 3014B Ubi Road 1 Stall Number 11 SINGAPORE 408722

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 2.00 pm (Monday to Friday)

Every Thing Good Roasted Rice Noodle House ( 128 Want To Eat )

There are 2 coffee shops on this block and this stall is located at the first coffee shop nearer to Thomson Road, it has only been around for slightly more than a month. They are still using the old signboard left behind by the previous owner. Their stall name is supposed to be "128 Want To Eat" and not "Every Thing Good Roasted Rice Noodle House". A few of my friends on Facebook came by and tried it, they actually think pretty highly of the roasted chicken and soya sauce chicken. An FB friend even commented that their soya sauce chicken is as good as the Michelin-starred one. It got me to be really curious and so I decided to try it out. 

I was their only customer when I visited during lunch on a weekday. The owner is originated from Ipoh and he is running a one-man-show at this stall. I decided to go with roasted chicken drumstick and braised soya sauce egg with rice for $4.00, which is affordable. It was served along with some plain looking achar which I left it untouched. It did not serve with a bowl of soup. The owner was extremely polite and he even asked whether do I need a receipt when making payment. I was asked to help myself with the chilli sauce at the side table in front of the stall. 

The rice was served plain without sauce. I was not given an option to choose so I guess it is their default way of serving it. It was quite a challenge to eat it this way as the rice was rather dry which I ended up not finishing it. The charcoal roasted chicken is not as impressive as my FB friends claimed to be, though tender but not as flavorful as expected, it was just average. I did not particularly like it. The chilli was much spicer than most chicken rice stalls and with little ginger taste. 

I applaud the entrepreneurial efforts behind it but the taste is really not quite there yet. I would be curious to try their soya sauce chicken as I wonder whether it is really as good as that Michelin-starred version as my FB friend claimed to be. But, it might not be possible though as the owner has expressed his intention in giving up this stall by the end of April.

EVERY THING GOOD ROASTED RICE NOODLE HOUSE

(128 WANT TO EAT)

Block 23 Sin Ming Road SINGAPORE 570023

Operating Hours: 10.00 am to 7.30 pm

NOTE: The stall has closed down. 

Happy World Roast : by a passionate 3rd generation hawker

They have been around decades since 1961 at Sixth Avenue in Bukit Timah before moving to Empress Road Food Centre. This family run business is in the good hand of Edward Wong, the third generation that is running the stall currently. It is always heartening to see a passionate young hawker in doing his part to continue the legacy left behind by the earlier generations.

I went with their set for 1 pax that consists of a plate of char siew and sio bak together with a bowl of chap chye, a bowl of peanut soup and a bowl of rice for $6.00. 

The sio bak fared a bit better than the char siew and both are of a reasonable standard. It would be better if the braised sauce is served separately, perhaps in a bowl. The rice was served with dark sauce drizzled over, a rather traditional way of serving which you do not get to see it often these days.

Most roasted meat stalls do not serve chap chye, they might likely be the only one that is doing so. It tasted homely, a simple dish that is often cooked at home. It consists of cabbage, grass noodles and dried beancurd and it was braised over a good amount of time to achieve that delightful softness. It was also served along with a bowl of peanuts soup, another homely dish that will warm your heart. 

Though not the best but it has a lot of soul and authenticity that you do not come across often these days. This is truly the kind of passionate and hardworking hawker stall that deserves our utmost respect. 

HAPPY WORLD ROAST

7 Empress Road #01-107 Empress Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 260007

Operating Hours: 8.00 am to 6.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Roast Paradise : Char Siew is good but the Sio Bak is just so so

This was my third visit, the last two were about a year ago when they just started. Their queue now was much longer as compared to then. They are in the midst of opening a branch but the location has not been revealed yet. The queue was long but it moved quickly. I waited about 20 minutes before I got to order. I decided to go with 100 grammes of Char Siew ($4.70) and also 100 grammes of Sio bak ($4.70) with a  plate of rice (0.60 cents) and a bowl of Hakka noodle ($2.20). I was asked whether I want to have chilli to go with the Hakka noodle.

The Char Siew is still amongst the best that I had eaten but I could not say the same about their Sio Bak as I actually prefer those from 88 Hong Kong Roast Meat Specialist. The texture of the Char Siew was amazingly soft, this is their signature dish that has left many of their customers smitten. This can be addictive as well, the 100 grammes that we ordered to share did not seem to be quite enough. It is so good to be eaten on its own, without the chilli sauce and even the dark sauce that served along. 

The Sio Bak was slightly disappointing, certain part tasted a bit more saltish and slightly bland at the other part but the crispiness of the skin somewhat made up for it. 

The mee pok was cooked just right and served along with a handful of minced meat and slices of cucumber with chilli by the side. 

I actually prefer the noodle to the rice as I think is a better option. 

Somehow, they managed to live up to the hype and is doing well, which is good. 

ROAST PARADISE

51 Old Airport Road #01-121 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 2.30 pm / 4.30 pm to 6.30 pm (Tue, Thu to Sat)

10.30 am to 2.30 pm (Wed & Sun) (Closed on Mondays)

88 Hong Kong Roast Meat Specialist : Sio Bak is so good!

Martin Ong, the owner cum chef, first started it in Tampines then moved across the causeway to Johor Bahru and moved back to Singapore about 1.5 years later, to Bukit Batok. He then moved to Foch Road in January 2016, in a coffee shop off Jalan Besar before moving to the current location. This time, he has also set up another stall just next to it that offers wanton mee. Though under different names but he has been at it for about 5 years. 

There was a short queue on Sunday even though it was already after 2 pm. I decided to go with their char siew & sio bak rice that costs $4.50. 

Their sio bak has been strongly recommended by some friends on the Facebook and I have been looking forward to trying. I read it from somewhere that the entire process of roasting is more than 2 hours, which is slightly longer than most of the other stalls. It starts from the braising before proceeding to blow drying and then to the roasting. Those steps are to ensure that the fat is to burn well and also to achieve crispier skin. A good sio bak is the one that has a layer of crispy skin while keeping the flesh moist and tender, exactly like what I had tasted here. 

Char Siew is good as well, it was shiny, caramelised and slightly charred on the outside but still, tender and juicy within.  It is sweet and savoury with the right balance layers of fat.

I am going back for their roasted duck which I did not get to try this time. I took away once to have it at home when they were still at the coffee shop along Foch Road. Its taste was not memorable then but I heard it is getting much better now.

88 HONG KONG ROAST MEAT SPECIALIST

153 Tyrwhitt Road SINGAPORE 207566

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Daily)

Roast Paradise : Reasonably good char siew

The owners, Randall Gan and Kai Koh, both in their 20s, decided to give up their jobs at the integrated resorts and took a significant pay cuts to pursue their dream. This led them Famous Seremban Favourites, the shop of Kai's Uncle, one of the top roast shops at Petaling Jaya in Kuala Lumpur (KL) where they were trained to roast KL style roasted meat for about 4 months prior to starting this stall for a few months now.

They start their day as early as 5.00 am in order to have their first batch to be out by 11.00 am. Their char siew is a classic KL style, which has been intensely marinated and well caramelised to give it a distinct sweetness with a sticky texture and charred edges using the part in between the pig's shoulder and belly, near the armpit, which is supposedly more tender. It was then served in chunky pieces, the outer layer was nicely caramelised for a slightly crisper texture with a distinct smoky flavor and not comprising its tenderness. The texture was slightly fatter but it was perfectly roasted so you could not quite taste the fat-ishness of the meat but an excellent mouthfeel instead.

I was there close to 1 pm and they left with just a bit of char siew to go. I decided to have an upsized Hakka Noodle with char siew for $4.50. Hakka Noodle is not as common here as compared to KL, in fact, this is the first time that i came across it. 

I was given the choice to choose between the leaner or the fatter part for the char siew and i decided to have a half fat and half lean. It is served with pork oil, though similar but not the lard oil with a dash of sesame and onion oils with a handful of savoury minced meat. 

The mee pok was cooked to a rather soft texture, not quite al dente but much softer though not mushy. 

You could refer to their price list to decide what to order. Even though their operating time is till 4.00 pm but they usually sold out by lunch. 

As 2015 is coming to an end, i am in the midst to list the best food that i ate this year and this is definitely amongst those memorable food that i had.

UPDATE: i revisited the stall and they left the last batch of char siew which happened to be from the part at the both ends of the meat, it was a bit too charred and slightly too hard and i did not enjoy as much as compared to the first visit. They was only left roasted meat at 12 pm on a Sunday.

ROAST PARADISE

51 Old Airport Road #01-122 Old Airport Road Food Centre SINGAPORE 390051

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 4.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)