The Dead Cockroach: Run Ji Cooked Food - Old School Braised Duck Rice @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

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Run Ji Cooked Food has been at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre for a very long time. Based on its name alone, it is not quite telling what the stall sells.

They serve braised duck rice here which I have always been wanting to try however, I would always end up having "the usuals" out of habit whenever I visit the food centre.

This review is made up of the experiences from two visits. During the first one, I ordered a plate of braised duck rice ($4) and added on pig's skin ($1) but right after taking ONE photo, my camera ran out of juice.

I visited the stall again, a week later just before the lunch crowd descend upon the food centre.

I made the same order of braised duck rice with pig's skin. Both visits, the lady running the stall checked if I wanted the duck breast or duck thigh of which I requested for the latter.

My order included braised duck meat and pig's skin served with rice, on a disposable Styrofoam plate. Take note that the stall does not serve soup on the side.

Both times, I was impressed by the generous serving of duck meat and pig's skin which I truly find value for money.

However, the duck meat from the first visit was meatier while those from the second visit were more bones than meat.

The duck meat here is served bone-in by default. During the first visit, I overheard the customer before me requesting to debone his order which the lady in the stall obliged without a word. I did not want to trouble her so I just took it as it is.

Not sure if it has anything to do with regards to the part of the duck I chose, the duck meat is moist and tender. As for the pig's skin, it is supple but still firm to the bite.

When having rice served on plates such as duck rice, chicken rice, char siew and roasted pork rice or even economical rice, I am more inclined to using the fork and spoon.

Only when the rice is served in rice bowls will I use chopsticks. Unfortunately, the stall provided disposable plastic spoons and chopsticks on the counter.

Plastic cutlery are not very helpful when it comes to dealing with bones so I ended up using my bare hands instead.

This may look like your typical garlic chili but it is not as spicy and leans more on the tangy side. The sour notes from the addition of vinegar is addictively appetizing!

During the first visit, the stall had run out of cooked rice so she ran to a neighboring stall with a big bowl to borrow some.

The rice from the second visit was a little mushy but somehow, I find it comforting to have with the braising sauce and chili sauce mixed in.

Run Ji's braised duck rice brought me back to a particular day of my childhood when we visited Mum's elder brother at his kampung along old Choa Chu Kang Road where Keat Hong Camp now stands.

The scene of Mum and I sitting on the swing under the shade of the big tree outside the family provision store is vividly fresh on my mind. As we swing gently in momentum, Mum fed me a delicious lunch of braised duck rice cooked by my uncle.

Although that is the one and only time I had my uncle's duck rice, I recall the flavor of the braise right down to the texture of the rice is strikingly familiar to Run Ji's.

From my observations, Run Ji Cooked Food does not have much footfall. The queue is usually not more than three persons deep. It does not even have much media presence. I wonder why?

But one thing I do know, is that it has found a fan in me and it will be included as one of "the usuals" for me from now on.