Shi Mei Hainanese Chicken Rice - Smoked Duck Rice @ Blk 371 Bukit Batok Street 31

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As its name suggests, Shi Mei Hainanese Chicken Rice is known for their chicken rice, particularly the Hainanese chicken and sesame chicken which I have tried four years ago.

This time, I am back to try their lemon chicken rice.

While in the queue, I noticed a hand-written menu plastered on the wall outside the stall. I had a quick browse and spotted smoked duck rice among the usual menu of chicken and roasts.

I had my very first smoked duck just a couple of months earlier from Chinatown Omelette Chef at Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre and I find myself liking it.

Just thinking about it makes my mouth water so I decided to have the smoked duck instead of lemon chicken and ordered a rice set for $4.50.

My order was served chicken rice style which came with a plate of smoked duck breast, a bowl of chicken rice, a bowl of soup and the usual chicken rice sauces of garlic chili and dark sauce.

I thought the serving of smoked duck breast was pretty generous for the price. I counted ten slices of meat.

The pinkish duck breast come with a thin layer of skin and fats. Its texture is quite unlike that of the roasted or braised variety. I find it lean more towards cured meat like ham.

Flavor wise, it has a smoky flavor that reminds me of bacon.

Underneath the duck breast is a pool of the stall's signature sauce.

I am guessing it is made with char siu sauce and perhaps with the addition of hoi sin/worcestershire/barbecue sauce.

However, I did not quite like it which is served with everything from their char siu, siu yuk and even the Hainanese chicken. When it comes to Singapore's National dish, I still prefer the traditional concoction of soy sauce and sesame oil.

I find the starchy sauce quite redundant and I am glad that they did not pour it over the duck which would really interfere with its taste profile.

Although not the fluffiest, the rice grains are not clumpy. It is also not too greasy which makes them easy to eat.

Flavor-wise, there is a nice aroma however, something seems lacking compared to what I remembered the last time I had it. The taste is "almost there but not yet there" if you know what I mean.

It is still pretty good to eat on its own.