The Dead Cockroach: Xiang Mei Roasted Meat & Chicken Rice - Nanyang Curry Chicken Noodle And Dong Quai Roasted Duck With Char Siu Rice @ 395A Bukit Batok West Ave 5

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This location at Goodview Gardens, 395A Bukit Batok West Ave 5, is actually Xiang Mei Roasted Meat & Chicken Rice's second outlet.

The address leads me to a annex building next to the multi-storey carpark where amenities such as a coffee shop, a clinic, a hair salon, a pet groomer and a Chinese medical hall are housed in.

Do take note that Xiang Mei is not one of the stalls inside the coffee shop but they took up tenancy in one of the shops outside it.

The eatery is not too big but it is clean and brightly lit with good ventilation owing to the tall ceiling. I feel really comfortable dining there.

There is no table service here. You have to place your own order at the counter where a beeper will be given to you after payment. Head back to the counter to collect your food once the device go off.

The original stall is still operating inside the S-11 coffee shop at Bukit Batok Central behind the bus interchange.

They have been serving roasted duck, char siu (bbq pork), siu yuk (roasted pork) and siu gai (roasted chicken) at this location for the last twenty odd years.

According to them, they have their beginnings at Bencoolen Street since the 1920s. This makes their brand more than a century old!

This review is made up of two separate visits.

During the first one, I had their Nanyang curry chicken noodle ($5.30).

Ingredients included chicken meat, tau pok and bean sprouts in a fragrant curry broth with a distinct lemongrass fragrance that I like.

Sadly, there are no curried potatoes.

When it comes to curry or laksa, my opinion is that the rempah should be the star. The coconut milk is just a supporting role so there should not be too much of it to steal the limelight.

Thankfully, the curry is not too heavily laden with coconut milk. I would describe its consistency as being more broth-liked than creamy so it is very drinkable without feeling jelak. It helps that it is also not very oily.

The spiciness is at a comfortable level so you do not need the fire brigade on standby.

It took me a great deal of will power to restrain myself from finishing the entire bowl of delicious curry.

I am not sure if you could request for chicken parts like the drums or wings? I did not and what I got were boneless breast meat chopped in thick chunks.

The chicken is the poached type so it is considerably tender.

On the second visit, I could not decide between the char siu and roasted duck therefore, I ordered the duo meat combo. You have the option to pair it with either rice, yellow noodles or hor fun.

I picked rice and the pricing is quite standard at $6 for two types of meat.

Gravy was doused on the white rice, giving it sweet and savory notes. I do not usually like starchy sauce on my rice but I have to admit that this one is pretty tasty.

Although what I got is the breast meat, the roasted duck is tender and does not have a fibrous texture that makes it a pain to eat.

With a mild hint of dong quai (Angelica root/female ginseng) flavor, the breast meat is pleasing on its own even without any dipping sauce needed.

What truly wowed me was their char siu. The exterior is caramelized with a layer of blackened char without that bitter aftertaste. Not sure if they baste their char siu with honey or maltose, it could be a little too sweet for some; a glob of marinade came into contact with the back of my spoon and they stuck together. I lifted the spoon into the air and the char siu simply clings on.

But I still like it though. It is not everyday that you come across such char siu.

As for the interior, there is a intermingling layers of fat and lean where the fat literally melts in my mouth. I closed my eyes in contentment as I savor the flavors.

My order came with a bowl of soup served on the side. Well, not those watered down kind that tastes like tap water sprinkled with spring onions and a dash of pepper but full-bodied ones with ingredients in it.

Today's soup-of-the-day is white radish soup.

From photos shown on the menu, it seems they also sell double boiled soups such as peanut chicken feet soup, sweet corn soup, herbal soup, Sichuan vegetable soup and salted vegetable soup.

While having my roasted meat rice, the aroma of chicken rice wafted to my nose.

Apparently, I could smell the garlic and pandan flavor from two tables away. This gives me a pretty good idea of what to have at my next visit!

Just check out their Google ratings of 4.0. So many people cannot be wrong?

They have impromptu off days but it usually falls on a Tuesday. They simply paste a note outside the shop to inform their patrons. There is no way of knowing beforehand as their social media are hardly updated.

This could be frustrating for people who came from afar to support them only to find it closed. I guess the only way is to give them a call at 9450 1941 before making your way down.

By the time this entry is posted, I have already visited this place about five times. Twice of it are on Tuesdays and they are closed. 😫

The location could be somewhat inconvenient unless you drive or live in the vicinity.

It is about a 8 minutes walk (600m) from Bukit Gombak MRT Station. Just walk under the MRT tracks heading towards Swiss Cottage Secondary School direction and you will see Goodview Gardens on your right. Just walk up those stairs on the right hand side in the photo above.

If the location is too out of the way, there is always Deliveroo and Foodpanda!