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

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.

Zhen Wang Family Restaurant - Nameless Braised Duck Rice @ Bukit Timah Plaza

Update: Zhen Wang Family Restaurant has permanently closed.

I cannot believe what a dork I have been, letting such a gem of a braised duck rice slipping by under my nose all these years! 

Bukit Timah Plaza has been my childhood playground since the Yaohan era but I have never noticed this Zhen Wang Family Restaurant before. 

It was not until recently that I learned of this nameless duck rice stall located inside the eatery on a social media post. I was scratching my head over the existence of this place wondering why I have never seen it before despite claims that it has been there for over twenty years?

I went down to take a look and I found out why.

I have always entered the building through the entrance under Anak Bukit Flyover and would head straight for the escalator to go down to B2 where Yaohan, Wishbone and Waffle Town are. 

The eatery is located at the far end near the escalator side on B1 where I admittedly have never ever turned to look in that direction before. 

My habit upon reaching Bukit Timah Plaza is to head to B2 because that is where all my favorite shops are.

Come to think of it, I hardly go to the other floors where the maid agencies, tuition centre, music school and other specialty shops are. 

This explains why I have not seen or even heard of Zhen Wang Family Restaurant.

Seng Heng Braised Duck @ Redhill Market & Food Centre

Seng Heng Braised Duck is one of those stalls at Redhill Market & Food Centre that is only opened for a couple of hours in the morning before they are sold out for the day. 

I made a trip here for their duck noodle previously but they were already closed when I got there at 11am.

This time round, I specially planned to arrive earlier to make sure I lay my hands on a bowl of their duck noodle. 

How early? This early. 

South Buona Vista Road Famous Teochew Boneless Duck Rice - Closing At The End Of November! @ 16 Sam Leong Road

Update: South Buona Vista Road Famous Teochew Boneless Duck Rice has relocated. The new address has been updated at the bottom of this post.

There is a braised duck rice stall with a rather lengthy name located near Mustafa Centre.

Its owner, Mr Ang Chiap Teck - brother-in-law to the founder of the famous Lim Seng Lee Duck Rice at Buona Vista - set up the business here at Verdun Road in 2013 after Lim Seng Lee closed down during that same year.

As a mark of respect to his brother-in-law who had given him his blessings to revive the 45 years old business, Mr Ang did not continue with the Lim Seng Lee brand. Instead, he named his business South Buona Vista Road Famous Teochew Boneless Duck Rice.

I have kiv-ed this stall for quite a few years now but have never gotten round to paying them a visit.

While getting out of bed one Saturday morning, I suddenly made up my mind not to put it off any longer and took the train to Farrer Park MRT station. Cutting through City Square Mall, I exited the mall and crossed the road to the opposite side where the stall is located inside a coffee shop named Kim San Leng.

There were no customers that Saturday morning so I was able to order a plate of braised duck rice for $4 immediately.

Chuan Kee Boneless Braised Duck Rice @ Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre

Chuan Kee specializes in braised duck meat and is one of the more popular stalls at Ghim Moh Market & Food Centre. It was included in the Michelin Bib Gourmand for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019.

Not that the inclusion in the list matters (not to me anyway) because with or without it, Chuan Kee have no lack of customers coming for their signature braised duck. The French tyre simply caused frustration in people who have to cope with the queue they created.

You can have the braised duck with either rice, noodle or porridge in three sizes ($3/$4/$5).

I was actually hesitating whether to give them a try. I mean, I do like braised duck rice but I prefer having it with white rice and a non starchy sauce like what Cai Ji and Ah Xiao are serving.

Despite Chuan Kee serving their braised duck with a dark colored looking rice and starchy sauce which is not really what I like, I still decide to go ahead and ordered for myself the $4 braised duck rice set.

Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap @ Chinatown Complex Market & Food Centre

Melvin Chew, second generation owner of Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck & Kway Chap took over reins of the 36 years old business from his father after the elder Chew's demise a few years ago. He now runs the stall with his mother.

Unlike other conventional lor ark (braised duck) stalls which serves either rice or kway chap, Melvin went one step further by injecting Japanese influences into this traditional Teochew dish. Think bento and ramen with lor ark.

Jin Ji does serve their braised ducks the traditional way for the purists, of course, but the new offerings will appeal to the millennials. After all, they are quite Instagram-worthy. 

Cheng Heng Kway Chap And Braised Duck Rice @ Holland Drive Market & Food Centre

In my opinion, Cai Shu Kway Chap at my neighborhood serves one of the best braised pig's offal there is and I especially enjoy slurping up their slippery kway in the delicious broth which I could easily have three bowls of.

I have to admit that I have not eaten that many kway chaps to come to a fair conclusion; there are many other kway chap stalls like Lao San and To-Ricos which are all very famous but until I have the chance to give them a try, Cai Shu shall remain crowned at the top of my list.

Kway chap is something that you can customize according to your liking by picking your favorite ingredients or simply have a little of everything. For me, I only like the big intestines, pork belly and pig's skin. As for the braised egg, fish cake, tau kwa and taupok, not so much.

This week, I visited Cheng Heng Kway Chap And Braised Duck Rice at Holland Drive Market & Food Centre for their kway chap which seems to be quite popular.

A one person serving here costs $3.50.

牛車水阿婆鹵鴨 @ Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre

I am not a duck person but I am a convert after discovering Cai Ji's braised duck from Seah Im Food Centre a couple of years ago. Now, whenever I come across a braised duck stall at any food centre, I would be most willing to give it a try.

During my first visit to Commonwealth Crescent Market & Food Centre, I noticed there is a braised duck stall called 牛車水阿婆鹵鴨 located near the escalator. Although there is a perpetual queue in front of the stall, it gets cleared pretty fast. I made a mental note to give it a try during my next visit.

On my second visit, I came up from the escalator and was elated to see no one in the queue. The stall owner was sitting outside the stall, taking a break.

I immediately walk up to her and ordered a plate of braised duck rice ($3).

Yu Kee House Of Braised Duck 友記鹵鴨之家 @ Adam Road Food Centre

I will be upfront with you. 

Yu Kee House Of Braised Duck was not on my list of to-eats at Adam Road Food Centre. It is more of an accidental find because I am really there to try Noo Cheng Big Prawn Noodle.

For some reason, the lights at Noo Cheng were not lit. I then turned to another stall, Cheng Ji for its pork leg bee hoon but, the stall is not ready as well.

Am I too early at 10-ish in the morning? It is way pass their stipulated opening hours though.

While looking around for alternatives, my gaze fell upon the row of glistening braised ducks hanging inside Yu Kee. From the menu, the stall serves the usual roasts such as char siew, roasted pork, roasted chicken, roasted duck and braised duck with either rice or noodle. 

I find it quite unusual for a stall to offer both roasted and braised ducks. It is either one or the other. I have yet to come across a stall that offers both - until now.

If the stall's name is of any indication, the braised duck here is their specialty hence I ordered their braised duck noodle.

Ah Xiao Teochew Braised Duck @ Golden Mile Food Centre

Ever since I had the braised duck rice with added pig's skin from Cai Ji Boneless Duck Rice at Seah Im Food Centre, I have been unable to put it out of my mind.

Thus, when I saw a braised duck stall at the basement of Golden Mile Food Centre, I quickly went to queue for a plate. 

As its name implies, the stall, called Ah Xiao Teochew Braised Duck (亞笑潮洲卤鸭) serves braised duck with either rice or kway chap. They have the usual sides of duck gizzards, Teochew fish cake and braised egg. They also have a small selection of pork belly and pig's skin.

I decided to order a plate of braised duck rice ($3) with additional pig's skin (50¢).

No Signboard Braised Duck Rice Noodle Porridge @ Mei Ling Market & Food Centre

Update: No Signboard Braised Duck Rice Noodle Porridge has permanently closed.

While on the escalator going up to review Sweet.Rex on the second floor of Mei Ling Market & Food Centre, my nose caught a whiff of the lor (braised sauce) from the braised duck stall.

The aroma reminds me of the braised duck from my childhood. It has been a long time since I come across a braised duck that smells this similar to the one in my memory.

Unfortunately, braised duck is not on the agenda for the day so I had to make plans to come back for it some other time.

After I got home that night, I cannot put the smell of the lor out of my mind. I began to google about the stall and came across reviews claiming it to be the best traditional braised duck in Singapore.

I also found out that the stall was from the former Margaret Drive Hawker Centre. Ah, that explains the Makan Places Lost & Found decal I saw pasted on the glass, among several newspaper cuttings.

Cai Ji Boneless Braised Duck Rice Porridge @ Seah Im Food Centre

Duck meat is not my favorite choice of poultry as I dislike the texture especially the breast meat. In Cantonese terms, I called it 嚡熠熠 (hai3 sab4 sab4).

That is why I do not usually eat duck unless there is a craving for it.

But all that is set to change after my discovery of this braised duck stall at Seah Im Food Centre!

Among the very few braised duck rice that I have eaten throughout my life, none could excite me as much as Cai Ji Boneless Braised Duck Rice Porridge can!

It all started when I saw a photo of it on Instagram. Just like the photo I took above, it was a plate of braised duck rice with several coils of braised pig's skin.

In all honesty, it was the pig's skin and not the duck meat which tempted me at that time.