No different animal has had fairly as many comparisons drawn to its meat. Alligator? Tastes like hen. Frog? Snake? Nonetheless hen. Turtle? You guessed it – hen. As compared, regardless of additionally being a well-liked poultry product, duck receives not one of the status. I’m not ashamed to declare myself a non-duck rice fanatic.
However a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient? Cheok Kee Boneless Braised Duck elicited a distinct response. It was time to have a quack at fairly probably the perfect duck rice stall round with its over 30 years of expertise.
So within the twilight hours between lunch and dinner, I made a visit Geylang Bahru Market & Meals Centre.
Since a queue had already fashioned by then, we went searching for a desk and drinks pondering the road would merely peter out.
Such naivety was punished once I returned minutes later to see that the very reverse had occurred. What had initially appeared like an exaggeration in critiques turned out to be true. Hopefully, the praises sung in regards to the duck rice had been additionally spot on.
The stall Auntie has constructed a nasty fame for herself over time with many making references to her unfriendly manner. To make sure my order glided by and not using a hitch, I had each money and a digital fee app already open as contingency. The interplay was abrasive but it surely wasn’t arduous to see she was simply making an attempt her darnedest to chop down ready time for the queue. ‘Impatient’ could be extra correct.
Behind their glass show and obscured by a dizzying variety of awards and articles was an infinite mound of geese, little question a needed amount to feed the fixed stream of patrons.
What I attempted at Cheok Kee Boneless Braised Duck
Rice (S$0.50) is just not included within the 1-person set (S$4.50), and I made a further order of Duck Gizzard (S$1) and Duck Liver (S$1) which introduced the entire price to S$7. The portion dimension seemed to be simply sufficient for a mean eater.
I used to be there to look at the auntie switch freshly cooked rice from a large cooker to an equally gigantic rice bucket. The steamy spectacle had me anticipating the grains to be extremely delicate however they turned out to be at a good equilibrium. Dipping my head was sufficient for an efficacious dose of mouth-watering aroma.
Like a large subject battery, the platter of duck meat had its personal regiment of supporting gizzard and liver slices on the facet. A shallow pool of braised gravy occupied its undercarriage, denoting a beneficiant drizzle.
Since I hardly ever have gizzard, its muted purple caught my consideration first. Because the ‘second abdomen’, it serves an analogous operate to enamel by breaking down arduous gadgets like seeds or non-edibles that wind up in a duck’s digestive tract. Its make-up of largely contractile tissue makes it sometimes more durable than the opposite cuts. And it was robust with a little bit of spring, placing up fairly a little bit of resistance in opposition to my small enamel.
Subsequent chews returned a doughier texture with the slice dropping firmness over time. Whereas I didn’t discover the expertise disagreeable, no extra made it onto my spoon.
On to acquainted territory – the undeniably juicier slices of duck meat. These had a neater time absorbing the gravy for an added ‘mmm’ issue. I suppose the place duck meat distances itself from hen is the olfactory suggestions – the previous possessing a barely gamier scent. The gravy added its savoury soy sauce profile to the relative flatness of the meat, tacking on a gentle sweetness on the finish.
Its pores and skin by some means retained the faintest of crisp regardless of the torrent of gravy it had been subjected to. It made a killer complement alongside the meat, with relative toughness making up for quantity.
The duck liver’s preliminary firmness gave method to a clean mouthfeel checkered with the occasional chalkiness.
2 sauces are offered at Cheok Kee Boneless Braised Duck and I opted to have each. The liver is taken up a notch by the thicker sambal‘s savoury kick and its grittiness, imbuing extra depth.
The (Thai?) chilli sauce alternatively labored marvellously at throwing sweetness into the combination. Whereas the gravy’s toned flavours did complement the meat, a cacophonous mix of candy, savoury and spicy at times makes for a pleasing mouthful.
The soup was surprisingly a standout of its personal. I’m all the time taken without warning every time these virtually clear concoctions spring a multitudinously numerous scent as I take unassuming sips to douse the flames. I really slowed my livid tempo to get pleasure from its soothing, delicate impact.
Closing ideas
Fact be instructed, I needed to remind myself this was in actual fact a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient on the finish of the meal. Deferring to my good friend who was extra of a duck rice connoisseur, I discovered that even he felt that nothing specifically had stood out as staggeringly spectacular. I might say we got here into this with overly excessive expectations.
Finally, the meal at Cheok Kee Boneless Braised Duck was inoffensive and had all of the makings of a good plate of duck rice. What actually introduced the warmth (and actually) had been the sauces, so I might advocate scooping these as nicely. It’s unlikely I might return to do this once more however I do admire that costs have, at the very least at first look, been unchanged since their Bib Gourmand ranking this yr.
