Old haunts exposed
Tucked away in one of the corners in the basement of Bukit Timah plaza lies a hidden gem, Zhen Wang Family Restaurant. This restaurant has served a seemingly ordinary plate of Duck and yam rice for over 21 years.
How did i come about this place? Story time!
Well, many years ago when i was in sec 2-3 i used to frequent this LAN cafe nearby on the same floor as this little gem ( ya, i was a little delinquent gamer) , i never considered myself rich but i always prepared enough money for 3 hours of gaming and a meal, usually something simple like nasi lemak from bukit timah marker and hawker center. however it was a good 5-10 min walk from the LAN cafe, don’t get me wrong , they serve food that i hold in a special place in my heart but gaming time was more important to me back then. So with 5 dollars in my pocket and a hungry stomach, i decided to take some time before i started my session to search for affordable eats around the slightly outdated mall. That was when i came across this glorious place, at just $3.50 a standard plate( or in my case, a Styrofoam box as i usually ta bao and eat at the LAN cafe ).
The box was packed with a generous portion of rice and duck. ( i’m writing this from work so i don’t actually have a photo of it now so, imagine your standard white Styrofoam box, the rice fills the base and only left roughly 1/2 a centimeter of space which was then just packed with duck and smothered with a thick, herbal duck sauce and like 3 standard cut cucumber slice.) Like what the heck? how are they still open?! They’re so generous with the portions and at $3.50?! <- image ripped from google but it looks exactly like that.
They say that money can’t buy happiness, i call bullshit. That box makes me happy.
Here’s how i dress mine up, when the boss hands you the plate, he has a few condiments at the side, Spring onions, Fried shallots and 2 types of chili. i would ask for extra sauce on the top, get a generous spoon full of fried shallots and some spring onion and then put the duck rice chili at the side and some chicken rice chili as well. Dat thicc sauce just coats the rice and the just slightly mixing the shallots in will give you this crunch and slight fried sensation, absolutely divine, its so good that as i’m writing this, I’ve decided that i’ll head down there this weekend for a plate of it. I’ve goosebumps man, goosebumps.
So, what should you get when you’re there?
For starters try the standard plate of duck rice at $3.50,
sides/extras you can get
-Duck egg noodles @ $3.50
– Whole braised egg @$0.50
– Braised Duck Gizzards and Livers, the Boss charges from $1 onwards, up to however much you want.
-Braised Duck wings and Feet. This one similarly is priced from $1 onwards to whatever the boss has left.
-White chicken, just your basic “bai ji” nothing to write home about but not terrible
-Duck/Chicken porridge@ $3.50 , typical chinese comfort food great for cold mornings and lazy afternoons.
Now you know what to get, here’s what to avoid.
They serve other roasted delights but here’s the thing, i can’t remember what they serve, i know i’ve eaten everything on their menu before, and if i can’t even remember whats on the menu, that means it’s not even worth remembering.
Here’s what i remember and explanations to why to avoid them.
-The kway teow, typical kway teow, but the water they cooked it in was too starchy for me.The last time i had the duck kway teow was less than a month ago and it was my first and last time(so far). Here’s why: When my order came, you could tell that the kway teow was cooked in the same pot of water, as such, cooking multiple orders of starch covered foods makes the water, well… starchy. they literally layered the box with the kway teow then sauce and toppings, like i love the sauce they make but even the sauce can’t carry that box of noodles. don’t get me wrong i love me some kway teow but when its covered with starchy water,near glue consistency…. Yeah that’s a no from me
-Yellow noodles(typical fish ball yellow noodle, yes that noodle)
Now, i know some people love yellow noodles but personally i can’t stand that distinct taste of it, i feel like it just does not pair well with the sauce. I prefer my yellow noodles in like mee rubus or in fish ball noodle form. but if you do like it go ahead that was just my 2 cents on yellow noodles.
Other than that if you’re going for just the duck rice + sides, you have a fantastic meal to look forward to.
If i had to rate the place on google i’d do a 4.8 / 5, ONLY if going for the Duck rice and other recommended items.
You can find this spot
@ 1 Jln Anak Bukit, Singapore 588996
#B1-47
That ’bout wraps it up on my end, my boss is coming round now so imma head off.
Hi ! its me again, hope you like my first review, i must admit i’m not that eloquent with English but the purpose of this blog is to improve my English. baby steps ya?
I’m trying to go for a sort of informal-friendly disposition in my writing, similar like how i’d introduce you to a place as if i were talking to you, just slightly more structured cause i’m writing it instead of actually talking. Now how do you create a comment section?
Old Haunts and secret spots 