Good simple duck and char siu rice
One of my favourite simple meals is a good plate of Cantonese roasted meats served with some rice. I’m partial especially to a beautifully roasted duck. The skin has to be just a tad crispy and the meat juicy and tender. And while I’m usually not a huge fan of char siu (barbecued pork), if it’s done well, i.e. it’s very umami, soft and succulent, it can be delicious.
While there are several very popular and famous places for duck and char siu rice around town, one of my favourites is little-known. Ming Kee Cantonese Roasted Duck is situated in Coffeetown, a small hawker centre tucked in a rather far-off corner of Rochor Centre (1 Rochor Road) in Singapore. I like that Ming Kee is never too crowded. Even during lunch hour, I never really have to wait too long for my food. Too often, we go to celebrated hawkers, wait for far too long in line, and then receive mediocre and underwhelming food. Ming Kee is the opposite. You get really good food here without the hassle of waiting in queue.
I also like that despite being an open-air hawker centre, it’s never too hot here. S calls it smart tropical architecture. The seating area is well-shaded by the surrounding tall buildings. It’s a surprisingly pleasant environment. You can eat here at noon on a sunny day without sweating through your lunch.
As said, the duck is good, as is the char siu. The one time I tried the siu yuk (crispy roasted pork), it was okay but not stunning. Ultra-finicky gourmets might find a few faults with the food here, but for a quick, reasonably-priced and fuss-free lunch, I think Ming Kee is just about perfect.
Ming Kee Cantonese Roasted Duck is open every day from 1030am to 7pm.
About Aun Koh
Aun has always loved food and travel, passions passed down to him from his parents. This foundation, plus a background in media, pushed him to start Chubby Hubby in 2005. He loves that this site allows him to write about the things he adores--food, style, travel, his wife and his three kids!
mmmm….looks delish
That looks so fantastic. I’ve been reading yr blog for some time now and i’m just amazed by all the food you eat. Not to mention it always looks amazing. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt to have a great eye for things 🙂 I was wondering if you knew where I could find those dishes that that place uses?
Johanna
That duck looks soooooo succulent! I’ll had this to my list of places to visit when I travel to Singapore.
Oh that does look really good. I could devour that!
There’s no reason not to take CH’s word for it.
Time to eat some char siew rice!
There is one of the same name Meng Kee around the Bay Area,CA, but I think the S’pore version must be much more d’lish!
so what is the physical address of this place or where is it exactly?
Notshy: Sorry, I couldn’t actually figure out the physical address. Rochor Centre is 1 Rochor Road. Coffeetown is on the part of the Centre facing Ophir Road. It isn’t too difficult to find.
this was an excellent recommendation! had lunch there today… absolutely delightful!
thanks!
I’m salivating already and looking forward to checking it out!
For those of you who don’t know how to get to Ming Kee at Rochor, fear not! Ming Kee actually has branches in Bedok South. Ming Kee is located at Blk 69 Bedok South Ave 3. There are two coffeeshops there with two duck rice stalls and they taste almost the same. Reason? The guy pictured above actually started his own stall in the Ming Kee’s original coffeeshop.