Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck (金记潮州卤鸭) @ Smith Street Food Centre (Chinatown Complex)

Located at the same stretch of hawker stalls with Yuet Loy and Mitzi at Smith Street Food Centre is Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck (金记潮州卤鸭). Started in 1980 by Melvin's parents, the stall has been around for more than 30 years. The stall initially sells Teochew braised duck only but as time gone by it has added other items such as kway chap on the menu.

Braised Duck 4.2/5

I visited the stall with my kakis, Ian and Tony on a Sunday afternoon to check out the stall. We started off with a platter of braised duck and innards to go with the rice and kway (broad rice sheets). First I tried the Teochew Braised Duck. Using only duck that is above 2kg and not more than 3kg, the duck is braised using more than 10 different spices in a recipe thought by an old master. The duck is succulent and fragrant while not too fatty.

Braised Innards 4/5

Many are afraid to eat Innards because if it was not cleaned probably it can be quite unappetizing. However, I can safely said that the ones I had was probably cleaned and well braised, infused with the herbally braised sauce.

Kway 4/5

Which did of Kway do you like to go with your Kway Chap? The thin or thick type? While the thin type is smoother in texture, I prefer the thicker version that is used at Jin Ji. As the kway or broad rice sheets are tasteless, I find that the thicker rice sheets can better absorbed the sauce and has a better bite.

Rice 3/5

The Rice for the duck rice was a little short of our expectation. Using short grains, it lacked the bite that I was looking for. While I can spot dried shrimps and fried shallots, the rice somehow was still lacking in fragrant.

Pig Ear and Pig Tongue 4/5

Besides Teochew braised duck and kway chap, Jin Ji also sells Pig Ear and Pig Tongue that are not commonly available. Pig ear and pig tongue may sound acquire but it is a delicacy to some. This is a perfect beer snack for me.

After trying out the braised duck and kway chap at Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck, the three of us all agreed that the braised sauce with its recipe of more than 10 different herbs is the star here. It seems like everything goes well with the braised sauce. If the stall can improve on their rice, it will be perfect. By the way I heard that their new rendition of the dry stew duck kway teow with vinegar garlic chilli is pretty awesome too.


Jin Ji Teochew Braised Duck (金记潮州卤鸭)
Chinatown Complex
Smith Street Food Centre
Blk 335 Smith Street
#02-156
Singapore 050335
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Nearest MRT: Chinatown (DT Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 10am - 7pm
Sat-Sun: 10am - 7pm
(Closed on Fri)

Direction: 
1) Alight at Chinatown MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk down Pagoda Street. Turn right onto Trengganu Street and walk to the end of the street. Cross Smith Street and walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Le Cuisine @ Chinatown Point

So Celebrity Chef Daniel has closed its Chef Daniel's Kitchen at Bugis+ and opened a new salad and casserole concept restaurant at Chinatown Point called Le Cuisine. Located at the far corner of the shopping mall at basement two, the open concept restaurant gives the feeling that one is dining in the street of Europe.

I did a brief tour around the premises, walking to the back of the restaurant and spotted the open concept kitchen where shoppers can have full view how a dish is all put together before it is begin served to the table. If I am the chef inside the kitchen I would probably felt the pressure from the hundred pairs of eyes looking through the glass.

Mesclun Salad 4.2/5

The dinner started with the Mesclun Salad ($7.8). For a simple bowl of greens tossed in orange and raspberries vinaigrette, this is packed with lovely flavours. The dried berries and assorted nuts further gave the salad a crunchy enjoyement.

Six Sense Mushroom 3.8/5

When I saw the Six Sense Mushroom ($6.80) in the menu, I knew I got to have it. I remembered having it back at Chef Daniel's Kitchen which showcases his East meets West creation using chinese herbs like Qian Shi, Huai Shan, Xiang Lian , Hai He, Yu Zhu and Dried Longan to give the mushroom soup a nice Asian twist. Even crunchy chinese cabbage was used in substitute of croutons. Unfortunately, this is not the same bowl of soup that I had back then missing that Asian twist. Nevertheless, this is still a decent hearty and comforting bowl of soup.

Signature Crabmeat Burger 3/5

Signature Crabmeat Burger ($13.50) really sounds interesting. Even the presentation makes me want to dig in immediately. Maybe the name was misleading or the expectation was too high. It turned out to be more of an ebi burger than a crabmeat burger. I hardly could taste or find any traces of crab in it. I thought the whole highlight was the bed of stir fried cabbages at the bottom of the plate.

Lamb Shank 4/5

I was told before that if someone cooks you lamb shank it is out of love because of the long hours needed in cooking it. The slow cooked Lamb Shank ($15.50) braised in rose wine and red grain marinade fell off the bone with ease. The tender lamb shank was served with beans ragout and tomato fondue to complete the meal.

Lychee Pork 4.2/5

The Lychee Pork ($13.50) is an interesting interpretation by Chef Daniel of the traditional kong bak pau. Instead of the usual braised sauce, the pork belly is stewed in lychee coulis with shitake mushrooms. The way to eat this is to sandwich the pork belly in between the butter lettuce. The taste remembers me of sweet and sauce pork with surprise burst of lychee pops.

Cioppino 4.5/5

What is so special about the Cioppino ($15.50)? Is it just pasta in tomato sauce? The presentation may looks ordinary but be surprised by the flavours in the sauce. The penne with seafood is stewed in a special chef daniel's blend, roasted tomato and pineapple. I could not really put it into words but I felt that I was hit my a tsunami of flavours but yet something very familiar that is spicy, garlicy, sweet and tangy.

Chocolate Fondant 4/5

Moving on to dessert, I had the classic Chocolate Fondant ($6.50) served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was rich and moist.

Aloe Vera Jelly 4/5

If you are looking for something light and refreshing, then you ha to try the Aloe Vera Jelly ($5.50) with seasonal berries and mints. It is perfect for me as I am not a sveweet person. This also helps to cleanse the palate after a heavy meal.

I think what appeal me at Cuisine is Chef Daniel's East meets West culinary concept. Even though he has relocated to Le Cuisine at Chinatown Point, there are still glimpses of his concept in his dishes. The price point is also very reasonable. The new restaurant also has a private room that can sit up to 12 person where Chef Daniel can specially designed off menu dishes around the budget. I thought this is very interesting and I am already thinking of planning my own private function already.


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Le Cuisine
133 New Bridge Road
B2-34/36
Chinatown Point
Singapore 059413
Tel: +65 65381963
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lecuisinesg
Website: http://www.lecuisine.com.sg/
Nearest MRT: Chinatown (DT Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Chinatown MRT station. Take Exit G or E. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]