Min Jiang @ One North (岷江在纬壹)

Located in the lush surroundings of Rochester Park and housed in a two storey black and white colonial bungalow is Min Jiang at One North (岷江在纬壹). Popular for their wood fired Beijing Duck, Min Jiang will be launching its latest Australian Abalone Delights promotion taking place from 15 July to 14 August 2014, featuring Master Chef Goh Chee Kong's creativity with these treasures from the sea. Besides the ala carte menu, the promotion period also features a six course Abalone Indulgence Set Menu at $128.

Chef Goh's Appetiser Platter 4/5

We started our dinner with Chef Goh's Appetiser Platter ($25) that features four dainty appetisers. These are like the Chinese version of amuse bouche that gave an insight to Chef Goh's culinary skill. On the plate are Wok Tossed Lobster Medallion coated with Spicy Egg Yolk Crumbs, Crispy Eel coated with vinegar sauce and sesame seeds, Pan Fried Scallop stuffed in Tientsin Pear and topped with XO sauce and Fried Diced Chicken with Sichuan Pepper. Its quite hard to pick which is my favourite as it stood out on its whole.

Doubled Boiled Abalone with Morel Mushrooms in Shark's Bone Cartilage 4.8/5

The bowl of Doubled Boiled Abalone with Morel Mushrooms in Shark's Bone Cartilage ($32) simply blown me away with its rich and intense flavour. The bowl of nutrition soup is further given a boost with the addition of the chinese herb, Huai Shan which has health benefit such as lowering blood sugar, blood pressure and improve digestive system.

Wood Fired Beijing Duck 4.5/5

At Min Jiang, one should not miss their house specialty. The Wood Fired Beijing Duck ($45 Half Duck / $90 Whole Duck) uses only the finest local farm fed fresh water duck. The duck is then stuffed with vegetables and a combination of fresh herbs and spices, and roasted with apple wood in Singapore's first custom made wooden fired oven, giving it a nice aromatic and crispy skin

Wrapped Roasted Duck with Leek, Cucumber and Sweet Sauce 4.5/5

There are 4 ways that one can enjoy the wood fired Beijing Duck at Min Jiang. First is to enjoy the Crispy Duck Skin with Fine Granulated Sugar. This allows one to solely appreciate the contrast in taste and texture. Second is to wrap the roasted duck slices with leek, cucumber and sweet sauce in a homemade wheat pancakes. Another way of having the roasted duck which is gaining popularity in Beijing is to wrap them with mashed garlic, Tientsin cabbage and radish in the homemade wheat pancakes.

Stir Fried Mee Pok in XO sauce with Shredded Duck 4.2/5

Lastly one can choose a couple of cooking methods such as stir fried shredded duck with black pepper/ginger & spring onion, spicy minced duck with lettuce wrap, salted vegetable soup with duck & tofu, fried rice with duck and fried noodles with sliced duck. We had the Stir Fried Mee Pok in XO sauce with Shredded Duck which allows one to savour the duck to the fullest. Among all the different 4 methods of enjoying the Beijing Duck, my favourite is the wrapped roasted duck slices with leek, cucumber and sweet sauce in a homemade wheat pancakes

Braised 4 Head Abalone with Millet Broth 4.5/5

The Braised 4 Head Abalone with Millet Broth ($48) is an interesting pairing which surprising works excellently. The use of millet broth is an excellent substitution from the usual sauce. The golden hued broth gave the dish an extra layer of texture with its high in fibre, protein and antioxidants nutrition grain.

Fried Abalone and Pine Nuts in Spicy Sauce 4/5

Initially I thought it was going to be a deep fried abalone dish but it turned out the Fried Abalone and Pine Nuts in Spicy Sauce ($14) is actually a stir fried dish. Served in a pretty filo pastry nest, I was surprised how the abalone still retained its juiciness despite being cooked in high temperature.

Pandan Jelly with Lime Sorbet 4/5

I do not have a sweet tooth so I was delighted that I was served the Pandan Jelly with Lime Sorbet ($10) that was light and refreshing. It was also a fitting dessert to cleanse the palate after all the rich and savoury dishes.

From 01 August 2014, Min Jiang will also be introducing new dishes for their a la carte menu such as the Braised Wagyu Beef Cheek with Papaya Paste, Steamed Chicken with Black Fungus and Ginger Paste, Sauteed Seasonal Vegetables with Duo of Mushrooms and Truffle Oil.


Min Jiang at One North
No. 5 Rochester Park
Singapore 139216
Tel: +65 67740122
Facebook:
Website: http://www.goodwoodparkhotel.com
Nearest MRT: Buona Vista (CC Line, EW Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 230pm, 6pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Buona Vista MRT station. Take Exit B or C. Walk to Star Vista. At Rochester Drive turn left. Continue on Rochester Drive to the end of the road. Cross the road and continue on Rochester Park. Walk to destination. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

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
Facebook
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]