Zhen Wang Family Restaurant: Enjoy S$3.50 Duck Rice At This 24-Year-Old Family-Owned Store In Bukit Timah

Located at Basement One of Bukit Timah Plaza lies a hidden gem, and by hidden, I’m being quite literal. This deli is obscure as it is situated at a corner of the shopping mall.

Zhen Wang Family Restaurant has been operating in Bukit Timah Plaza for a long time. It serves a variety of local delights, ranging from yong tau foo and roti prata, to the famous duck rice stall that has fed the bellies of many students from the Bukit Timah area and the residents that live within the vicinity.

I had a lovely conversation with the owner, Mr Liew Wei Loong, who runs the stall with his wife. He inherited the recipe from his mother, who opened the stall 24 years ago.

Yam Duck Rice With Egg (S$3.50, S$0.50 for extra egg) is the stall’s best-seller, and to date is what everyone flocks there to eat. I asked a few customers, who turned out to be regular patrons of the stall, what entices them to come back over and over again.

“It’s the quality and the quantity. 10 years ago, 10 years later, the recipe still stays the same, and so does the price! That’s how you know that it’s a good stall.”

Upon hearing that, I was already salivating. In fact, the smell hits you even before you approach the stall. The aromatic broth of duck soup and yam rice permeated the air and stimulated my tastebuds in every way possible.

I ordered the Yam Duck Rice With Egg and a Duck Noodle With Egg (S$3.50, S$0.50 for extra egg). At first glance, it looked seemingly like an ordinary plate of duck rice and duck noodle.

Upon closer inspection, I realised that there was only duck breast served. Curious, I asked Mr Liew why he serves only duck breast. “Duck breast has the most flavour and the marination works best with the breast. If you don’t realise, ducks have really skinny legs, so the meat there is not as tender as the breast”, he quipped.

Having said that, they do sell other parts of the duck should you wish to request for it.

I was so excited to dig in to this plate of Yam Duck Rice With Egg already. Picking up a piece of duck breast, I could already tell how tender it was by how the fork easily pierced the protein.

I was inclined to say that this duck rice was really duck-ing good, out loud. That was how good the plate of yam duck rice was. Delectable slices of duck breast rested on a piping hot bed of yam rice, which has to be the best carbohydrate one can have with duck.

Given that the duck rice was already phenomenal, I had high hopes for the Duck Noodle With Egg. Served with a plate of Hokkien fresh noodle, commonly known as ‘yellow noodle’ to Singaporeans, the plate is drenched with the duck sauce and topped with duck breast. There were also beansprouts which helped give the entire dish an added crunch.

It looked dry initially, but upon mixing the noodles together with the duck and the sauce, it all came together harmoniously. As compared to the plate of duck rice, it was definitely lighter in terms of taste as it was just normal yellow noodles.

However, that did not discount the fact that it is an amazing plate of duck noodles. I noticed that one can request to change the yellow noodles to thin egg noodles, like the kind we see in wanton mee.

This was an amazing meal and I was highly satisfied with my dishes. I was never a big fan of duck initially, but this place really changed my impression of how duck should taste like.

I asked Mr Liew if he was going to pass the recipe down to the next generation since his mother taught him how to cook all the dishes. “Well, I have to see if my children are willing to learn! But for now, we are saving money in hopes of opening our own stall in the next couple of years. Please do support then!”, he exclaimed excitedly.

The hospitality of Mr Liew and his wife are also another reason why the customers are always back for more. They are heartwarming and friendly owners; that, combined with a scrumptious plate of duck rice just adds warmth to one’s soul.

Here is a pro-tip for you if you are heading down to Zhen Wang Family Restaurant—the soup is refillable! And trust me, you’ll ask for a second bowl.

Expected Damage: S$3.50 – S$4 per pax