What’s the most Singaporean way to find good food? Follow the queue, of course. At Zheng Wei 正味 Duck Rice along Bangkit Road, the lunch queue is never-ending.
And for good reason, too; the duck rice, duck noodles and duck kway teow from this stall are well-known amongst the residents of the area.
Since I’m quite often in Bukit Panjang, I’ve been here quite a few times and have decided to share this with the world.
The Braised Duck Rice ($3, add-on $0.50 for egg) is best enjoyed with the Yam Rice. However, the quantity is usually limited, so once they run out, you’ll only get white rice. And business is brisk, so the Yam Rice usually sells out around 12.30pm.
The Yam Rice adds more flavour to the dish and I always get it because I really enjoy the earthy taste and slightly more sticky texture. Unfortunately, they had sold out of Yam Rice even earlier than usual on the day I visited, so I had to make do with plain ol’ white rice.
Go early so you can experience the best combination of flavours!
The dish came with a generous portion of duck meat, sliced and drizzled with braised sauce. The sauce actually added a good balance of sweet and savoury flavours.
While the duck meat was mostly tender and gamey, some pieces were bordering on being a tad too dry, especially since I’d left it out in the open for a bit. Most pieces were drenched by the sauce though, and were adequately moist.
Here’s a tip: ask the auntie to add more zhup to your duck rice from the get-go! Don’t be shy, she may seem grumpy but she doesn’t bite.
Another dish I tried was the Braised Duck Kway Teow ($3, add-on $0.50 for egg). While this isn’t my usual go-to dish, I know friends living in the area who swear by this kway teow.
You can choose dry or soup versions for the kway teow, but I’d recommend getting it dry if you want sambal with it.
The kway teow itself tasted mostly bland, which allowed the duck meat to shine. The meat had a good mix of fatty and lean layers, so each bite had soft fats and chewier lean meat.
You’ll also get a bowl of soup with each dish, which wasn’t too salty and had a pleasant herbal tang with a sweet aftertaste.
But the secret ingredient that makes these duck dishes superb is the sambal; I am absolutely in love with this special blend! Confession: I always ask the auntie for more sambal. If I’m eating with friends who can’t handle spice, I’ll steal the sambal off their plates. I can even just lick up a spoonful of sambal on its own. Yes, that’s how good it is!
Sharp on the tongue with a pleasant heat when it hits the back of my throat, the sambal helps to undercut the richness of the Yam Rice that I usually go for. When paired with the kway teow and white rice that I had this time, it really enhanced the flavour of the blander carbs.
If you’d like more food, you can also add on the Crispy Tau Fu ($3), or request for more meat.
Zheng Wei 正味 Duck Rice is one of my favourite hawker stalls in Bukit Panjang, and I’ve been there so often that I have a regular order.
If you’re ever in the area, head over to try the delicious duck rice and sambal. With such an affordable price point and generous portions, I promise you won’t regret it!
Expected damage: $3 – $5 per pax
