Kai Duck @ Ngee Ann City in Orchard [Singapore]

My first encounter with Kai Duck restaurant was during the pandemic when I realized the huge lunch crowd waiting for entry either for East Ocean Restaurant or Kai Duck. 

While I did make a mental note to check it out in the future, the reality was that I only did so two years later, when my siblings arranged to celebrate both Alex and my birthday in the restaurant. And this time, reservation was made! 

Place was already packed with hungry diners! I did an online check and the restaurant was only opened in 2019; not a long history yet commanding such an impressive following, especially given that their pricing wasn't that easy for the wallet.

Color theme for Kai Duck was jade green; hard a hard color to match but to be fair, I am terrible in color matching. Anyway, service was pretty good (maybe because we were in the enclosed area that had bigger tables for 10 people) and we took a few recommendations from the waitress. 

Dim sum was also available from morning till 4.00 pm on weekends! I was commenting to Alex that we must have not been eating dim sum for a long time as the prices on the above dim sum menu were exorbitant! Dizzying inflation! 

Steamed Xiao Long Bao - there are a few things I would usually order when I have dim sum at a new eatery and xiao long bao will be one of them! While most eateries would serve them in round basketss, these came in an oval basket.

Meaty and so full of juice! Skin was also not very thick; the one I like it. As usual, best to have them with strips of raw ginger and vinegar! p.s. unlike many people, I don't really enjoy the xiaolongbao at Din Tai Fung; they were okay but many better ones around.

Steamed Prawns Chee Cheong Fun - unlike the xiaolongbao, the skin for this one was too thick although texture wise, it was smooth with the ability to be slurped down your throat with ease. Alex, our chee cheong fun guru, loved this.

Wanton with Hot Chilli Sauce - more vinegarish than spicy, the epitome of this dish (known as 红油抄手) would be from Crystal Jade! Speaking of which, I haven't had dim sum at Crystal Jade for a long time! 

Polo Bun - showing you the above poster as it caught my attention and somewhat motivated me to get a serving of the buns! To me, if you declare that it's famous, I will believe you. Should the taste be lacking, trust shall reduce correspondingly.

From the look of what appeared in front of me; I was pleased to see that thick slab of butter, and the seemingly crisp texture encasing the buns. In many cases, that layer of crispness was reserved just for the buns' top.

After taking a bite, I understand why this was famous. It was delicious; the butter spread across as my teeth cut across the fluffy bun that wasn't too heavy on the dough and burst with signature polo-bun sweetness from the crusts. While warm, I think this would taste even better if they were toasted slightly longer before serving.

Pan-Fried Siew Mai with Teriyaki Sauce - never in my life had I seen siew mail presented in the manner as above. While I think the teriyaki sauce was negligible, each siew mai was noticeably larger than the norm and popping one into the mouth resulted in blissful bites of tasty satisfaction! 

BBQ Pork in Peanut - I never knew peanuts can help elevate the flavor of char siew. It helped as well that this wasn't overly oily, yet with a comfortable ratio of fats.

Crisp Fried Prawns with Wasabi Mayo - my criteria for this dish centered on two things; strength of the wasabi and whether the prawns featured that nice crunch that wasn't too heavy on batter. This plate fulfilled the criteria, although I would love for the prawns to be bigger. 

Sautéed Sweet and Sour Pork - typically sweet and sour pork were in cube / round shapes whereas the ones here had a paradigm shift; they were longer and smashed thinner. I must say such shape is better for texture (crispier) and fulfillment! 

Signature Peking Duck - there's a word duck in the name of the restaurant and list on the first page of the menu would be this signature peking duck! The true peking duck dish focused on the duck skin, which was the same case here at Kai Duck.

Now, I have had the authentic version right at its birthplace in Beijing (at Quan Ju De) and guess I should be able to compare the differences. 

Even though it was good, I can't really differentiate it from the skin of a roast duck from reputable eateries. It didn't help that I can discern a trace of gamey taste from some of the skin. 

Dad had an enjoyable time eating the roast duck drumstick! 

Duck Meat with Salt and Pepper - we also opted for second cook with the rest of the roast duck. Ok tasting with them being boneless as the biggest advantage. 

 

Signature Fried Rice with Truffle & Mushroom - the plating could have been improved even though you would have caught a whiff of the enticing truffle when it was placed in front of you!

The infused truffle was on point and that layer of crispy rice added texture to the fried rice! I did relish every single mouthful and there's just one minor issue; the grains of fried rice were a tad hard and didn't quite appeal to the older generation in my family.

Peking Duck Salad Hand Roll - this was a picture you would see often from reviews of Kai Duck! You are not wrong in thinking that they were similar to a Japanese handroll; albeit with duck meat as its protein filling.

Personally, this was literally salad (meat with vegetables and sesame dressing) served in handroll form, with a biscuit cone that had a seaweed wrap. As this was the last item for our meal, our already stuffed tummies were on the verge of bursting! Hence, it didn't leave a good impression.

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Alex said the meal was his best in recent months. I am less optimistic although I will return for most the dim sum items, plus maybe sweet and sour pork, and the truffle fried rice! 

Birthday cake timing! Both cakes were from Cakesomarvellous and we liked the Creamy Basque Burnt Cheesecake so much that I re-ordered for Alex's actual birthday eight days later. Click here for my review. 

Address

391 Orchard Rd, #05-10/11, 

Ngee Ann City, Singapore 238872

Map

As above.

Website

https://kaiduck.com.sg/

Pricing

Steamed Xiao Long Bao - S$9.80

Steamed Prawns Chee Cheong Fun - S$11.80

Wanton with Hot Chilli Sauce - S$9.80

Polo Bun - S$10.80

Pan-Fried Siew Mai with Teriyaki Sauce - S$12.80

BBQ Pork in Peanut - S$24.80

Signature Peking Duck - S$98.00

Duck Meat with Salt and Pepper - S$20.80

Crisp Fried Prawns with Wasabi Mayo - S$30.80

Sauteed Sweet and Sour Pork - S$20.80

Peking Duck Salad Hand Roll - S$7.80 each 

Signature Fried Rice with Truffle & Mushroom - S$24.80

(Subject to Service Charge and GST)