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)

Catfe - Short for Cat Cafe @ Ho Chi Minh City District One [Vietnam]

While researching for interesting places to visit in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), I decided to google for animal cafes and found one at District One, pretty near Vien Dong Hotel at just 850 meters away!

Name was Catfe, which I presume to be short for Cat Cafe. Given how tightly packed buildings are in HCMC, it's indeed clearer to have directions for "cat cafe", as I would have literally walked past if not for the GRAB driver who dropped us directly at the cafe. 

Almost three to four floors high, I assumed the cafe component would just take up one or two floors whereas the rest would be used for other companies / uses. 

Cute image to reflect the basic rules before entering the cafe; no outside food / drinks, no smoking and absolutely no dogs allowed. 

Counter wasn't at the entrance like most animal cafes, where staff members would collect the admission fees before allowing you access to the restricted "cats" area

Self-explanatory notice where you don't even need to know Vietnamese to understand. Remove your shoes, and remember not to carry the cats and don't run around the cafe. 

Pricing - 89,000 dong per person! That's an unbelievable pricing at just S$5.00, absolutely impossible for any cafes in Singapore! And it didn't seem to come with a time limit! No wonder I saw quite a number of people working from the cafe.

Most animal cafes would likely offer you a drink as part of your admission fee. It's the same in Catfe but drinks were FREE-FLOW from the fridge, and included soft drinks, chocolate milkshake, peach tea, lychee tea, milk tea, chamomile tea and lemon juice! 

Take the ice from here! By the way, if you need hot drinks like espresso, latte etc, a separate charge will apply. Both Alex and I, stingy individuals we are, were happy with our free options.

Even snacks were in "buffet" style too! While you can take as much as you want, please be considerate and try not to waste food. Rule of thumb is to take a bit first and return for more if you like what you have.

The four tubs of snacks would have been sufficient but the owner's aim was clearly to make all customers happy! You have another 28 containers of snacks for your picking! Aside from biscuits, there were even gummies and preserved fruits; I felt super pampered!

I controlled; only two rounds of snacks. They were not particularly memorable although I am not complaining for just paying S$5, and I can still have unlimited time playing with the adorable felines. 

Before I bombard you with many photographs of cats, let me use a bit more time to show you how big this cafe was. My initial assumption was incorrect; the whole building was for the operations of the cat cafe (totaling 300 square meters) and only the top floor was off-limit! 

Let's proceed up! Like many such structures in HCMC, the building was pretty deep and a staircase in the middle means you can split the floors and segregate them into front and back. 

After bypassing a grooming salon, this shall be the second area to mingle with the felines. First area would be the ground floor, where the counter was. The things that would catch your attention shall be the color-coded cat cages. They looked so new and unused; I wonder if they were purely for aesthetic. 

This area also overlooked the ground floor.

Great area for the cats to people-watch.

Third area; with tables spaced out, you don't get the cramped spaces that were quite typical in land-scarce Singapore. By the way, the cats were free to roam around even though they do have preference just like humans.

There might also be cliques; like this pair that utterly loved to bask in the sunlight that streamed in from the windows. Should I stay in this room for extended period of time, I think I would just doze off, as many of them did.

Walking across to the last area.

It was the nicest with curved beams, Japanese paper lanterns in the shape of cats and two elevated platforms. The cats were present in all four sections and unless you have a favorite one; you would move around just like I did.

Many blow-up pictures of celebrities with cats.

Definitely added star-studded color to the walls.

There were many photos and portraits of cats too; nice as decorations on walls and not excessive as with the care of some animal cafes. Overall interior design was nicely done, and all for an entry fee of 89,000 dong! 

Time to show you the cats! Catfe had about 40 cats in total, consisting of a wide variety of breeds including but not limited to Munchkins, Sphynx, Bengal Leopard cats,  Maine Coons, Scottish Folds etc. 

Unlike a dog cafe, it's usually quite quiet in a cat cafe as the felines were renowned for their love for napping and cat lovers (who are the main customers) would be mindful not to create any disturbance.

Food would awaken some of them. Since we were on food, I didn't see any litter boxes /trays in the open areas. Guess they were kept elsewhere, hidden from customers. No noticeable smell as well and I guess it was thanks to the air purifiers placed all over the cafe.

More photos! Some of them had an expression showing annoyance, like someone who had their picture taken without permission! Very cute though.

Isn't he/ she a beauty?! 

Every time I visit a cat cafe, there would be an increased motivation to keep one as pet. I have to keep telling myself it will be unfair since I love to travel. Hmmm... who can persuade my parents to keep a cat instead? I will pay for upkeep! 

Checking out the washroom before leaving. Loving the cat shaped mirror and also photos, especially the expression for the bottom-most photo. I think most animal cafe operators should spruce up their toilets, which can actually be a talking point. 

Last look! 

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Address

119 Đ. Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai,

Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, 

Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000, 

Vietnam

Map

As above. 

Website

https://www.catfe.vn/

Pricing

89,000 per person

(Includes snacks / basic drinks)

Additional Information

You can buy snacks / cat toys from the counter.

Even though there was no pet shop section, I think these were cat clothes that you can purchase. In Singapore, such clothes for felines are not that popular given our hot and humid climate. Given the typical personality of a cat, I also doubt they would be as accommodating as dogs.

Click here for my 6 Days Itinerary in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) - Pearl of the Far East @ Vietnam