Tai Dong Teochew Braised Duck Rice

My favourite place for Teochew Braised Duck rice is located at Lorong Telok (close to Boat Quay). I've been enjoying their Teochew Braised Duck along with my "duck-craving, heat-resistant" lunch companions for about 11 years now.

The store used to operate out of the corner coffeeshop at the junction of Lorong Telok and Circular Road. The coffeeshop has since been refurbished and is now occupied by Archipelago Brewery, a microbrewery concept bar run by Asia Pacific Breweries (the folks who make "Tiger Beer") which has brews with an Asian twist (ie. adding spices like ginger etc). Don't ask me how good the beer is as I do not drink beer.

The picture above shows half a duck, which serves up to 4 people. The duck here is succulent and fragrantly flavoured with the richness of the dark, savoury, spice-infused, soya sauce-based gravy. True to tradition, they do not thicken their gravy with starch (most of the starchy gravies are also sweetened further to make the sauce go a longer way). The duck was excellent on its own and also with steamed rice (served with a dollop of sauce). Though the people running this place are almost Nazi-like, we're willing to comply just to get our duck fix. This is a Must-Try!

We usually order a few sides to go with the duck. The picture above shows the sides of braised tau kwa (pressed beancurd) and braised eggs. They arrived bathed in the savoury gravy. If you've never eaten Chinese Braised Duck before, you might like to know that the sides are usually braised in the same sauce that was used to braise the duck. Thus, the recurrence of the sauce in almost every side dish.

This picture above is that of braised peanuts. They were great to chew on as they had absorbed the flavours of the braising liquid and had been softened by the cooking process. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the chili sauce. However, if you look at the top left hand corner of the picture, you can spot a plate of chili sauce behind the plate of braised peanuts. I like the thin, spicy and tart chili sauce as it enhances the flavour of the duck.

The picture above is a side of Stewed Cabbage with Tau Kee (Beancurd Skin) and a fish-maw lookalike (which I dislike as its made of pig skin). This dish is my least favourite amongst all the sides but its reasonably tasty and was the only type of vegetables that was available here.

NB: We usually pay about S$7 - 9 each for such a meal (typically shared amongst 3 - 4 people).
Go early as this place gets very packed by 12.20pm, especially if you're in a larger group.

Tai Dong Teochew Braised Duck Rice
No. 9 Lorong Telok (close to Circular Road & Boat Quay)
City Front Kopitiam,
Singapore 0490222
Tel: 6532-3226

Operating Hours:
Mondays to Saturdays: 10.30 am to 2.30pm