Famous South Buona Vista Duck Rice Upgrades From Stall To 38-Seat Eatery

It’s a simple 38-seater space which occupies the first floor of a small shophouse – just white walls, tables and chairs. Even though it is not air-conditioned, strong fans keep the space sufficiently cool and breezy. Lily and her team will take your order when you’re seated.

The OG Buona Vista eatery had a chopping counter at the entrance of the shop, and similarly, you can watch Chiap Teck work his duck-slicing magic at the back of the eatery (for hygiene reasons, we reckon, as the shop faces a busy road).

Compared to the previous Sam Leong coffee shop stall, the new space is brighter, cleaner and more spacious.

Lily tells us that they’re grateful for the support they have received from regulars – including steady followers from the original South Buona Vista outlet. During our visit, the warm and affable lady boss can be seen greeting customers and checking in at every table personally.

Besides the excellent braised duck, we believe that their top-notch service is probably why business has continued to thrive, even during last year’s Circuit Breaker. “It was okay for us as many customers like to da bao (takeaway) our food anyway. Some were ordering whole braised ducks to deliver to their friends as a kind gesture during the challenging period,” says Lily.

It’s worth mentioning that even though they have ‘upgraded’ to a standalone outlet, the couple did not increase their prices. “Last year, we had to raise the price by 20 cents per plate of duck rice due to the price hike of rice. Once the supply stabilised, we adjusted it back to the usual price. It’s only fair to our customers,” she explains.

Chiap Teck, who worked at Lim Seng Lee from 1988 till its closure in 2013, says he has not made any changes to the braised duck. The humble boss downplays his own accomplishment by stating that he is just following a “tried-and-tested recipe”.

“He used to start work at 2am when we were at South Buona Vista. He was very hardworking and keen to learn – that’s why he managed to pick up the skills in about a year. If you don’t have the right attitude, you won’t be able to master it even if I give you ten years,” Lily adds.

If you’re curious why Chiap Teck did not continue to use the Lim Seng Lee brand, it’s because he is adamant that the name should retire with its founder. The couple maintains a close relationship with Ah Too – we were told that the retired founder, who Lily says is now doing well, visited their new shop the day before our interview.

Another thing that remains the same is the signature sambal dishes: kangkong, tofu, prawn and squid – the very popular and only side dishes on Lim Seng Lee’s menu.

The couple’s son, Benson Ang, 34, was helping out at the shop when we arrived. Unfortunately for all braised duck fans, he has no interest in joining the industry. “I’m happy to help out whenever they need, but I don’t plan to carry on the business,” shares the management consultant, who is on leave to pitch in during the eatery’s opening week. There are four other employees at the new outlet.

“We’ve been approached by people who wanted to partner with us, but we turned them down as we know it’s very hard to agree on how we want to run a business. We might consider selling our business [eventually] though!” quips Lily.

For now, the couple wants to focus on running the eatery well. On a good day, they can sell about “20 plus” ducks. Lily shares that due to a change in opening hours – from 9am to 3.30pm at the Sam Leong stall to the current 11am to 8pm – they are unsure of how the new outlet will fare.

We think the lady boss is being modest, as the eatery was three-quarters full and had a steady stream of customers ordering takeout on an early afternoon during our weekday visit.

Given that it’s been over a decade since we last tried the famous Lim Seng Lee duck rice, it’s futile to try to compare this to the original. Happily, our 5 Pax Duck ($30) is superb – the bird is perfectly sliced (on the thin side, similar to the original’s style), and the meat is very tender and moist.

Chiap Teck uses fresh duck imported from Malaysia that are at least 3kg each, which explains the deliciously fatty skin. They are braised for at least an hour. The savoury, subtly herbal braising sauce is just the way we like it – rich enough to give the sliced duck a luscious glaze but not overly gloopy.

The duck comes with two dips – a fragrant, hae bee hiam (dried shrimp)-heavy sambal and vinegar spiked with chopped chillies and garlic.

We enjoyed our duck with Yam Rice ($1), which is fluffy and well-seasoned with dark soya sauce. We were also impressed by the fair amount of diced yam in our bowl.

We’re delighted to see that our favourite Lim Seng Lee side dish is still available on the menu here. With silky smooth tofu, crispy diced taupok (tofu puff), a simple gravy with a hint of umami hae bee hiam-spiked sambal and a lavish sprinkling of fried shallot and spring onion, every spoonful of this homely dish offers a pleasing combination of textures and flavours.

Want some greens for your meal? Kang kong is your only choice. This straightforward but well-executed dish is a great complement to the duck rice, thanks to its aromatic flavour from the generous use of dried shrimps and mild spiciness from the chilli paste.

Another solid side dish, our plate came with eight decent-sized red leg prawns coated in a sweet-and-spicy, ketchup-based sauce and lots of onion – we think this will be a crowd-pleaser for most families, especially those with children.

Do note that even though all the sides are named “sambal” – they are not different renditions of the same sauce. For instance, the tofu dish is not spicy at all, and the prawn’s gravy is tomato-heavy, so you don’t have to worry about ordering more than one.

Prices are a little higher than the offerings from most of its competitors (starting from $5 a plate), but we think it’s worth shelling out the extra bucks for quality – and boneless – braised duck rice. Come with friends or family so you can try the famous sambal-slicked side dishes too. We recommend visiting at 11am, when the ducks are freshly cooked, and to beat the lunch crowd.

81 Desker Rd, S209604. Open daily except Thursday, 11am-8pm. 9860 5359.

Photos: Aik Chen

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