24-Year-Old Sarawakian Helms New Charcoal-Roasted Herbal Duck Stall Opened By Legend Curry Rice Hawkers

Roast duck stall helmed by promising young chef

As Chon Joon and Chin Tek are busy running their curry rice stall, the roast duck kitchen is headed by another Sarawakian they roped in, Solomon Thian (left in pic, with Chon Joon).

Despite being only 24, the current work pass holder already has six years of experience as a roast duck hawker in Singapore. Before moving here for work, Solomon also helped his parents at their zi char joint back home.

He was later hired by Chon Joon, who visited the stall that Solomon was previously working at and was impressed by his roast meats. According to Chon Joon, it didn’t matter that Solomon was unusually young for his job. He explains: “Character is the most important. After trying his food and talking to him, I was confident that he has the right attitude to help our stall succeed.”

The reserved Solomon, who doesn’t own a stake in the stall but receives a share of the profits, tells us shyly that he’s “eager to make the most out of the good opportunity to work with more experienced chefs”.

Sarawakian herbal duck recipe

The stall’s signature herbal duck recipe comes from Chon Joon’s Sarawak relatives, some of whom are married to Bidayuh people (the second largest indigenous ethnic group in Sarawak, after the Iban). “Bidayuh people like to roast whole pigs with certain herbs that you can only find in the forests of Sarawak,” Chon Joon shares.

His family has incorporated some Bidayuh culinary touches to create a proprietary herb blend for roast duck, which includes dang gui (Chinese angelica root), five spice powder, Sarawakian white pepper root and a “secret ingredient” stuffed into the cavities of fresh Malaysian ducks to temper their natural gaminess.

That, in combination with the charcoal-roasting process, sets Chon Joon’s stall apart from its competitors. Solomon declares: “The duck is cooked by the heat of the coals, and as the smoke rises it gives the meat extra fragrance. It also gives the duck’s skin a better colour.”

Expansion plans

Legend Roast Duck, which cost $50,000 to set up, is enjoying steady business despite being only a month old. And Chon Joon already has plans to set up more roast duck outlets, plus a Legend ‘empire’. He shares: “We’re expanding on herbal duck as it’s not very common here in Singapore. Maybe once we have a few ‘Legend’ brands, they can open in a coffeeshop together.”

The menu

The house charcoal-roasted herbal duck here goes for $42 for a whole bird. There’s also roast pork and char siew (both $44/kg) along with lup cheong, house-roasted pork ribs and wonton noodles. The hawkers also plan to offer poached and roasted chicken ($13 for half; $26 for whole) once the supply for fresh Malaysian broilers resume.

Roasted Duck Rice, from $3.80

We try the stall’s signature roast duck with plain rice and gooey lor zhup (braised dark gravy) on the side. The bird is subtly smoky, with a delicate hint of woody dang gui fragrance. Not bad, but we find the herbal notes muted compared to the very aromatic version from popular fellow Malaysian stall Meng Meng Roasted Duck. The latter's sweet, herby gravy for the ducks is tastier, whereas Legend's braised dark gravy could benefit from stronger flavour.

The glossy dark red skin is nicely crisp too, though the meat beneath isn’t as succulent as we’d have liked. But still, we are confident that this promising young hawker is capable enough to roast better ducks as he settles down at his new stall.

Roasted Pork Rice, $3.50 (8 DAYS Pick!)

That said, Solomon has a flair for making succulent siew yoke; the crackling on his Hong Kong-style roast meat packs terrific crunch, giving way to a glistening layer of fat cradling lean-but-still-juicy meat. The accompanying braised sauce is more savoury than most sweet-tasting gravies we have tried at other roast meat joints, and we find this version yummier. The roast pork rice comes with two kinds of chilli dips – an aromatic sambal and a super spicy calamansi-infused number that we find too tangy.

Char Siew Wantan Noodles, $3.50

Pork belly is Solomon’s cut of choice for his char siew. Marinated in Chinese cooking wine and red and white sugar, the pork is toothsome with a sweet edge, though we wish it had a deeper char. Decent, when paired with springy kolo noodles (thicker than the usual egg noodles used for wonton mee) tossed with a Malaysian-style dressing of dark soy sauce and fragrant shallot oil.

Wonton Soup, $3.50 for 12 pcs (8 DAYS Pick!)

While the roast meats are the stars here, we find the wonton soup a surprise hit. Plump parcels of minced pork, swimming in a sweet pork bone broth with corn and radish, make for a comforting and satisfying side.

Bottom line

While the eponymous herbal roast duck at Legend East Malaysia Charcoal Herbal Roast Duck King could be more succulent, the young Sarawakian chef helming this joint whips up excellent roast pork which you should savour with Sarawak’s famously QQ kolo mee. Don’t miss out on the moreish wonton soup too.

The details

Legend East Malaysia Charcoal Herbal Roast Duck King is at #01-338, Blk 761 Yishun St 72, S760761. Open daily 8.30am – 7.30pm. More info via Facebook & Instagram. Delivery launching soon.

Photos: Alvin Teo

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