Zhen Cheng Roast Meat – Delicious Roast Duck & Other Delights!

Although there isn’t an MRT station nearby, Balestier, which is known for good food, is still very convenient to get to. So, there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t visit this little food haven. 

You might miss this roast meat stall because of its inconspicuous signboard. Located in a small corner coffee shop, Zhen Cheng specialises in Cantonese-style roast meats.

We tried three out of the four types of meat(roast duck, char siew, siew yoke and soy sauce chicken)  available — roast duck, char siew and siew yoke.

For the Char Siew Siew Yoke Fan ($4), a generous amount of thick and gooey zhap was slapped on the meat. The zhap was flavourful, and complemented the different roast meats. The char siew had a nice char and a good ratio of lean meat to fat.

However, I felt that the siew yoke was quite a letdown. It was too crumbly — just picking it up and dipping it in the chilli sauce caused it to break apart. Also, the golden brown skin wasn’t crunchy, or crisp.

Thankfully, the Duck Noodle ($4) saved the day. The duck meat was firm, and was perfumed with the aroma of cinnamon, star anise and cloves. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sometimes, we get roast duck that  don’t carry the aroma of any herbs and spices. It certainly isn’t the case here at Zhen Cheng. The noodles were also springy and QQ — just the way I like it.

I was lucky enough to witness one of the stall owners making the chilli sauce. He filled a large wok with oil, chilli paste, and other aromatics, and stirred the mix slowly. 

Zhen Cheng currently has an outlet in Balestier and another along Cantonment Road. 

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.