Get your (Peking) duck on at these top restaurants for Chinese New Year, without hopping on a flight to Beijing
Who doesn’t love Peking duck? Think thin slices of succulent duck meat with crispy skin, wrapped in rice flour crepes with sliced cucumber, spring onion, and a slather of sweet hoisin sauce. It’s a crunch on first bite, followed by a lingering tenderness and flavour which deservingly earns the dish its title as national delicacy of China. To dig into this decadent dish without hopping on a plane to Beijing, here are some top Chinese restaurants in Singapore to get your duck on.
Kai Garden
We thought we’d seen everything when Chef Fung Chi Keung put his technicolour spin on xiao long baos at Paradise Dynasty. Now no longer part of the Paradise Group and the owner of his new Cantonese restaurant at Marina Square, Chef Fung has tossed in a kaleidoscopic twist yet again – this time, on peking duck. Expect five different wraps (pumpkin, charcoal, spinach, beetroot and traditional) and five dipped sauces (sesame, black pepper, prawn and crab, mixed and traditional), snazzing up the flavours that come with this crispy, succulent delicacy. A good pick for Chinese New Year, if you ask us!
Kai Garden, #03-128A/B Marina Square, 6 Raffles Boulevard, Singapore 039594, p. 6250 4826; Open Mon-Fri 11.30am-3.30pm & 6pm-11pm; Sat 11am-4pm, closed Sun.
Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant
Besides a host of other concept outlets like Imperial Treasure Nan Bei, Imperial Treasure Teochew Cuisine, and Imperial Treasure Steamboat, this renowned restaurant group has ventured into establishing a specialty restaurant that honours the prized Peking dish. Prepared by skilled chefs from Beijing, who are dedicated to preserving centuries-old methods of the Emperor’s imperial kitchen, the duck is roasted to perfection, and served whole before sliced in front of your eyes. No meat will be left to waste – you can have the remaining duck meat returned to the kitchen, made into (complimentary) duck floss, and served again.
Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck Restaurant, Paragon, #05-42/45, 290 Orchard Road, Singapore 238859, p. 6732 7838; Open Mon-Fri 11.30am-2.45pm & 6pm-10pm; Sat 11am-2.45pm & 6pm-10pm; Sun 10.30am-2.45pm & 6pm-10pm.
Spring Court
Officially the oldest Chinese restaurant in Singapore, Spring Court is a household name amongst connoisseurs of Chinese cuisine. Founded by Ho Loke Yee back in 1929, this Chinese restaurant has hopped across different locations (including Chinatown and East Coast) before settling in its current mammoth-sized space at Upper Cross Street that takes up four shophouses and seats 650 diners. The Peking duck here is one of the establishment’s classics – a recipe tried and tested across three generations.
Spring Court, 52-56 Upper Cross Street, Singapore 058348, p. 64495030
Tung Lok XiHe Peking Duck
A match made in heaven between Singapore’s Tung Lok Group and Beijing’s famed XiHe Group, this snazzy expat-friendly restaurant boasts chic, contemporary interior, and an open kitchen concept where you can watch chefs skilfully roast the duck in a fire brick oven. Based on XiHe restaurant’s original Peking duck recipe, you can expect an authentic rendition of the roasted delicacy, but served with unusual condiments, like blueberry sauce and lemon pop-rocks, for a modern twist.
Tung Lok XiHe Peking Duck, #07-07/09 Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Road, Singapore 238896, p. 6736 0006; Open daily 11.30am-3pm & 6pm-10.30pm.
Yan
Boasting an authentic menu and a prime rooftop location that attracts both locals and visitors, Yan at the National Gallery Singapore is the perfect spot for Cantonese fine dining in Singapore. Check out our full review where we sampled truffle and prawn dumplings, golden pumpkin broth with scallops, and its signature Peking duck served with homemade crepes and traditional garnishes.
Yan, #05-02 National Gallery Singapore, 1 St. Andrews Road, Singapore 178957, p. 6384 5585
Si Chuan Dou Hua
With three outlets around the island, PARKROYAL on Beach Road, PARKROYAL on Kitchener Road, and UOB Plaza 1, Si Chuan Dou Hua gets two thumbs up for spreading the Peking lurveee. Our votes are on the UOB Plaza 1 branch, which offers up a superb panorama of the Singapore cityscape along with its crispy, succulent duck. Their homemade thick sweet sauce is a real standout, and perfectly complements the wrapped duck with spring onions and cucumber.
Si Chuan Dou Hua, #60-01 UOB Plaza 1, 80 Raffles Place, Singapore 048624, p. 6535 6006; Open daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 2.30pm – 6.00pm & 6.30pm – 10.30pm.
VLV Restaurant
Enhancing the already vibrant dining scene of Clarke Quay is VLV Restaurant – a classy establishment that boasts over 60 Chinese delicacies with a focus on modern Cantonese flavours. Case in point? The VLV Peking duck is a rendition that elevates the Beijing culinary tradition; aside from offering the sweet and savoury goma hoisin sauce, you can also opt for the rich truffle foie gras sauce if you’re feeling fancier.
VLV Restaurant, 3A Merchant’s Court, River Valley Road, #01-02, Singapore 179020, p. 6661 0197; Open daily 12pm-3pm, 6pm-11pm.
Hua Ting Restaurant
Helmed by Masterchef Lap Fai, AKA World Gourmet Series Award of Excellence 2014’s Chef of the Year, Hua Ting Restaurant honours its roots in Cantonese cuisine and takes fine dining for oriental palates to great new heights. Besides serving up a veritable spread of traditional dim sum, Hua Ting Restaurant dishes out a mean version of the classic Peking duck, at $80 for a whole duck. Their friendly staff will seek your choice of how you’ll like your meat served, and you can even request for any leftover duck meat to be cooked with other dishes which have yet to be prepared.
Hua Ting Restaurant, Orchard Hotel Singapore, 442 Orchard Road, Singapore 238879, p. 6734 7766; Open Mon-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm & 6.30pm-10.30pm; Sat-Sun & PH 11am-2.30pm & 6.30pm-10.30pm.
Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant
A crowd favourite for Peking duck, Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant is favoured for family dinners and business lunches alike. Don’t be intimated if you’re looking for a dinner for two; private booths are also available for smaller parties. With every single service staff trained on how to slice and serve the Peking duck, you can expect impeccable service that’s worth every penny.
Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant, Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, 320 Orchard Road, Singapore 238865, p. 6735 5800; Open Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm & 6.30pm-10.30pm; Sat-Sun & PH 11.30am-3pm & 6.30pm-10.30pm.