I love roasted meat. There’re no words to adequately express my love for roasted pork. There’s no way to properly describe the taste of the crispy crackling resting atop the layers of fatty pork.
Okay this is becoming a little too haram. But you get my point. Like me, there are many other people who love eating roasted meat. It’s commonly found in hawker centres and coffeeshops and it’s a simple meal.
I’m always trying to find a better roasted pork rice than the ones I’ve had. Which brings us to this particular roasted meat stall in People’s Park Complex Food Centre.
Enter Toh Kee Roasted Meat.
Roasted With Care Since 1926
Toh Kee Roasted Meat has been around since 1926 and is apparently the oldest roasted meat stall in Singapore.
Must-tries definitely include their roasted duck, roasted pork and char siew. After all, they are a roasted meat stall.
You’ll notice that the roasted ducks hanging in the display are a darker shade than usual. That’s because Toh Kee use a 60-year-old charcoal roaster that’s no longer in production.
So appreciate the roasted meat while it lasts because if this charcoal roaster goes….
Anyway, the duck is seasoned with salt, garlic, spring onions and five-spice powder before being roasted and malt syrup is used to glaze the skin of the duck immediately after.
The result is juicy roasted duck meat with sweet, sticky, crispy skin, served on a bed of braised soy beans which is rare to see nowadays. Because honestly, who eats the cucumbers anymore?
The roasted pork is perfect, with exceptionally crispy crackling and melt-in-the-mouth fatty layers. The roasted pork isn’t overly salty either. My favourite part is the corner, or last piece of the slice, where it’s just entirely crackling with just a bit of lean meat.
The char siew or BBQ pork, is leaner than the usual char siew you can get from elsewhere. I understand that most people prefer fattier char siew because lean meat if not done well can be tough.
However the char siew at Toh Kee is still tender and isn’t too sweet that it becomes jelak.
So far, my only gripe is that the roasted meat is served with white rice. I mean, for the price that I’m paying for the food, maybe ‘chicken rice’ rice would be better?
The prices here at Toh Kee are a little steeper than usual. A plate of Roasted Duck Rice is $5, while Char Siew Rice and Roasted Pork Rice are $4 and $4.50 respectively.
Then again, I’m willing to fork out a little more if the food is good.
We suggest that you come early if you’re going to order the roasted pork because it sells out very quickly.
Honestly, Toh Kee has managed to perfect roasted meat. All they need to do is pay more attention to the accompanying ingredients. I’m looking at you, white rice.
But that aside, if you’re looking for a change to your usual roasted meat place, give Toh Kee Roasted Meat a shot. Who knows? It might become your new favourite.
Toh Kee Roasted Meat
Address: 32 New Market Road, #01-1014 People’s Park Complex Food Centre, Singapore 050032
Opening Hours: Tue – Sun: 11am – 7pm, Mon: Closed
Contact no.: 6323 3368
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(Header Image Source: Hardware Zone & Burpple User Jankiliciouz)
