No Frills, Just Damn Good Meat At OG Roasted Meat Stall Toh Kee
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.
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Image Credit: Hardware Zone[/caption]
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?
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Image Credit: Burpple User Angeline[/caption]
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.
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Image Credit: Burpple User Jankliciouz[/caption]
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.
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Image Credit: Burpple User Angeline[/caption]
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?
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Image Credit: Burpple User Alexis Toh[/caption]
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)
A Malaysian’s Unbiased Opinions Towards Singapore Food
In my opinion, the perennial debate over whether Malaysia or Singapore has better food is something that need not exist. Having lived in both countries and tasted food at every level, it is hard to say whose food is better.
Just like everything out there, both have its strengths. While I personally believe Malaysia probably fares slightly better for hawker food in general, I believe Singapore easily overtakes Malaysia for speciality dishes such as the chilli crab and chicken rice.
Red House Seafood
When I was down in Singapore for two weeks, I got to try 
The dish is only made more memorable after the crabs have been finished and all that is left is to dip the fried mantou into the sinfully good sauce. Not a single drop should be wasted.
The charcoal bun with chilli crab filling was a pleasant surprise. The innovative dish incorporates charcoal powder into the bun, which makes it softer than anyone can imagine. Packed with the chilli crab filling, these buns were quite a treat. I don’t think I would be able to find anything close to this back home.
The trio of squid was another stunning dish. While I think this can be easily found in Malaysia, this dish is special because it has all three types of squid in one dish.
We also tried its crab bee hoon at Red House seafood, a slightly upscale seafood restaurant along Prinsep Street, just a stone’s throw away from the bustling Orchard Road. Again, this is a dish uncommon to Malaysia. The Sri Lankan crabs used in Singapore are easily three times larger than those found in Malaysia. My theory is that the best crabs go to Singapore, and Malaysia gets the rest.
For some unknown reason, I’d expected the dish to be fried, but to my surprise, the dish consisted of a cold water crab bathed in rich, deeply flavoured broth and surround by thick bee hoon. The milky sheen of the broth reminded me very much of fish head bee hoon soup and indeed, the taste of this broth bore some similarities to the fish head bee hoon soup, but with more depth.
The crab seemed to have enhanced the flavour of the soup, bringing it up a notch. Again, I have to admit that I probably wouldn’t be able to find an eatery in KL that could serve a rival dish.
Roast Paradise
But if we talk about dishes that could contest each other in flavour and consistency between the two countries, it will have to be Roast Paradise’s char siew. Admittedly, Randall and Kai, the two Gen-Y owners of the hawker stall in Old Airport Road Food Centre, completed a four-week training course in Kuala Lumpur before opening their stall. But they have taken the best of what they could learn from an expert in KL before making the char siew in a uniquely Singaporean way.
I had the utmost privilege of speaking to Randall, a 26-year-old entrepreneur who was so passionate about food, he was willing to go against his parents’ wishes to enter the hawker trade. In only four weeks of training, he and Kai had mastered the art of preparing char siew and now serves to a strong crowd almost daily.
The sweet marinade of the char siew meat ($4.50 for 100gm), coupled with an unparalleled expertise in the technique of achieving tender roast meat, is what makes this dish memorable from start to end. The trip to the food centre might be a hassle for some, but it is worth it.
The dishes come with garlic rice ($0.60) or freshly made Hakka noodles ($2.20). They had, unfortunately, ran out of garlic rice and roasted pork ($4.50 for 100gm) when we were there at about 4pm (towards the end of their second service). However, we did manage to try the Hakka Mee.
In comparison, hawker food in Singapore is incredibly affordable compared to Kuala Lumpur, where an average bowl of noodles can cost up RM5.50.
Would I say either country’s food is better? I strongly believe they’re both good in their own way. Healthy competition is always encouraged.
Red House (Prinsep Street)
Address: 68 Prinsep Street, S188661
Tel: 6336 6080
Email: [email protected]
Operating hours: Mon-Fri, 11.30am-2.30pm, 5pm – 10.30pm; Sat-Sun, 11am-10.30pm
Roast Paradise 烧味天堂
Address: Old Airport Road Food Centre Stall #01-122
Brought to you by Discover SG x Foodie VS The World.
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