London Fat Duck

London Fat Duck
6 Scotts Road
#B1-16 Scotts Square

83 Punggol Central
#01-23 Waterway Point

http://www.londonfatduck.com.sg/

Signature Roast Duck (SGD $26 Half, $48.80 Whole)

Excellent Roast Duck And Meat Buns

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 5
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 9
Spent about SGD $27 per person.


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Despite the name, London Fat Duck doesn't actually have anything to do with London, nor did it originate from there... the name is simply a homage to their inspiration from famous Chinese Hong Kong roast duck restaurants in London, England, United Kingdom. Founded in Singapore in May 2015 from a collaboration between the Fei Siong Group and Akashi Group, London Fat Duck is naturally known for their famous Cantonese style roast ducks. Sourced from Silver Hill Farm located in Ireland, these ducks are free roaming, grain-fed, handled by hand, and rested in a calm space with relaxing music playing before being slaughtered, thus resulting in more succulent duck meat.

Ambience at London Fat Duck calls to mind the bustling Chinese tea houses of old. Noisy and cramped, with solid wooden furniture tightly packed together in the brightly lit area, the floor has a general uncleanliness about it, with bits of waste food around and a slightly slippery texture. At least the tables are given a quick wipe down, though I suggest also wiping down your cutlery before eating. Not a comfortable place for long lingering meals, this is more suited to quick, eat and leave situations.

Service at London Fat Duck is decent, with staff being friendly, greeting diners and having them quickly seated. That's provided you don't have to queue, which normally takes up to 20 minutes or more during peak periods. Staff are quick to clean empty / dirty tables, and food is also served quickly, usually less than 10 minutes of waiting even during peak periods. If you do need to wait for orders, staff will also warn you in advance, and suggest alternatives. It's also rather easy to attract their attention, and they will accomodate to special requests if possible. However, I totally hated that they refill cold tea instead of warm or hot tea.

Food at London Fat Duck is Chinese Cantonese / Hong Kong style, with a focus on roast meats and dim sum. The highlight is of course their succulent roast duck! Taste of most other dishes is decent, not very memorable or attractive to repeat diners. Portions are designed for communal dining, though there are also individual portions. Prices are wallet-friendly and affordable, budget about SGD $27 per person for a full meal here. In fact, for the quality of food you get here, dining at London Fat Duck is actually more value for money than other places!


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London Fat Duck Facade

London Fat Duck Menu

London Fat Duck Menu

Loved the mixture of Fried Coated Peanuts & Wasabi Peanuts, which almost looks visually similar, such that each piece is a surprise! Still, there is a slight difference if you don't take one or the other, the wasabi coated peanuts are lighter brown in colour, while the regular fried coated peanuts are darker brown in colour.

Fried Coated Peanuts & Wasabi Peanuts

An above average dish, the Steamed Cheong-Fun With Shrimp (SGD $5.80) is packed with meaty, sweet, fresh shrimp / prawns, held together by a thin rice paper roll skin that has good strength to prevent it from breaking easily. The salty savoury soy sauce gravy lends good flavour. Worth ordering!

Steamed Cheong-Fun With Shrimp (SGD $5.80)

The Char Siew Barbecue Pork With Honey Sauce (SGD $12.80), or marinated roast pork loin, here is pretty good. The savoury sweet pork meat is well roasted, with a nice char and caramelisation on the exterior, while the silver of fat keeps the interior moist and tender. While not the best I've had, it's done quite well. Worth ordering!

Char Siew Barbecue Pork With Honey Sauce (SGD $12.80)

Char Siew Barbecue Pork With Honey Sauce

The star item on the menu, the Signature Roast Duck (SGD $26 Half, $48.80 Whole) lives up to the hype, and more. I daresay it's among the best roast ducks I've eaten, and furthermore, better than even some restaurant versions at higher prices! The duck meat is savoury sweet, with a moist and tender texture, while the duck skin is crisp, savoury salty, crunching beautifully. For such an affordable price, to get this kind of restaurant quality, is a winner in my book. Highly recommended!

Signature Roast Duck (SGD $26 Half, $48.80 Whole)

Signature Roast Duck

The Crispy Duck Snow Bun (SGD $5.20) was decent, with a nice, crisp, sweet savoury crust on the bun, rather like a polo bun. The inside has a good portion of savoury duck meat, rich in flavour, though the overall texture was rather dry. Decent, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Crispy Duck Snow Bun (SGD $5.20)

Crispy Duck Snow Bun

By contrast, the Golden Custard Pandan Bun (SGD $5.20) was excellent! The same sweet savoury, crisp polo bun crust has been infused with fragrant pandan / screwpine leaf, already lifting the overall flavour. But inside is the creamy, buttery, rich and decadent molten custard, piping hot and luscious. Totally unhealthy, but so tasty and so good. Highly recommended!

Golden Custard Pandan Bun (SGD $5.20)

Golden Custard Pandan Bun

Felt the Signature Black Pepper Duck Bun (SGD $5.20) was good. The charcoal black polo bun crust is crisp and sweet savoury, but the duck within carries good savoury flavour, enhanced with spicy black pepper sauce. The peppery spice heat is sharp, and makes this bun delicious! Good!

Signature Black Pepper Duck Bun (SGD $5.20)

Signature Black Pepper Duck Bun

The Hong Kong Wanton Noodles (SGD $7.80), as the name suggests, takes after the traditional Hong Kong style of noodles. This means a springy, bouncy texture to the yellow egg noodles, achieved through repeated blanching and tossing, served with fresh kai-lan / Chinese kale / Chinese broccoli in a light soy sauce and sesame oil gravy. On the side are meaty parcels of shrimp / prawn stuffed wanton dumplings, savoury and sweet in flavour, quite decent, while the soup is robust and tasty. Worth ordering!

Hong Kong Wanton Noodles (SGD $7.80)

Hong Kong Wanton Noodles

Hated both the Congee Seafood Ting Zai Style (SGD $7.80) and the Congee Century Egg With Shredded Pork (SGD $7.80) here. While the texture is correct, being thick yet not clumpy, the overall taste was weirdly sweet, like they had added too much sugar. Terrible, we didn't even finish both bowls. Skip this.

Congee Seafood Ting Zai Style (SGD $7.80)

Congee Century Egg With Shredded Pork (SGD $7.80)

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