[Non-halal] This PJ State Braised Duck Rice at Restoran Kam Heong is a local favourite.
This Chinese coffee shop is popular with the breakfast/lunch crowd for its wanton mee and prawn noodles.
When the evening comes, the restaurant is mainly occupied by the Teochew-style braised duck stall.
It’s been more than a decade since Max ate here, while it was the first time for Ming. Did it meet expectations?
PJ State Braised Duck at Kam Heong
Restoran Kam Heong has been operating since the 1970s.
This particular braised duck stall is open from 3.30 pm until 9 pm daily.
Instead of the usual Cantonese roast duck, Kam Heong serves Teochew-style braised duck (卤鸭饭) – which sees the fowl cooked in a thick gravy made with herbs and spices.
The menu is here simple. Besides duck, they also serve side dishes such as pork knuckles, salted vegetables, braised mushrooms, egg, tofu, and duck innards.
Besides rice, you could opt for Teochew-style porridge to go with your dishes.
There are also two separate stalls selling Cantonese double-boiled soups and satay. Both stalls seem popular with the crowd to accompany the main duck dishes.
Tender duck, herbally gravy
We ordered a Quarter Braised Duck (RM16), Braised Egg (RM1), and Salted Vegetables (RM4 for a small portion) during our recent visit.
After so many years, the duck still tasted awesome.
The duck was perfectly braised – resulting in meat that’s succulent, tender, and thoroughly infused with the spices. It was not gamey at all.
What really stood out for us here is the gravy – which was herbally, and not overly salted (as some other shops tend to do).
The rice here is also excellent. Cooked with duck oil, the rice is extremely fragrant. We could make out each individual grain – which was not mushy but cooked to yield the perfect bite to go with the gravy and duck meat.
Salted vegetable is lovely
The Salted Vegetable side dish here is also a revelation.
While we expected a dish to be very salty and sour – it was surprisingly well-balanced. Somehow, the chef managed to tone down the extreme flavours to make it very palatable to eat it on its own!
We really enjoyed this dish a lot.
Braised egg and lotus root soup
To complete the meal, we ordered a braised egg and lotus root soup.
Both dishes are not particularly outstanding but do their job to accompany the main highlights of the meal.
Verdict
Overall, we were very pleased with our meal.
Max is happy to report that the duck rice still tasted good after so many years, and this was a wonderful discovery for Ming.
We definitely advise coming early for a meal during the weekends as it can be packed from 6.30 pm onwards. Just secure a table to order your food, or queue up for take-away.
The prices are also pocket-friendly too for the portion.
There is also Teochew braised duck stall at the famous Restoran Ahwa Hokkien Mee in Section 14, near Jalan 222, which is reported to be related to this.
However, a friend of ours do note some marked difference between the two. The accompanying chilli paste here at PJ State has belacan, while the one stall at Ahwa does not.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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PJ State Braised Duck 甘香卤鸭 Restaurant Kam Heong
Address: No8, Jalan Tengah, Bandar Baru Petaling Jaya, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Hours: 3.30pm-9pm Daily
Phone: 012-226 9551
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/restaurantkamheong/