Lim Seng Lee Duck Rice

I received an invite from Stefan L. to join his entourage at a famous duck rice spot before it closes down sometime in June. You don’t need to guess what my answer is when a good friend invites me to join them for a good meal with good company. The answer will always be YES (well, 99.99% of the time). Not to mention, these are a bunch of guys with unique auras that buff my GLUTTONY level by several points and unlock the coveted EAT-​ALL skill.
I had a déjà vu moment when I arrived and stood outside the store with my camera. My brow was wrinkled trying to figure out where I’ve seen this place before. Definitely not during my NS (national service) days nearly 10 years ago. It could only be before that… when I was still a pup and that was another 10 years back! Could it be that all duck stalls have the same layout and chairs and tables and such… that they all eventually look the same after your brain gets fried from too many encounters?
/​click-​spam-​discernment-​skill
Brain recall is such a wonderful thing when it comes to exams and important situations. (I’ve always been thankful at my brain’s capability to lock in images and flavors despite its complete inability to remember dates.) In this case, I was sent back to my childhood days when my dad used to bring me here all the time whenever I craved duck rice. My dad and grandfather were both particularly against roast duck but were avid fans of braised duck. Our visits here usually involved one particular kid being trained to eat like a CHAMP… and that is still very much visible to this day.
So when the guys were trying to decide what to order, I just recommended what my dad usually orders (and probably what the rest of Singapore orders when they visit this place).
ROUND #1 (while still waiting for another friend to arrive) — whole boneless duck, tofu, kang kong, braised eggs, rice, and drinks (lime juice for me… that’s the only drink my dad ordered for me here).
Amazing how after 20 years… nearly everything was still the same (just like the furniture and layout of the place). The only exceptions were: (a) my two orders of lime juice were diluted; and (b) tofu was saltier.
Oh, the sauce of the duck. OMGosh, the SAUCE of the duck. THE SAUCE!!! WOW… still a WOW after all these years. WOWOWOWOWOWOW. Aight, I’ll stop.
So less than ten minutes later… before the other friend showed up, the plates were cleaned out. OOPS.
ROUND #2 (when the friend finally arrived; and an example as to why these group of guys are like the best crew for a food-​fest)
Mr. Late-​friend arrives, sees our table of empty plates, laughs, and asks…“so what’s for dinner?” (lol)
Yep, you guessed it. We ordered the whole same set again… and it once again disappeared within 10 minutes.
Gas Money: $ 3++
Total Bill: $ 103++
Experience level: Priceless.
Unilocal 100: ³⁹⁄₁₀₀

I am convinced that the line has doubled, or tripled, since the article came out in the papers about this establishment closing in June. Okay, I don’t know this for a fact myself, but my parents love this place (we’re Teochew) and they come here now and then, apparently at off-​peak hours to avoid crowds. We were here on Sat 2pm+ but there were still tons of people!
Be warned, there are two separate lines, 1 for takeout and 1 for sitting in (go in and find yourself a seat!) We didn’t realize there were two lines until a nice lady told us so.
Food came pretty promptly. Oh, lime juice was kind of sweet, had to ask for extra ice.
Lovely tender duck (actually, I think I’ve had just as tender duck at Western places, but that was confit and certainly not for less than $ 10). Mom avers that this is the most tender duck you can find anywhere! It was pretty good, but I actually didn’t find it amazing. Nice comfort food I guess. Yummy soft rice too :)
Sambal kangkong was delicious! I love the hae bee (shrimp paste) and chilli.
Also came with this somewhat cornstarchy tofu dish, which I found to be meh. I like soft tofu, but there was a bit too much cornstarch in the sauce.
Apparently this is standard fare for 3 people, and cost $ 28 or so [including drinks]. Cheap delicious meal! Pity they’re closing.

Went for lunch with colleagues and I am impressed with the boneless duck rice and love the sauce that comes with it. Meat was so juicy and succulent the best duck rice i have tried so far. There was a slight problem with the parking space though, not much lots available.
I really liked the ambience as well, the fact that the place looks and feels like Singapore during the 70s, made it all the more worth it to eat there. Gave it a very nostalgic feel like the good old days.
Though the duck was good, the waitress and waiters did not seem to want to offer good service, it was as if they knew their duck was too good. The place does not have air conditioning as well but if you don’t mind all this factors then it is definitely a must try!

I live just down the road yet I don’t come here quite enough. I don’t know why. It’s awesome duck rice as everybody else here seems to agree.
I am Teochew so I am very picky about my braised duck and my duck rice. Everything needs to be perfect from the braise sauce (‘lou’), the texture of the duck and the tastiness of the skin, as well as the beancurd and the egg and the rice itself.
I’m happy to say Lim Seng Lee is the perfect duck rice. I must come more often.

My ultimate favourite duck rice in Singapore. I usually only go there with family since I live on the other side of the planet from here. But every trip to duck rice paradise if well worth it.
The duck is tender and flavourful, the rice is steaming hot and topped off with a generous scoop of sauce. The chilli is hot but not overpowering and when you get all of these in one spoonful, it is simply heavenly.
Even though you’re not paying hawker centre prices here, the food makes every cent you pay, worth it.

Hands down my favourite duck rice in Singapore. Perhaps the duck at Whompoa Market comes close, but for maintaining the same simple goodness since I first tasted it more than ten years ago, this takes the gold for me.
My standard order here is a bowl of rice (topped with their delicious duck sauce), a portion of their braised duck (just tell them how many people you’re with and they’ll sort it accordingly), a plate of sambal kangkong and a plate of their tofu.
The duck is boneless, which always makes it so easy to eat. The meat is tender, though not particularly juicy, and can easily be torn softly into shreds. But the magic of Lim Seng Lee does not reside in the meat itself, but its special sauce that is so ridiculously tasty you almost can’t get enough, sooo good you want to eat anything and everything with it, even the slices of cucumber hidden below the duck.
The kangkong is very different from what you might be used to having. The colour of the belachan, for starters, is a very bright orange, probably because of the hei bee (dried shrimp) I think they use in it as well. The tofu again is unlike tofu I find elsewhere — steamed insides yet with a bit of fried skin around, all diced up in a semi-​transparent sauce, making for a delicious addition to the rice.
A two person portion cost about $ 20, which I find rather value for money, though not exactly hawker-​centre-​cheap. Can’t get enough though, I would actually come back every day if it wasn’t so out of the way. Unless you’re driving, your only way here by public transport would be by bus 200, which comes fairly irregularly. It’s well worth the adventure though — this is the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!