Kai Duck, sister outlet of Kai Garden in Marina Square, recently opened their doors last month. It is the latest offering by award-winning Chef Fung Chi Keung who previously was the Group Executive Chef of Paradise Group and now owner and Group Executive Chef of Kai Garden.

Taking over the space from Seoul Garden, Kai Duck is a Cantonese casual dining place positioning itself as a place for millennials to go for their Peking duck fix at wallet-friendly prices. For a whole Peking duck at Kai Garden, it will set diners back at $88++ but here it is priced more affordably at $68++ (caveat: one gets only one type of wrap and sauce to go with the duck).

Peking Duck salad hand roll

For starters, one of their signatures, Peking Duck salad hand roll ($4.80++ per roll, min. order of 4), has great contrasting textures of crispy spring roll wrap with the tender and moist duck meat. The amount of Japanese sesame sauce might be a little too heavy handed for some as the lettuce in the hand roll is drenched in sauce although I like it this way.

Something noteworthy is that the ducks here are free-range, raised in a controlled environment from the renowned Silver Hill Farm in Ireland and get this, they only consume spring water. Very duckadent.

Mini burger with Peking Duck salad

The mini burger with Peking Duck salad ($4.80++ per pc, min. order of 4) comes with a generous portion of Peking duck and it gets addictive – can’t stop at one! The buns, made in-house, taste like chilli crab mantou. Crispy and soft. Another interesting variation is that the ducks here are prepared Cantonese style: baked then drizzled with oil, resulting in a very crispy skin.

Crisp-fried fish, prawn and crab with black truffle sauce

Crisp-fried fish, prawn and crab with black truffle sauce ($16++): On its own, the fish-prawn-and-flower-crab mixture coated with corn is rather bland but when you dip it in the earthy and rich black truffle sauce (black truffle mixed with mayonnaise?), it becomes very appetising.

Baked spare ribs with black olive

The highlight of the meal is the unassuming plate of baked spare ribs with black olive ($20.80++). These caramelized to perfection bite-sized spare ribs have the right amount of meat to fat ratio; tender and flavourful. Goes well with rice.

Braised tofu with radish served in hot stone pot

Braised tofu with radish served in hot stone pot ($18.80++) offers a counterbalance to the heavy dishes. The broth is comforting and rich; the radish sweet, soft and juicy.

Signature fried rice with black truffle mushroom and beetroot

Signature fried rice with black truffle mushroom and beetroot ($16.80++):  The smell of the black truffle is alluring and thankfully, it tastes as good as it looks/smells. Wok hei game is strong with the beetroot juice added for colour. Air-fried rice puffs are added for texture; diced pumpkin and corn for sweetness. One can also find diced mushrooms in the fried rice for that meaty mouthful and truffle oil for the unmistakable earthy flavour. This dish is also vegan – gasp! So millennial.

We were there on a Friday evening and the place was packed…and loud. If you are hoping to have some quiet moments with your family or friends you might want to ask for a private dining room which can seat 12 with a minimum spending of $600. Kai Duck is now offering a promotion of 15% discount for all dim sum items every day from 2:30pm – 4:30pm. All in all, the relaxed (and rather spacious) ambience coupled with a variety of innovative Cantonese dishes makes Kai Duck a place to bring your parents/family for a satisfying meal in town.

Food: 7/10
Decor/ambience: 6.5/10
Price/value: 6.5/10

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Written by Vanessa Khong. Vanessa is someone who enjoys checking out the local food scene. She believes the way to her heart is through her stomach.