Jelapang Famous Roast Duck @ Tai Sai Hee Duck King
April 29, 2010 | 1,547 views| 30 Comments » |
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Gorgeously-glistening & crispy skin of the marinated roast duck @ Tai Sai Hee in Jelapang, Ipoh
Mention Char Siew, or Siew Yoke for lunch or dinner (or breakfast also can lah …) and you’ll see me flooding the entire street with my drool. Especially those proportionately cut pieces of lean-fat meat with a 50-50 ratio preferably, or in some instances, 60-40 also can, with the higher percentage of melt-in-mouth fat more than the tougher lean portion. Better yet, pair them with white rice, oil rice, noodles, or porridge, and you’ll have a balanced feast of porky haven.
Squint if you have to, but the ducks at Tai Sai Hee are priced from RM14/USD4.40 (half a duck) to RM28/USD8.80 (one whole duck). Except for the special XO Duck which is priced higher, and piqued our interest indefinitely.
There are several restaurants/food stalls that are famous for roast ducks, and various other roasted meats in Ipoh. One being the famous Sun Yeong Wai in Ipoh Jaya, somewhere within the vicinity of Gunung Rapat of Ipoh. Another old classic in Tasek is Kedai Makanan Hong Kong, that prides on their oil chicken (crispy chicken bathed in oil), roast ducks, and my personal favourite; the Fried Crispy Nam Yue Pork. Not forgetting the recent find at Falim’s Sri Taman Mas that has gained an admirable following nonetheless.
The man at the back was slamming a duck unconscious !!! 
Anyway, Tai Sai Hee Duck King in Jelapang town of Ipoh has been around for 7-8 years now, and offers something different for a change. Aside from the usual crispy roasted duck, at Tai Sai Hee (which literally translates ‘Four Happiness’ in Chinese) you can also try their Ginseng Duck, Crispy Pei Pa Duck, Dong Guai (Angelica sinensis) Duck, Beijing Drunken Duck, and their premium creation; the Hennesy Duck (RM38.80/USD12 for a whole duck). The other ducks are priced at RM28 for a duck, and RM14 for half a duck.
Delectable cuts of Char Siew (barbecued marinated pork), and the crispy Siew Yoke (roast pork)
Our roast duck came in a half portion, chopped into bite-sized pieces (okay, some more than a mouthful), and presented in a most aesthetically-pleasing presentation. Maybe it’s the effect of a guy brandishing his camera and snapping away, coupled with the incessant questions that alerted the man on possible press presence at his restaurant. Which by the way, is already quite a darling with the media, as evident from the various newspapers’ and magazines’ cuttings all laminated and proudly displayed on the walls.
The roast duck was delicious; being tender without overly chewy nor undercooked, and marinated (or probably stuffed, in this case) with various herbs and spices before roasting the bird/fowl. The herbal essence of the gravy served with the duck provided a pleasant fragrance, and the sweet and slightly tangy dipping sauce made from plum sauce (or was it ‘hoisin’ sauce?) complemented the meat perfectly. The skin was not as crispy as Falim’s version, but the duck was meatier, and probably palatable even to non duck meat-lovers, for the gamey taste was not as off-putting as some others.
Sweet potato leaves (Shu Miu) stir-fried with minced pork
If your carnivorous cravings ain’t subdued yet, go for their Siew Yoke/Char Siew combination platter. But do request for your preferred cuts of pork, for the Char Siew came leaner than desired, requiring much exercise of the jaw muscles. The crispy Siew Yoke was scrumptious as well, possibly a notch below First Garden’s Kwong Chow’s, losing out on the ‘crunch’ department and not as intensely-flavoured meat.
The Char Siew/Siew Yoke are priced at RM18/USD5.60 for 600g, and RM9.00/USD2.80 for 300g. A whole roast chicken for RM20/USD6.25 and half a chicken at RM10/USD3.10.
You can also opt for single servings of roast duck rice, roast chicken rice, etc. And top up your lunch with the variety of dishes served in steel containers, ala Economy Rice (Chap Fan) style. I spied sambal petai (!!!) amongst the array of dishes, but with Mr.Z being a dictator (hehe), we ended up with the compulsory fibres-of-the-meal of ‘Fan Shu Miu’ (sweet potato leaves) with minced pork. Not too bad, for I dig green leafy vegetables anyway.
Very obvious what they’re famous for, no?
The meal came to RM48/USD15 for the four of us. You can have your meats with white rice, or oil rice. We chose the former, for “healthy-eating” sake. Yeah right. ……
Aside from their roast ducks, Tai Sai Hee also serves various double-boiled soups (“Dan Tong”) to go with your meal.The place can get packed come lunch hour, so be there early, or you can call and reserve a table, or pre-order your meal before arriving.
Address & Contact Numbers :
ITIK PANGGANG TAI SAI HEE (TAI SAI HEE DUCK KING)
585, Jalan Jelapang,
30020 Ipoh,
Perak, Malaysia.
Telephone : 6019-569 3212, 6012-462 3157.
Business Hours : 11am – 7pm.
Days off not fixed, usually on a Thursday and Friday at the end of the month.
Here’s a GOOGLE MAP to Tai Sai Hee Duck King.
Directions : Coming from Ipoh town towards Jelapang using Jalan Silibin, once you reach the roundabout with the huge replica of “Labu Sayong” (Perak’s famous pottery), take a 3 o’clock turning. You will pass by Klinik Kesihatan Jelapang on your left. Go straight, until you are near to Jelapang town, and look to your RIGHT. You will see “Itik Panggang Tai Sai Hee” soon enough, right before you reach Jelapang town.
They also have a branch at 56-58, Lebuh Taman Pertama, 30100 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.
The next time when I am back in Ipoh, I will definetly try it out. Wonder if it can beat the roast duck in Melbourne?
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i want char siew
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Go get some fufu !!! Hehe ….
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So cruel lah, to slam the duck unconscious… but then again, the faster to get it onto our plates…
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 29th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
Haha, true lah … to slam a ROASTED duck some more. He has to be in deep frustration huh?
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Wooo the roast duck is so SEXY hahaha
I wanna eat it now!
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Yums.. i like variety and I think i wil go for the XO and the Beijing Drunken one!
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Cant believe that i was having lunch at the same plc n time as you but didnt manage to see ur face .. hahaha .. Better luck next time …
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 30th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Hi Dejase, you were there during lunch also yesterday? Haha, how ironic. You did not see anyone snapping around relentlessly meh?
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Dejase Reply:
April 30th, 2010 at 11:53 pm
Nope cos i was busy walloping the duck rice .. I was the one who drove up bronze Civic with a couple of frens.
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definitely ipoh prices, where to get rm28 for a duck here..
can we?
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 30th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
Erm, in KL maybe not. But in Lunas of Kedah near to Penang, you can get even cheaper ducks! Amazingly cheap.
http://www.j2kfm.com/lunas-roast-duck-tan-kee-restaurant/
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The rooast duck looks nice and should be better than the overhyped sun yeong wai which its quality drops significantly….while the one in Farlim, near menglembu that one is good oso
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J2Kfm Reply:
April 30th, 2010 at 3:22 pm
Dropped huh? I was about to tell on that, but it has been more than half a year since I have visited a Sun Yeong Wai branch.
There’s actually another famous roast duck outlet in Canning Garden at Restoran Hong Kong by the field before the roundabout.
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Haha, once again ur post be my inspiration what to eat for tomorrow lunch , thanks ya
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the ducky looks juicy lehhh
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I love roasted duck so much! Yummy!
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OMG! The roasted duck looks soooo delicious!! I like it! *thumbs up*
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Wow Henessy duck? Is it really alcoholic?
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salivating at it now!
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Just tar pau their ginseng duck,char siew & roast pork & black chicken scallop soup for lunch.Good.
He was shocked when I told him he has been immortalise on the net. ” but he did not take any money from me” he said. Next time, follow Astro Ah Xian’s example & give him a Motormouth banner to display.
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J2Kfm Reply:
May 1st, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Hi bushido, I read your comment with much amusement.
Immortalized on the net? Haha, the brand’s rather renowned, and owing none to my post, I assume.
I don’t have banners, nor even business cards to give. Sadly.
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ok..wait till i come back from course.. then elin and i will go catch the duck in Jelapang.. normally we take our light lunch around there… the ice kacang stall beside the main road..
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J2Kfm Reply:
May 2nd, 2010 at 6:36 pm
I am hearing so many positive raves about Jelapang’s rojak, I need guidance, claire !!!
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A word to describe.. delicious.. the famous food there is none other than the famous chinese herb duck with the source pour on it making it a good opening dish after a work in the morning.. In addition than the duck, the restaurant also famous with it roasted “siu yuk” and other herb soups.. As one of the Ipoh citizen, i would strongly reccomend this shop for its duck ..It is really a class above the others in terms of delicioud food.. For foreigners, if u dun try it if visit to Ipih, it will be a regret ..
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j2k,
Checked this place out with my friends. Thought i would share my experience with the readers. Food wise, it is decent, not the best duck, siew yoke and char siew out there but respectable never the less.
The meal came up to RM60+, for half duck (herb), half duck (chinese wine), char siew/siew yoke, 4 rice and a pot of chinese tea. We didn’t get a breakdown but I doubt the duck is RM28 for a whole duck. They seem to have done away with the XO duck and replaced it with Hennesy Duck going for RM50+. Requires 1 day advance notice.
Just thought I would warn readers that prices charged are not consistent with your post/the prices listed on their business card. You are probably looking at RM35+ for the ducks going up to RM50+ for the premium ducks.
Thats my take on this place. Btw, you should feature the First Garden Siew Yoke/Char Siew stall at a corner coffee shop. The guy serves from 2.30pm till the entire pig is sold out which is around 4.30pm. He sells at the Menglembu market in the morning. The coffee shop is at the corner of Lorong Taman 10 and Lorong Taman 11, off Jalan Ng Weng Hup in First Garden. His popularity is testament to the quality of his pork offerings. Although not as good as Penang/KL.
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J2Kfm Reply:
June 4th, 2010 at 7:14 pm
Thanks amole for sharing your experience.
I never knew the prices fluctuate that much.
Oh, the one at Kwong Chow coffee shop? (I think that’s the name). Yeah .. I only tasted that when they opened a booth/stall at the Ipoh Hawker Fest back in December of 2009.
http://www.j2kfm.com/ipoh-hawkers-fest-2009/
Yes, the Siew Yoke is good, but I also find that the one at Wong Fee Kei in Bercham to be equally as crackly and sinful.
http://www.j2kfm.com/warning-non-halal-at-its-best-char-siew-siew-yoke-and-pigs-innards-porridge-bercham-ipoh/
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eric Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
yes,the roast duck is ok,how about in the kwong chow res Taman Pertama,i think the roast pork is the best in ipoh!times start by 2.30pm.
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J2Kfm Reply:
June 7th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Yeah, the roast pork is good there. But somehow, lunching at 2.30pm sounds not so feasible.
Someday I’ll cover that stall, promise.
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