Home Treasure Salted Duck Review: Rare Hokkien Salted Duck Rice In Bukit Canberra

Home Treasure Salted Duck has salted duck rice in Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre

While roasted or braised duck rice stalls are everywhere in Singapore, salted duck stalls are few and far between. In fact, there’s a chance you aren’t familiar with this dish. When I told a colleague we were going to try Home Treasure Salted Duck in Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, I was met with a “Har? There’s such a thing as salty duck?”

There is such a thing as salted duck rice—it’s a Hokkien dish that’s made by poaching duck marinated in salt and spices. Compared to the other types of duck rice you can find in Singapore, salted duck rice has a unique flavour profile that’s definitely worth checking out. And so we did.

Food at Home Treasure Salted Duck

We started with the stall’s claim to fame, the Signature Salted Duck Rice ($4.30). Like other kinds of duck rice, you’ve got pieces of duck meat atop a pile of rice, joined by half a hard-boiled egg and cucumbers.

We’re glad to report that the salted duck here is really good. Said to be marinated for three days before cooking, the meat was soft and tasty, containing an addictive but not overwhelming saltiness and hints of spice. The crispy garlic bits on top added fragrance and a burst of flavour when bitten into, too.

If I had to mention one flaw about the meat, it’s that it wasn’t as succulent as you might want duck meat to be. Perhaps that’s a byproduct of the unique preparation process, but regardless, I think the excellent flavours more than made up for it.

While I really enjoyed the meat, the rice here was strangely clumpy, and that was also the case for the other rice dish I ordered. Although this probably isn’t a persistent issue for the stall—other online reviews haven’t complained about this—it nonetheless affected my rating of this otherwise moreish plate of duck rice.

Those who prefer noodles to rice can opt for our next dish, the Salted Duck Bee Hoon Soup ($4.30).

With the same delicious duck in this bowl, my enjoyment of this dish rested on how well the soup-and-vermicelli combo fared. And it fared okay: the light-bodied soup was comforting and savoury, and the large portion of silky bee hoon filled me up in no time. It’s a good alternative to the rice version, but if the stall gets it right on the day, I think the duck and rice pairing is still the ideal way of enjoying this meat.

We capped off our meal with the Braised Pork Rice ($4.80). Because this isn’t the stalls speciality, I thought it would’ve been more of a supporting act—but boy, was I wrong.

Tender, juicy, and drenched in a wonderfully savoury braising sauce, each piece of pork belly was excellent, and wouldn’t be out of place on a meat platter from a great kway chap stall. If it weren’t for the clumpy rice again, I would’ve had no complaints with this plate of braised pork rice.

Ambience at Home Treasure Salted Duck

Home Treasure Salted Duck is located in the relatively new Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, which looks very sleek and modern compared to most hawker centres in the country. That means it is also well lit and ventilated, so you can enjoy your salted duck rice here quite comfortably.

Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre is a six-minute walk from Sembawang MRT Station.

The verdict

If you’re a fan of braised or roasted duck rice, Home Treasure Salted Duck’s version of the dish is absolutely worth a shot. And should the stall get their rice right on the day you visit them, you’d probably have an even better time with it than I had.

For a famous duck rice with 44-year-old braise in Geylang, read our Sia Kee Duck Rice review. For Michelin-starred roast meat from Hong Kong at Jewel Changi, check out our Kam’s Roast review.

Address: 21 Canberra Link, #01-16, Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, Singapore 752350
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 10am to 9pm
Tel: 9189 8776
Website
Home Treasure Salted Duck is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Kaedynce Chew.
This was an independent review by Eatbook.sg.