Roast Duck $15 for half
I think it is unfortunate that a lot of eateries fail to appreciate how much Singaporeans value the value of value. Kia Su (Afraid to lose out) is one of the key cultural pillars of our society and a major aspect of being Kia Su is the compulsion to make sure that we get the best value out of everything that we buy. This Singaporean characteristjavascript:void(0)ic is so ingrained that sometimes it can be quite embarassing especially when you are on holidays to see a fellow Singaporean bargaining at the top of the voice and refusing to buy something just because the stall owner won’t lower the price by 50 baht ($2). I think this is because the last thing they want is to find out that their friends managed to get the same thing cheaper than them when they do the post shopping evaluation later in the evening. This is Kiasuism in action.
Not that I condone it, change it we must if we want to live in a more gracious society. But like it or not, eateries that fail to realise how important the price point is when designing their menu might have to learn it the hard way. That is how our friend Aston managed to go from a hawker stall to a chain of Steakhouses in such a short time. There is no secret to his strategy really. He just sells a good quality steak at the rock bottom price. It will come as no surprise to you that his profit margins are much lower than a lot of other places but he makes it up with volume. Other eateries like Cugini had to learn this the hard way, but I am glad that now that they understand the Singaporean culture better, they have revamped their menu prices such that they are now 30% less than when they started without compromising on quality.
So when you see a stall with a long queue in Singapore, it is usually one of two reasons. The first one is of course that the food is very good, but sometimes there is a long queue because the food is not only good but cheap. I have seen this phenomenon on many occasions. Singaporeans do have a nose for a good deal and some stalls generate a queue because of competitive prices. Of course the food has to be of an acceptable quality as well.
I think this stall falls into the latter category. Both the charsiew and the sio bak is very good but not really good enough to generate a queue as long as what we usually see during lunch. I think that the queue is a combination of a very good product but also very competitive prices. Both Char Siew and Sio Bak gets a 4/5.
The Roast Duck is however very good and certainly one of the best ones I have tasted. The meat is fragrant and not gamey and is very tender. At $15 for half a duck, I think the price is very competitive as well and is certainly offers a compelling reason to join the queue. 4.5/5
Conclusion
If you are willing to join the queue, you would be rewarded with a very nice and reasonably priced roast duck! Guess everyone knows a good deal when they see one!
