Cheng Heng Kway Chap and Braised Duck Rice
Cheng Heng Kway Chap & Braised Duck Rice, recognised by Michelin Guide (The Plate), is the more famous of the two kway chap stalls in the Holland Drive Food Centre. Their competitor, Blanco Court Kway Chap, is just three stalls away.
But in reality, which is the better of the two?
Is Michelin always the best yardstick?
Or is a longer queue a better indication?
I had tried Blanco Court Kway Chap, and I loved it. Upon my recommendation, my foodie partner went and ate with his father, and they loved it. But Blanco Court Kway Chap was not listed in the Michelin Guide. The queue is also generally shorter than Cheng Heng. Life isn’t always fair, is it?
Since Cheng Heng Kway Chap is more recognised and more well-patronised, I wanted to try it out and see if it is worthy of its reputation. And I took my foodie partner along to be sure I had a fair assessment.
Though we were there before noon, there was already a long queue.
We ordered a set for two, with a plateful of braised pork belly, intestines, fish cake, tau pok, toufu, braised egg, pigskin, duck and salted vegetable. For $14, we thought it was a bit pricey.
The first noticeable difference we saw in Cheng Heng Kway Chap was that it was darker than Blanco Court Kway Chap. Clearly, Cheng Heng used more soya sauce.
If you like a stronger soya sauce flavour for your kway chap, then Cheng Heng is for you. But we both preferred the lighter version of Blanco Court that had more ‘kway chapness’ to its taste. If there was any hint of herbal taste to the Cheng Heng’s kway chap, the soya sauce was too overpowering.
As for the noodle, both are thin and silky. But if we have to choose, we would pick Blanco Court.
Cheng Heng serves duck on its menu, which Blanco Court doesn’t. Nothing outstanding about the duck meat. It was not flavourful enough. The texture of the duck meat could be improved if they were shredded instead of chopped. I find shredded meat to be more tender and savoury.
The intestines were chewy and tasted clean. Comparable to Blanco Court. Again the difference between the two was a darker and a lighter version.
We found the braised pork for Cheng Heng and Blanco Court to be quite comparable.
Overall, we found Cheng Heng Kway Chap quite average. Our preferred choice is Blanco Court Kway Chap.
When it comes to food, we should go with our heart rather than the crowd. At the end of the day, as long as you enjoy your food, that is the best choice!
Location: Holland Drive Food Centre. Blk 44 Holland Drive #02-05. Singapore 27044
Opening Hours: Daily: 730am – 230pm
My overall verdict: 4.0/5
Danny Han is a licensed property agent since 2005.
As a kampong (village) boy growing up in Holland Village, he has so many fond memories. He grew up with pigsty (yuk!), cemetery, swamp and communal-living (with 10 families under one roof). His childhood games were gasing (spinning top), marbles, kites, spider-fighting and tree-climbing. An open-air cinema was his source of entertainment. 7th-month Hungry Ghost wayang (Chinese opera) and getai (concert) was a once-a-year event that brought the entire village together.
What Danny is passionate about is not just about showing clients properties around Holland Village, but also enjoys sharing anecdotes and nuggets of information that are part of his growing up years.
Danny is an avid hiker and passionate foodie. He has covered most of the nature trails in Singapore, including some that are off the beaten track. Living up to his motto, “walk to eat,” he enjoys going out with his wife, a retired academician, on a food hunt across the island. He also has some foodie kakis who mix work with food. They then share their gastronomic experiences through food blogs. So do watch out, because every time he shows you a property, he will tell you what is the best food nearby!
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