The Hong Kong-based chef/restaurateur Alvin Leung, who is most famous for his innovative Chinese restaurant Bo Innovation and has earned a three-Michelin-star reputation, is expanding his restaurant presence to Singapore. The restaurants is located in the Marina Bay Financial Center that was vacated by the Crystal Jade Prestige restaurant.
On bringing Forbidden Duck to Singapore, one key reason, Leung shares, “It is one of my favorite cities in Southeast Asia, as it has a diverse dining scene with a good mix of East and West cuisines. The scene is maturing with diners appreciating more unique concepts. People in Singapore like and appreciate what I do. They have an international palate and enjoy art of cuisine. If there’s a market, I am here.” Forbidden Duck was famous for serving two different styles of roast duck – Peking and slow cooked.
Leung says that “Peking duck can be found all over the world. I had it a lot when I was growing up in Canada and I have studied how the duck is made in the U.K. and in Beijing, too.”
The self-taught chef developed a slow-cooked duck with “good skin and meat” after conducting extensive research. He notes that Peking duck meat dries out when roasted at high temperatures, causing its wafer-thin lacquered skin to crisp. The process of slow-cooking is beneficial that makes the duck “well-cooked and pink.” The duck is first cooked at a low temperature in the oven for three hours, resulting in pink-tender meat, after which the temperature is raised for 30 minutes to crisp the skin.
Leung explains: “Peking duck is originally royalty food, in which mostly the skin is eaten and is too wasteful. The duck should be sliced thickly as by the time you add in the sauce and condiments, the meat disappears and you are eating a sandwich instead”.
The duck is served with steam buns that are shaped like butterfly and feature orange juice and fresh orange peel, along with Hoi sin sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and orange marmalade as condiments. Only a limited number of slow roasting with longer cooking. Ducks are available daily, others also offer duck dishes such as seafood rice in aromatic duck soup (left), duck and pesto spring roll, and lor mai gai (sticky rice) with duck.
Leung concluded, “There is always the possibility of bringing Bo Innovation to Singapore. It will be purely inspired by the cuisine and culture of the city. Singapore is a place with a good dining culture and where I enjoy spending time. Expect to see a lot of me here”.
