Pig out at Fatty Cheong
Rating: 4/5
MUST TRIES: Bu jian tian char siew & Roasted duck with chap
The char siew here is heavenly even if the meat had not caught a glimpse of heaven!
This is no nonsensical statement for there is such a cut of pork available at this roasted meat stall.
Called bu jian tian, it refers to, well, the pig’s armpit. Or rather the part of the pig that is between the pork neck, which most char siew is made from, and the pork belly or sam chien.
And since this cut is from the underside of the pig, it has not caught a glimpse of heaven, hence the charming name!
More importantly, afficianados will tell you that this cut will give you the most flavourful meat as it is marbled and tender. You have to ask for it, or else you will get the usual char siew, made from pork neck.
We tried out both cuts of char siew at Fatty Cheong roasted meat stall, which is housed in a most pleasant and airy food centre, ABC Brickworks. The difference was startling!
Incidentally, there is a slew of interesting stalls at this centre. I spotted two rare finds: a Penang laksa and a Hainanese pork satay stall, which I will try out on another visit.
But I am already delighted with my current find. The bu jian tian char siew was flavourful and moist, even if there was little charring of the meat, which I like. The grilled meat came hot from the charcoals so perhaps that had something to do with it.
It is firmly Singapore char siew for the marinade has red food colouring in it, unlike the dark soya sauce marinade that is used for Kuala Lumpur char siew, which I infinitely prefer. But this char siew is truly good, despite the food colouring; neither was it overly sweet from the caramelised sugar.
Thinking back, we truly had a pig feast that day. Not only did we have the pork neck and the armpit, we also had the pork belly, which is what siew yoke or roasted pork with crackling is made from. It was nicely crisp and tasty enough though it did not steal the thunder from the char siew.
For a respite from all that pork, order the roasted duck, which is satisfyingly tender and moist, though a little old-fashioned chap or gravy which this stall still serves with every order, would overcome any shortcomings. And yes, a plate of blanched greens (yau choy), is always an example of perfect timing.
The Chinese stalls have perfected the art turning out brilliantly green and crisp vegetables. And this last order is necessary as Fatty Cheong does not give sliced cucumbers with his roasted meats, and I always feel that some greens at least obviate the guilt when pigging out!
Fatty Cheong
ABC Brickworks Food Centre, 6 Jln Bukit Merah #01-120
Opening hours: 11am-8.30pm; Closed on Thurs
Tel: 98824849, 94281983
