Hiang Ji Roasted Meat & Noodle House (Toa Payoh Central)

We used to frequent the Toa Payoh Central area growing up. I was checking out the nasi briyani stall next door to Hiang Ji and was intrigued by the crowds there.

There was no pricelist so I was rather surprised when a standard packet of char siew roast pork rice came up to nearly $8 in a neighbourhood eatery. I didn't think too much at first because it felt deceptively heavy. Turns out, there was loads of rice and relatively little meat.

The roast meats were also disappointing. Both the char siew and roast pork tasted rubbery and the crackling was sticky rather than crispy. The only saving grace was that the meats were decently marinated. The braising sauce over the rice was rather bland.

TLDR; Disappointing and over-priced.

This unassuming coffeeshop beholds one of the most rich and charred hawker charsiew I've had in Singapore (My other favourite being Tian Tian Lai in Jurong, but draws queues there are way too long and it opens too sporadically).

The charsiew has a perfect amount of marbling without the fat being too excessive. They also char their thick slices to create a nice amount of caramelisation on the outside.

Overall: Sadly, the quality varies from time to time and pictured here is actually one of the less-satisfying cuts. Even so, it was still quite delicious. ®️: 9/10

A glorious mess. What can I say, char siew fan is my go-to comfort food. And this place here, have good ones. Try it! A++++++

If you like charred char siew, you will like this place. The char siew had a 80:20 meat-fat ratio, good for those who like to taste more meat in their charsiew. I would still say the charsiew is a little too hard for my liking, similar to the previous time i went. The skin for the roasted pork was still cripsy and nice. Overall, didn't find it to be extraordinary and have tasted better charsiew/roasted pork but the lunch crowd speaks for itself even with the stall hidden in the back alley.

Stall at the backlane along the row of shophouses which I wouldn't enter on usual days but today, my friend introduced me to this hidden gem here. Bought the combo set (duck, sio bak, char siew) for two pax ($18) and was wowed by the quantity when it was served to us. The sio bak skin was crispy and the fat-meat ratio was just nice. The charsiew was slightly fatty and had this nice caramelised taste. Maybe we came a little too late at night so the cut that was given to us wasn't that good and some parts were tough to bite. Nothing much to rave about for the duck, can skip it. Vegetable was drizzled with oyster sauce and had a good proportion of lard in it. Simple and nice, but the price at $5 was a little hard to swallow. (The menu wasn't given to us so we only knew the price when the receipt came.) Bill came out to be $30.50 together with 2 portion of noodles and homemade barley water. Will come back to eat the siobak and maybe the char siew (and hopefully they give me a better cut next time).

[Roasted Delights]
烧肉 / 烧鸡 / 烧鸭 / 叉烧 / 油鸡 / 咸菜鸭汤
You name it, they’ve got it! If this doesn’t make your mouth water, we don’t know what will 😋
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Tucked away in a corner of Toa Payoh Hub, Hiang Ji is a recommended place to satisfy all your roasted delights cravings at really affordable prices.
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Their honey glazed char siew is a must-try!! It’s tender, sweet and salty, all in one bite. You’ve got to try it to believe it (R: Coming from someone who is not a big fan of char siew!!)
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We feel that the roasted chicken by itself is pretty average, but the accompanying chili sauce elevates the dish to a completely different level.
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A dish worth mentioning is the salted veg duck soup (咸菜鸭汤). You can even ask for a refill if you get the large one! #worth
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The sharing platters are much more worth it so gather your fam and head over now! 👅