I may have written about this before.
But no matter, I don't mind writing about it again.
Because You Kee XO Restaurant- at the junction of Joo Chiat Place and Tembeling Road- has to be one of the best places I know for roasted meats, roasted meat rice, and the like.
Hailing from Johor Bahru, the restaurant may not be the kind of grand-grand place we often see featured on the television or in the press, but they are a family-friendly, homestyle sort of place that will remind you of heritage shophouses nestled in small towns, and whose decor will enhance your meal with a heartwarming, homecooked, familial vibe.
This restaurant is a great place to bring people to.
For the simple reason that they've placed so much heart in everything that they do.
It is in their service.
It is also in their food.
They have an extensive menu- soups, appetizers, steamed fish, steamed meats, tofu, vegetables- dishes that you'd likely find on the dining table in your grandmother's home.
Their signature dish, however, is the XO roasted duck, and a very popular one it is too.
Beautifully plated with a little serving of lettuce and cucumber on the side, the skin of the duck is crisp, has a hint of herbal on the tongue, and glistens with the right balance of duck fat and oil whilst the meat, tender and moist, is tinged with the flavors of duck wrapped snugly inside.
No less savory than their roasted duck is the char siew- and can I say how unusual it is one that they have here?
See, whilst there are many places that serve up their char siew tasteless, hard and dry, theirs is crisp at the edges, chewy on the inside, sweet (very sweet), with even a sprinkling of sesame seeds to give you that added crunch and bite.
A meal at You Kee XO is always pleasant.
And one day I'll tapao a whole roast duck, a chunk of roast pork, and the entire strip of that fatty, delicious char siew.
Maybe at Chinese New Year.
After all, regardless the number of times I've eaten there, there's always the secret wish that the portion was just a little bit more.