Up to 3-hour waiting time at newly-opened Chinatown roast duck stall Duck Master

SINGAPORE — Since end-June, a particular hawker stall on the ground floor of People’s Park Complex — fronted by rows of ducks spinning in a tempered glass electric oven as they roast — has been getting a fair amount of attention.

Combined with its affordable S$15 price tag and a Donald Duck-inspired mascot dressed in kung-fu gear as its logo, the stall, Duck Master, is hard to miss.

In the three weeks since it opened, orders have been stacking up, with reported wait times stretching as long as three hours. Customers have to place their orders and return at a later time to collect their ducks.

The store is typically manned by three staff members, including Wawa Peng, 38, who is in charge of the day-to-day operations, and former food photographer turned chief duck roaster Paul Boh, 30.

Roasting begins at about 10am when the store opens, and in a day, about 336 ducks are prepared in seven batches of 48 ducks.

Sourced “fresh” from Malaysia, the ducks are roasted within 24 hours after they are slaughtered and delivered to the store.

Once the ovens are heated to about 100°C, Boh carefully hangs the ducks in the ovens. It takes 45 minutes for the ducks to be cooked and an additional 15 minutes for them to earn their “signature crisp”. An extra 20 minutes is factored in to pack and prepare them for sale.

Boh said: “It is easier to control the heat and look at the condition of the duck with glass electric ovens, compared to the metal ovens which typically run on charcoal or gas. It is also healthier, safer to operate and more hygienic as well.”

Cecilia Teo, 40, a sales & marketing executive who works in the area, has bought from Duck Master on five occasions.

“My friend introduced (Duck Master) to us. The skin is very crispy, like Peking Duck, and the meat is tender. It is very tasty, and unlike other ducks, does not require the sauce. Of course, the price is very reasonable,” Teo explained.

First-time customer Hanz Lim, 37, who bought two ducks on Friday afternoon (July 21), arrived at the stall at 11.30am after reading about it on Makansutra founder KF Seetoh’s Facebook page.

“My mother and mother-in-law are big fans of roast duck so I asked them for their two cents’ worth (on Duck Master’s offering). I just want to try what a S$15 duck tastes like,” said Lim, who was asked to return one-and-a-half hours later to collect his order.

Chief duck roaster Boh, who picked up the skill eight months ago from his mother and her chef teacher, said the last collection window each day is 8.30pm till the stall closes at 10pm, but the ducks typically “sell out” three hours before, at about 5.30pm.

When TODAY was there at 1.30pm on Friday, the next available collection window was 4pm to 4.30pm – with just three slots (or ducks) left.

The next available collection window, 5pm to 5.30pm, had completely sold out, largely due to pre-orders received from customers wanting to pick them up on their way home. Duck Master had also received almost 20 orders for the next day.

Paul Yong, 67, director of Urban Toast and joint venture partner of Duck Master, attributes its success to a combination of understanding the market’s demands, its location and “visual attraction”.

“In this present economic situation, we realise there’s a tremendous demand for great value-for-money roast duck… Because duck commands a premium; chicken is very common.

“We chose ducks with a reasonable size (for a family of four). It is cheaper than eating char siew rice outside,” said Yong, who added that 5pm to 6pm is their busiest time period.

Because of “the unexpected and overwhelming” demand, Yong said that they intend to set up another shop by the end of the year, as well as add one or two more ovens to the current stall.

“At the very beginning, we thought it may be only 50-60 ducks (per day)... we are now selling 300-400 ducks per day. We are almost reaching 60-70 per cent of maximum capacity (at the central kitchen where the master chef marinates and prepares the ducks),” he explained.

Yong also shared that they are working on an app that will allow users to place their orders and self-collect their ducks. It is expected to be up and running by “end of this or next month”.

Hopefully, “with the right logistics”, he aims to eventually provide the option of door-to-door delivery.

When asked if the stall is aiming for a Michelin award next year, Boh said: “It’s better for us to get it later when we can handle the crowd.”
 

Duck Master is located at #01-K99 of People’s Park Complex. Opening hours are 10am – 10pm (Monday to Friday), 9am – 10pm (Saturday and Sunday).