JB's Meng Meng Roasted Duck opens full-service restaurant in Singapore, has zi char dishes like curry fish head
The popular Malaysian chain first set up shop here in 2021 as a hawker stall, and has now expanded to a 70-seat restaurant space similar to its Johor Bahru outlets.
Instead of a restaurant, Meng Meng entered the local market here by setting up a hawker stall in Ang Mo Kio. The brand was brought in by Singaporean management consultancy +Plentitude, which also runs Hainanese restaurant The Hainan Colony in Tai Seng. A second hawker outlet soon followed in 2022, opening at Hougang Mall.
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Ang Mo Kio stall closed
The Ang Mo Kio stall has since closed last September after operating for two years. Speaking to 8days.sg, +Plentitude’s managing director Owen Lau, 51, shares that he had decided not to renew the stall’s lease after it expired. Instead, he was moving the stall’s operations to a “full dining location” at a shophouse unit in Serangoon Garden Way.
He explains that overheads like ingredient costs had “increased in the later months”, and the hawker concept “won’t be able to meet our desired margins, hence we do what we do best by going back to a restaurant concept”.
No more dim sum
While the Ang Mo Kio and Hougang Mall outlets previously offered a selection of zi char dishes and dim sum, the sole hawker joint has removed that and now sells only roasted items.
The zi char menu has been shifted to Meng Meng’s 70-seat restaurant, which is done up rather poshly and looks much fancier than its JB counterparts. Due to its location at a shophouse stretch, it reminds us of dining in Malaysia.
Zi char dishes here include Curry Fish ($33.80) served in a claypot with veggies and your choice of the fish head, body or tail, and Crispy Deep Fried Fish ($26.80). There’s also an extensive selection of classic local zi char fare, like Marmite Pork Ribs ($15.80), Sambal Sotong ($18.80) and Sweet & Sour Pork ($13.80). Each portion is good for two to three pax. 
Roast duck
The restaurant’s signature roasted dang gui duck is offered here, though you can expect to pay a premium compared to the hawker outlet, which retained its prices despite the recent GST hike.
Irish ducks from Silver Hill Farm, which are nicknamed as “the wagyu of ducks”, are used for the Roasted Irish Duck with Chinese Herb ($78 for whole, $42 for half, from $21 for quarter). This is compared to $52.80 for a whole non-Irish, Malaysia-imported bird at the hawker stall.You can also try the Dang Gui Roasted Duck (from $8) in individual portions with either chicken rice, steamed rice, dry noodles or dry hor fun. There are combination duck and pork options like Dang Gui Roasted Duck + Char Siew (with rice from $10.80) and Dang Gui Roasted Duck + Crispy Roasted Pork (with rice from $9.80). A combination platter of roasted duck, pork and chicken starts from $16.80 for an individual a la carte portion.
Irish Hampshire pork, which is known to be leaner than usual, is used for Meng Meng’s pork dishes. But if you don’t fancy duck or pork, there is also Roasted Chicken Rice at $5.50 a plate.
Meng Meng Roasted Duck is 63 Serangoon Garden Way, S555959. Tel: 8908-7000. Open daily, Mon-Fri 11am-3pm; 5pm-9pm, Sat & Sun 11am-9pm. Facebook/ Instagram
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