Taika Huat Braised Duck 八哩半大家发鸭肉 is popular with Johoreans and also visitors from Singapore.
Taika Huat Braised Duck stall is in a zinc roof structure under the cooling shade of four large leafy trees.
Many families are here on this sunny Monday morning. Taika Huat is along a back road just 5 minutes drive to Sutera Mall (a popular shopping centre in JB). Just set your GPS and you will find your way here easily.
Taika Huat was founded by Mr Quek's father in 1973. At that time, the township of Taman Ungku Tun Aminah was still undeveloped. On this winding back road, old Mr Quek dug this well and planted five trees while starting his braised duck stall. The present owner, the younger Mr Quek was then a nine year old child. Mr. Quek had been working at the shop since.
Through the last 40 plus years, the trees are now giants and Taika Huat have built up a large loyal following for their traditional Teochew style braised duck and pork. The well is still in use - though not for drinking now. Mr Quek dubbed it the "Well of Fortune 發財井" - it's a reminder of where the source of good fortune came from - 飲水思源.
Now Mr Quek's son 宇航, the third generation of Taika Huat is at the shop.
宇航 has excellent knife skills 刀功, he cuts the duck fast and very thinly.
Taika Huat's braised duck is tender and still have a little chew to the bite. Splashed with braising stock, the slices of duck meat tastes mildly savoury herbal. There is no duck gaminess at all (though I personally like a little bit of it).
Besides the staple braised duck, my favourites at Taika Huat are their braised pork trotter 😋 and duck tongue 😛
The pork trotter is braised, steamed, then splashed with sauce before serving.
The pork trotter is cut into bite size pieces of skin, fat, tendon and meat. The meat and fat are tender and juicy while the skin has a bouncy spring. There is also a nice gumminess from the dissolved collagen. The flavour is savoury sweet with very slight herbal and spicy notes. There is also an underlying light porky taste which I like. The dish is aromatic and flavoursome. The pork trotter is a top seller at Taika Huat.
Must Try.
Not as popular, but I will always order the duck tongues when I visit Taika Huat. The boss told me that they also have duck wings and duck tails (what is that? 😱).
I like the combination of tender lean meat, skin, cartilage and soft gelatinous tissue from the duck's tongue and chin 😃
4-Star (out of 5). Taika Huat is one of JB's braised duck institutions with a bonus of braised pork trotter signature dish. Another draw is the charming experience of eating under the cool shade of grand old trees.
Restaurant name: 八里半大家发鸭肉 Kedai Masakan Itik Taika Huat / Ba Li Ban
Address: Jalan Kilang Nenas (Jalan Skudai Batu 8½ near Lee Pineapple Factory and SJK Kuo Kuang school), Johor Bahru
Map: http://g.co/maps/r4qqu
GPS: 1°31'25.4"N 103°40'20.6"E 1.523723, 103.672400
Tel: +6017-763 2188 林秋燕
Hours: 8:30am to 4:00pm (closed on first day of every lunar month)
Non Halal
Date visited: 2 Feb 2012, 30 Jan 2014, 30 Mar 2014, July 2014, 19 Dec 2016
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Taika Huat Braised Duck 八里半大家发鸭肉 established back in 1973, is one of the popular Teochew style braised duck restaurants in Johor Bahru.
We purposely arrived at 大家发 at about 10:00am in the morning, in order to avoid the famous lunch crowds.
10:00am is a good time to catch a leisurely brunch in the cool under the shade of a big leafy tree. A truly uniquely Malaysian experience.
The boss Mr. Qua who is the second generation owner welcomes customers with a winsome smile.
Taika Huat is now in the third generation with the boss' daughter Emily joining the business.
大家发's famous braised ducks waiting by the window for customers.
Even at this time in the morning, 大家发 is already a hive of activity.
The boss personally attends to the details of preparing the food.
The boss' personal touch results in this superb braised duck. The meat is firm yet tender and juicy. The sauce has a subtle pleasant herbal taste and is naturally sweet.
I ordered these duck tongues out of curiosity and ended up totally falling in love with it. Each piece includes also the flesh from around the lower jaw and chin of the duck. To me it is just like duck meat except that it is even better as it has the different interesting textures of lean meat, skin, gelatinous membrane, and cartilage.
Taika Huat's braised-then-steam pork knuckles are also worth a Must Try. Not very photogenic as the pork kunckle was cut up, but it was delicious. The meat was tender, savoury and naturally sweet. The tender meat, skin and fat had a gummy gelatinous bite, which felt lovely.
Taika Huat used to serve duck blood curd but this is no longer available as there are no more live duck farms in Johor. This dish has been replaced by pork blood curd which is also popular, especially among Singapore residents.
This kway teow kia (though generic) is infused with the flavours of the delicious braising sauce, herbs and spices used to make the braised duck plus the duck's juices. It goes very well with the meat, tongue and soup.
This is a delightful gastronomic experience that I like to revisit regularly. I am still thinking of those amazing duck tongues and the braised pork knuckle ;-P
Taika Huat Duck is just a stone's throw from Lee Pineapple
Address: Jalan Kilang Nenas (Jalan Skudai Batu 8½ near Lee Pineapple Factory and SJK Kuo Kuang school)
Map: http://g.co/maps/r4qqu
GPS: 1.523723, 103.6724
Hours: 8:30am to 4:00pm (closed on first day of every lunar month)
Non Halal
I've not béen here for quite awhile. Easily 2 years. Yes its one of my favourite.
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