An An Roast, which recently got down to business last month at the long deceased Salute coffeeshop, isn’t actually new. It’s a rebranding of the old Weiqiang Roasted Delights from 628 Senja Road. So, this ain’t their first rodeo, and the meats certainly prove that point.⠀
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While I would’ve appreciated the delicious duck a bit more if they’d properly rendered the fat from underneath the skin, it’s still a damn delectable duck drumstick. Sure, it’s a lil too fatty under the skin but hey, aren’t we all. However, the salt & spices used in the preparation & marination had absolutely permeated every molecule of meat, resulting in some fantastically flavourful fowl.⠀
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The roast pork belly (siobak) was a bit of a letdown, as the rind wasn’t particularly crispy, instead being a little limp. Sure, the pork was sufficiently seasoned with spices & the like, but the crackling failed to live up to its name. The char siew, on the other hand...hoo mah gawd.⠀
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It had a ludicrously luscious marinade/glaze slathered all over, and the pork was impregnated with all that mellow tastiness. It was roasted just right, and was about a 60/40 split between fat & meat. That’s a goddamn heart attack waiting to happen, but hey I’m here for a good time not a long time. It’s not quite on par with Fatty Cheong’s char siew, but it will give Fatty’s a damn good run for its money.⠀
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The fried chili sauce was way too salty, and I left it out of my demolition of this redolent plate of Chinese roast meat. An An may not be a world beater, but all this delicious decadence only cost me $8.50. Now that’s what I call value!