Near to KSL City Mall in Johor Bahru, in a secluded spot along Jalan Kancil in Taman Century, a gigantic roasted duck above a row of shops draws customers to Restoran Hao Bi (好比鸭王) for its roasted delights and ducky delicacies.
Hao Bi is known for its dang gui (Angelica sinensis, 当归) herbal roasted duck (当归药材烧鸭). There are roasted ducks in other herbal flavours too. Apart from ducks, they have roasted suckling piglet, roasted pork, barbecue pork and roasted goose (subject to availability).
Hao Bi's menu has a wider range of roasted delights that can be ordered as standalone dishes or mix-and-match as desired. There are other cooked dishes and soups too — Hao Bi is both a roaster and seafood restaurant too. The prices are reasonable too.
(Note: Prices stated in this post are in 2022.)
I have been to Hao Bi several times before the pandemic and visited the restaurant several times after the border-reopening to taste the roasted delicacies again.
What have we tried?
A single-pax serving of dang gui herbal roasted duck and crispy roasted pork with rice set, added with a bowl of lotus root soup and cold water-chestnut drink.
For just RM10.60, the serving of herbal roasted duck and roasted pork is reasonably large. The duck meat has absorbed the aroma of the Angelica herb and is juicy and tender. I like the just-right herbal taste that lingers in the mouth. Too strong herbal presence may make the duck meat taste bitter. The roasted pork with crispy skin is tasty and do not have the "porky" smell that I feared most.
The water chestnut drink is home-brewed with its ingredients visible at the bottom of the glass. The coolness is very welcoming, especially on hot days.
On another visit, I was back to Hao Bi with some friends for dinner. We had half a herbal roasted duck (RM46), a serving of the crispy roasted pork (RM24.80), fried kangkung (water spinach) and a claypot beancurd.
We did not expect half a roasted duck to have so much meat. We had our fills of the delicious and tender meats. Fortunately, the five of us were able to finish it all.
My friends were also all-praises for the crispy and not-too-fat roasted pork.
I will be back again for more roasted ducks of other flavours.
Address:
Restoran Hao Bi (好比鸭王)
4, Jalan Kancil, Taman Century, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia
*Note: Restoran Hao Bi has another 6 branches in Johor, including one near to JB City Square Mall, along Jalan Wong Ah Fook.
Opening Hours:
9:30am to 8pm | Daily