It’s that time of year again! At Thanksgiving, my in-laws always request my duck fried rice. It’s not a cheap side dish to make. With all the ingredients, one pan of duck fried rice costs me just under $70. I use half a duck and half a pound each of BBQ and crispy pork, plus mushrooms, eggs, green onions, and peas. A pan easily feeds 12 guests. Let’s listen to Pork and Beans for this post.
I usually buy my BBQ meats at Sun’s BBQ. However, I’ve been following Get in Mah’s Belly on Facebook, a page run by John Mah, who has deep knowledge of Cantonese cuisine in Calgary. My favourite posts from his page are reviews of Chinese restaurants and recipes. One thing is for sure, he knows his food.
I’d never heard of Kingwell Roasted BBQ before, but I soon learned it’s among the top 50 honourees in the running for the Elite 30 Canada Awards. The Elite 30 Canada Awards are an annual national guide that ranks Canada’s 30 most outstanding Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants.
The drive out to Kingwell is brutal. Chew Steel noted it was almost outside the city limits, just past Stoney Trail in Sage Hill. It took us thirty minutes to get there.
Whole Roasted Duck ($57)
The skin was a dark, glossy reddish-brown and shattered in the mouth, giving way to clean, rich duck meat. The duck was nearly double the size of Sun’s. The meat was much leaner too, without the flabby skin or deep layers of fat near the thigh pieces. Each piece was deftly chopped, especially the elegant angled cuts on the drumsticks. The roasting quality of the skin was top tier.
Chinese BBQ Pork / Honey BBQ Pork (1lb, $19)
This is the best BBQ pork I’ve tried in Calgary. The char siu was sliced into thick medallions with evenly blackened, caramelized edges and a pleasant chew. It wasn’t overcooked; the meat was ultra tender. I appreciated the pork’s smoky depth; it wasn’t just sweet like honey.
Crispy Pork Belly (1lb, $21)
Kingwell BBQ serves up a beautiful roasted pork. The dark, crunchy skin crackled, with a nice balance of meat and fat layers. I did find the bottom of the pork was overly salty.
Signature Four Meat Platter ($23)
I also took home their Signature Four Meat Platter: soy sauce chicken, BBQ pork, roasted pork, and half a salted egg, served with rice, and soup. The soy chicken looked good with its clean, white meat, but I found the texture a little dry and the flavour a bit plain. The salted egg tasted better than it looked. Though the yolk was powdery, it packed a ton of umami. The rice was a generous serving, enough for two people to share. The Chinese greens were overcooked, but that’s ok, I came for the meat.
Was it worth the half-hour drive to Sage Hill? Yes. The quality reminds me of my haunts when I lived in BC: HK BBQ Master and Parker Place BBQ in Richmond. Despite having to go the distance, Hitting the Sauce gives Kingwell Roasted BBQ two phat thumbs up.
Want more like this? Check out my running list of Calgary’s best restaurants, date nights, and cheap eats.
