Boon Signature Roast Pork @ Damansara Jaya

I got my first taste of this "siew yuk" (roast pork) when my husband brought me here one Sunday morning.  Although Boon Signature Roast Pork @ Damansara Jaya wasn't new to me as I've read the story about the owner and creator of this roast pork.

The owner first opened a shop in Kota Damansara but it subsequently closed (apparently the location was not ideal).  He then sold roast pork at "pasar malam" (night markets) before finally having another go and opened this shop in the middle of last year.

Since it's obviously all about the siew yuk here, let's start with the Roast Pork Rice @ RM9.90 which was served with a good portion of rice, drizzled with their inhouse soya-based sauce.

If you're looking for the typical traditional Chinese-style of siew yuk, I'm afraid you won't get it here.  They use a more Western-style of marination (apparently more than 10 herbs and spices) here.  That said, I tasted one predominant flavour...and it was black pepper...and lots of it! >_<  So, if you're not fond of black pepper, you may have to rethink about trying this.  As for me, I love black pepper, so I'm fine with it. Although some blogs and newspaper articles mentioned the omission of five-spice powder in the marination of this siew yuk, I'm sure I detected a hint (a very slight hint) of five spice powder coming through.  It's certainly possible if the spices used are among the same spices the five-spice powder is made of.

As for the meat itself, with a good ratio of fat-to-lean (maybe a bit too fat in some parts), it was melt-in-the-mouth tender...almost too tender if you ask me.  Don't get me wrong, I like my meat tender too but still with a bit of a bite and this was a tad too soft for my taste buds.

The super crunchy-skinned siew yuk is also different from the norm, extra thick and pork crackling-like, which I have to admit was superbly crunchy.  If you look towards the kitchen, you'll notice that their slabs of roast pork have been scored into small squares.  Perhaps, this was what made it extra crunchy but some parts of the golden skin were also a bit hard.  And because it was scored this way, some of the cracklings easily detached themselves from the meat when cut.

Of course we had to try the "char siew" (BBQ pork) too and ordered a plate of Roast Pork + Char Siew Rice @ RM11.90.  They use Japanese Pearl Rice here, a better quality rice which provided a firmer bite than the standard (sometimes broken) rice usually offered elsewhere.

Besides rice, they also offer wantan noodles.  I had the Roast Pork + Char Siew Noodles @ RM12.90.

The char siew was super tender but not overly sticky-sweet and that's probably why the outer layer was not as darkly caramelised.  Still decent though the siew yuk trumps the char siew here.  The texture of the char siew is a bit similar to my Toast n Roast (but I have to say Toast n Roast's version is better).

The noodles, which came with some minced pork on top, had a springy texture similar to those HK-style wantan noodles.  The noodles were tossed in a sauce that was quite bland tasting (they haven't got the right balance of flavours).  Neither the texture of the noodles nor the flavour of the sauce were to my liking.

During weekends and public holidays, a special version of Iberico Siew Yuk is available at RM28 per 100g.

The portion of Iberico siew yuk shown here is 100g.  Mighty expensive some would say, more than double the price of normal siew yuk where a small portion of standalone siew yuk is RM12, medium is RM24 and large at RM36, RM60 for 500g and RM120 for 1kg (the same prices apply for the char siew).

I definitely preferred the Iberico version better as there was more flavour in the meat.  It was also a little leaner and the texture wasn't overly soft (like the normal siew yuk earlier).  Somehow, I felt the Iberico pork absorbed the strong black pepper marination better.  Maybe because it wasn't the traditional siew yuk, I welcomed (and accepted) the Western-style marination more eagerly.  Also, don't hope for any crispy skin...there isn't any.  Instead the marbling gives way to a well charred upper layer for yummy results. ^o^

Condiments of pickled green chillies and chilli sauce are available table-side for your eating pleasure. They've got the fresh, zesty flavours right in their house-made chilli sauce which packed a bit more punch than the norm.

Their Ipoh White Coffee (Cold) @ RM4.20 isn't too bad either.

This place concentrates on just three roasted meats with roast chicken being the other roasted meat here. Since I wanted to try the roast chicken as well, after being attracted to the highly black peppered skin, I ordered a take-away Roast Chicken Rice only to realise (later when I opened the box at home) that I was given Roast Pork Rice instead. >_<  This was also the first time I've seen roast pork packed this way...with a plastic sheet separating the rice from the pork (I guess they wanted to ensure their roast pork stayed at its optimum crispiness).

My Personal Opinion

If you like a more Western-style roast pork belly (compared to the Chinese-style siew yuk) with a deluge of black pepper taste, then you'll surely be delighted with this siew yuk.

Many sing its praises as one of the best roast pork in town...not for me though.  The super crunchy skin is definitely the highlight and the siew yuk is certainly commendable but not a firm favourite of mine for their more fatty-to-lean ratio and overly tender meat.

Having said that, I won't mind returning for their Iberico roast pork (albeit not regularly because of the hefty price).  If you love the taste of black pepper, perhaps you should try this siew yuk to determine (for yourself) if you rate it among your favourites.

For me, I guess I'm still old-school when it comes to siew yuk preferring the Chinese-style versions of good 'ol fragrant, salty, crispy siew yuk that I've found in some shops (maybe not quite as good as Wong Kee's roast pork...notoriously known for their unfriendly attitude and high prices...but close enough to provide satisfaction)! :P

Boon Signature Roast Pork
75 Jalan SS22/19
Damansara Jaya
47400 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Tel: 03-7731 8169