KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 10 — Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and the team behind Michelin-selected restaurants Eat and Cook and Barkar is marking the occasion with a limited-edition mountain duck bak kwa, created in collaboration with Oloiya.

Chefs Lee Zhe Xi and Soh Yong Zhi previously experimented with making bak kwa for dishes at Eat and Cook, but this collaboration leans into the longstanding tradition of dried meat during the festive season.

To celebrate, they’ve launched a special nine-course lunch menu, featuring the duck bak kwa in inventive preparations such as stuffed chicken wings and ice cream.

The menu is available only at Barkar until January 12.

Till January 12, Barkar is featuring the duck ‘bak kwa’ in a special nine-course menu.
Till January 12, Barkar is featuring the duck ‘bak kwa’ in a special nine-course menu.

The duck is wet-aged to develop a richer, more pronounced flavour before it is sent to Oloiya’s production facility.

The bak kwa itself is sweet, not particularly smoky but unmistakably “duck-like” in taste.

The distinctly savoury, gamey flavour of the duck comes through the layers of age and sweet spices.

Its texture is noticeably different from that of pork; it is much softer despite the muscle fibres being more compact.

Oloiya was among the first to introduce chicken bak kwa, making them no strangers to creating dried meat beyond the traditional pork.

Only 1,000 boxes of the mountain duck bak kwa have been produced. Each box contains eight slices and is priced at RM108.

They are available only at both Eat and Cook and Barkar.

Raymond Khue, Lee Zhe Xi, Peter Khue and Soh Yong Zhi. The Khue brothers are the third generation of the family that started Oloiya and are now running the business.
Raymond Khue, Lee Zhe Xi, Peter Khue and Soh Yong Zhi. The Khue brothers are the third generation of the family that started Oloiya and are now running the business.