SUBANG JAYA, March 11 — It’s hard not to have heard about Mad Bebek given its viral reputation. 

One is often left salivating over their Instagram page at pictures of their delicious Bebek Goreng.

One year later, they traded their food truck for a brick-and-mortar shop in the Subang SS15 area to feed nearby hungry college kids.

That Bebek Goreng is still going strong; It’s incredibly well prepared with a crispy skin and they have somewhat reined in any dreaded gaminess.

The meat doesn’t feel dry in the mouth and pulls apart easily, thanks to sufficient cooking time.

Mad Fried Bebek Signature (RM29.50) offers everything on a plate: fried duck meets soft nasi lemak grains with just a whisper of coconut milk, cucumber, fried cabbage, a fried egg and soup. 

It differs from the Mad Fried Bebek Essential (RM22) purely because the Signature set includes two types of sambal: Sambal Balado and Sambal Bawang, plus tempeh. 

The sambal is essential for that all-authentic Indonesian flavour so don’t ignore it but just slather it on everything.  

Sambal Balado with its coarsely pounded chilies, burns brightly on the tongue. Beyond the spiciness, there’s a hint of sweetness and a whiff of lime leaves. 

On the other end of the heat spectrum, Sambal Bawang’s spiciness is tempered with a higher ratio of onions and garlic. 

Even their fried tempeh isn’t deep fried to a crunchy texture leaving you to relish the creamy texture of the fermented soybeans. 

Joining the fowl playbook here is the newcomer: the Grilled Bebek. 

It arrives glistening with a shiny treatment that makes it unrecognisable as either chicken or duck. 

Only when you pull it apart and taste it do you notice the unmistakable duck flavor, slightly muffled by the sweetness of the brushed layer of sauce. 

I reckon the Grilled Chicken (RM23.50) will suffice as this cooking method is dominated by its sauce. If you relish an unhindered flavour for the duck, opt for the Bebek Goreng instead. 

Mad Grilled Bebek Signature (RM27.50) pairs the grilled duck with a different sambal mix, using Sambal Bawang with kicap manis instead, letting the marinade shine better without the spiciness.

Don’t forget the all-important fried egg: its rich yolk coats the rice or experience its lethal fire when paired with level 3 of their Sambal Balado. 

One can even have quadruple egg yolks, a feast for fried egg lovers with a choice of richer duck eggs mixed with chicken eggs. 

If none of the sets fit your criteria, build your own plate tailored to your taste. 

Don’t ignore the Mie Ayam (RM12.90), which is a doppelganger of Hakka Mee, featuring identical thin egg noodles and minced meat topping. 

In this case, it’s chicken mince, fluffed up perfectly with an irresistible shallot oil to perfume those satisfying noodles. 

Prefer more heat with your noodles? There’s Mie Yamin Bandung (RM14.90) to the rescue.

The only item that didn’t impress was the Corn Fritters (three pieces for RM12.50) because the sweet corn niblets were scarce, and it was just fried chewy dough only. 

For lunch, promotion sets that ease your wallet may be a better choice, where you fork out RM9.99 for either Mie Ayam or Ayam Gepuk with just sambal, rice and soup. 

Mad Bebek is also listed on Grab Food, Foodpanda and ShopeeFood, should you prefer the comfort of home to relish your Bebek Goreng and wipe those tears when you select the burning level 3 of the sambal of your choice. 

Restoran Mad Bebek

79G, Jalan SS15/4B, 

SS15, Subang Jaya.

Tel:011-67792393

Open daily: 11am to 9pm.

Instagram: @madbebekmy

* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.

* Follow us on Instagram @eatdrinkmm for more food gems.