Anyone who knows me will know my deep and fond love for Asian cuisine. It's no wonder all I was craving upon my return from Europe was peking duck. After hearing about supposedly one of the best peking duck in Sydney a trip was needed to help fuel my cravings. We made a booking a couple of days before as you need to prebook for the peking duck so that they can cater for the demand.
Driving down the highway it is quite easy to miss the restaurant. The outside is as old and run down as the inside. But for a Wednesday night it 70% of the restaurant was full of customers.
We were quickly seated and served a pot of hot tea. Mains were ordered, and while our waitress did not have the best English she was very kind and met our needs easily.
Condiments for Peking Duck - sliced cucumbers, spring onion and hoisin sauce
Chefs cutting the duck up with ease
Peaking Duck w Duck Soup $60
The pancakes were a bit of an annoyance as every two pieces would be stuck together leaving me to think it's not freshly made. They were not the thinnest nor softest but would suffice. The duck was sliced thinly and evenly with most of the fat rendered off leaving juicy flesh. I was expecting the skin to be served seperately to the meat but it had a nice crunch, just not as crispy has others I've had before.
Sher Ping Pancakes $2 each
Coming from a Chinese background I was not unfamiliar with these pancakes - filled with mince, Chinese cabbage, spring onions and whatever you want really. The pancakes were more dough-y as compared to the traditional flaky pastries I've tried, but nonetheless still delicious and well seasoned.
Mushroom w Green Cabbage $9
Simple green veg. Was a bit too oily for me, but I guess that's Chinese food for you...
Yellow Croaker in Chilli Sauce $22
Crispy skin that was well seasoned with a nice kick of chilli. Careful of all the little bones though!
Braised Eggplant $11
Eggplant was braised in garlic and a sweet sauce. While the flavours were good, again, it was way too oily for my liking.
Peaking Duck w Duck Soup $60
Finishing off our dinner with soup made with the left over duck meat and bones. There was also some skin in there as well as you can see floating on the top, which I would of preferred eating the crispiness of it all. The soup was full of flavour and a wonderful way to finish off a big meal. It was a bit salty, and not from MSG I hope.
While not bad, claiming it to be one of the best in Sydney is a bit of an overstatement. My search for the best Peking Duck in Sydney continues...
Food: 3/5
Service: 2.5/5
Atmosphere: 2/5
Interior: 1.5/5
Labels: food