Duck King

Duck King, already a household name in Indonesia, flew into Malaysia barely two months ago. Located at Jaya One, a new concept commercial and retail centre in Section 13 of Petaling Jaya, Duck King appears to have found a firm following amongst the office crowd and families from the surrounding residential area. On this weekend occasion, the dining room was packed with large groups enjoying a long, relaxing lunch.

As the name suggests, they are particularly proud of their various preparations of the esteemed water bird: nine different ways in total. Many will argue long and hard over which restaurant produces the better duck, but few will be able to match Duck King’s unashamed homage. Hence, there was only one choice to make; how many duck dishes could you try?

The most economical option was the Three Duck Combination (RM42.80), comprising of Roast Duck, Teo Chew Braised Duck and Marinated “Nanjing” Salted Duck. Roasting, of course, is the most familiar and Duck King holds up it’s own. The meat was tender and the skin a beautiful caramelised brown. Five-spice flavour was more noticeable than most other versions but not overpoweringly so. Surprisingly, the braised duck was lacking in both taste and tenderness. But the “Nanjing” Duck was wonderfully briny and flavourful, going especially well with the chilli oil.

Thankfully, for non-duck fans, Duck King has a huge and varied menu. They also serve a wide range of seafood, snacks, Dim Sum, noodles and one-plate rice meals. The list of green vegetables alone fill up three pages on the menu. Despite a large amount of head scratching to deal with the monstrous list, the staff were very patient. Even though the restaurant was heaving, they helpfully guided you through. More caution though, should be exercised with their recommendations.

Snacks of “Ling” Fishball (RM13.80) and Stuffed Tofu “Bom” (8.80) were largely unspectacular. The fishball came with an overpowering sauce made with fermented shrimp while the tofu was rather dry. As a word of warning, the “Bom” refers to a single hidden chilli padi stuffed within the tofu.

The Slice Fish with Ginger and Spring Onion (RM16.80) proved to be satisfactory in flavour, but not so in portion size. Barely five slices of fish were found in the entire dish. The Braised Ifu Noodle With Aubergine and Minced Meat (RM12.80) fared better, having soaked up plenty of the delicious braising liquid.

At least the meal ended on a high with the desserts. The Lemongrass Jelly (RM4.80) was light and refreshing, a good palate cleanser. But the star of the day had to be the Steamed Golden Sand Bun (RM4.20). The warm, sweet custard filling was oozingly delicious, balanced perfectly by the slight flavour of salted egg, all within a soft, fluffy bun.

Don’t forget to try the odd-looking Green Delight drink. It may look like blended grass from the lawn, but the mixed juice of pineapple and Choi Sum was as refreshing and delightful as it was surprising. At least it’ll make you feel much healthier after all that duck.

Order This: Steamed Golden Sand Bun Skip This: None

Text Chan Wai Lee

Published in Issue #116