I've spent many days and evenings walking to/from the Kingston Foreshore past Wild Duck. On first impressions I didn't think it was the place for me. However as the months have past, after reading the menu online multiple times, I felt there was enough in there to entice me inside to finally try it out. Additionally the ratings on Urbanspoon were relatively high, which is unusual for Canberra.
On a quiet Monday evening, we sauntered in. The booths are probably the nicest places to sit but for some reason it wasn't offered to us. I don't particularly like sitting in the middle of a sparsely set room, but it isn't something I should really complain about.
I never quite understood how places charge for tea served in a pot at a per person rate. The same volume of tea (refills are hot water as we know) is used and yet in order to have a 2nd cup, you pay additional. It doesn't make sense to me. Yum cha places take note - it is ridiculous. Anyway, onto the food...
- Scallops with XO Conpoy Chilli (pan seared scallops each topped with a touch of our XO Conpoy chilli, with poached asparagus and salad) 3 for $18.9 - these were delicious small scallops, well cooked with a very non-chilli but flavoursome salted fish topping. $6 per scallop is a little excessive I felt;
- Shao Lin Tofu Puffs (lightly fried tofu puff, served with cinnamon caramelised tofu and fresh silky tofu) $15.9 - these were actually served cold and quite bland. The fresh tofu was probably the nicest for the textural element but not enough to make this dish desirable;
- Singapore Chilli Prawns (king prawns in our chef’s Singapore chilli sauce, served on rice noodle) $32.9 - these prawns were very small for king and $8 each was much too excessive. The prawns lacked the characteristic crunch of Chinese-style frying;
- Manhan Lamb Ribs (slow-cooked in ‘One Hundred’ spices, finished on the grill, served with roasted banana chilli, zucchini & eggplant) $33.9 - quite tasty and chewy, rather than fall-off-the-bone, which isn't a bad thing necessarily. They had a little bit of heat, but really minimal;
- Mixed seasonal vegetables $9.9 - simple vegetables to balance the meal;
- Fried Mantou Bread 2 for $3.5 - chose these over rice as the carbohydrate for the meal. Not as good as my only other occasion at Mao's restaurant in Melbourne but still ok;
- Black Sticky Rice (cinnamon-infused with salted coconut custard, vanilla meringue & Persian candy floss) $14 - a bit of a mish-mash of many different non-Asian dessert elements together with black sticky rice.
Overall I wasn't particularly enamoured with the meal. It was likely a combination that the flavours weren't as exciting as modern Asian can be all over the world (compared to Melbourne's Longrain or Ezard or Rice Papr Scrs, Canberra's Lilotang or Lanterne Rooms, London's immaculate HKK, SF's The Slanted Door etc.) and the price point seemed much too high for what was delivered. Dishes advertised as chilli didn't have any discernible heat (maybe catered exclusively to Western palate) and so overall left a bit wanting.
I think the fact they are in the Entertainment Book will bring me back someday to try it again.
Next time I would order Lamb Shank in Golden Sand, Xinjiang Lamb Skewers, Crispy Xiang Su Duck and Massaman Beef Cheek (Thai food? Maybe not the best choice but beef cheeks...). I don't think any of the dishes I have tried are worth me getting again, other than the mantou fried bread because that's not the easiest to find around town.